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Levine: Fresh Faces Mean Whole New Outlook For White Sox

By Bruce Levine

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The rudderless ship known as the 2015 Chicago White Sox was a lifeless bunch void of leadership.

Enter a predominantly new group of position players with a variance of experience and clubhouse savvy. The difference in seasons and attitude is like night and day from last season's disaster.

Among this energetic group, third baseman Todd Frazier jumps to the forefront as the leader among leaders, joining this loose bunch of throwbacks.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, second baseman Brett Lawrie, center fielder Austin Jackson, catcher Alex Avila and catcher Dioner Navarro make up the guts of this new group. All have brought esprit and verve to the South Side with them.

Regardless of the end game for these White Sox -- they entered play tuesday leading the AL Central by 2.5 games -- the togetherness they have shown in the first 45 games should hold up throughout the season. The hottest hitter on the club, Frazier, gravitates toward being that natural leader.

"Ever since Little League and high school that has come my way," Frazier said.

"I don't mind that role at all. I don't mind getting in guy's faces. The thing about being a leader is you must have guys that have your back. With this team that is 100 percent a given. We have seen it in spring training. We have seen it during the year. These are things you (media) guys don't see. If we had a problem, we take care of it right then and there. Guys step out of line, guys step up. That is what makes a winning ball club."

In their own right, ace Chris Sale and left fielder Melky Cabrera are a big part of the diverse leadership of this unique crew of individuals. They gravitate to the guys who first and foremost play the game the right way.

"For the most part, it's leader by example," reliever Matt Albers said.

"Usually, the leaders are one of the better players on the team. It isn't always an every day guy. It can be a pitcher. It's more important to lead by example. A guy who plays hard regardless of the score. It does not have to be an outspoken guy."

Frazier is leading the American league in home runs and is in the top seven of RBI leaders. He seemed to pick up the leadership reins from the first day he entered White Sox spring training camp in Glendale, Ariz., this February.

"He is certainly one of our leaders," Albers said.

"He has been in the major leagues awhile. I have been on different teams so I know pretty much what I am looking at. We all look to him as one of the main guys. He is out there every day, playing hard.

"He is a great teammate who supports each guy in here. He plays to win with all of us. With Todd, it's not about his numbers of getting his stats. Even when he does well and we lose, he is not happy. That is what you want to see from your leaders."

The number of pros brought in for the White Sox run at the playoffs is somewhat a group of soldiers of fortune. The aforementioned seven newbies are all on one- or two-year deals. This team was built to win now.

That closeness as a unit is hard to formulate with such a big influx of roster movement.

"This is the first time for me where there isn't just one leader," said Jackson, who has played on four playoff teams in the last five seasons.

"There have been several guys who have stepped up and taken that role. I really like that about this team. There are no egos in here. Everybody treats everybody as equals. I believe that is the key to our success as a group so far.

"We have brought in a lot of guys with experience and success. We all have brought are previous experiences and joined as one quickly here. Not just one guy, but a few have been at the front of this leadership."

Jackson insisted the Adam LaRoche blowup in spring training was overcome by a group that had no emotional ties to the past.

In this case, the here and now helped the players move on from the ugly skirmish with the front office.

"It was one of those things where you were walking in as a free agent and you really didn't know the situation," Jackson said. "We were able to put that aside and it was because you had a lot of guys with experience how to block those things out. We were able to collectively focus on the task at hand."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

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