Levine: White Sox See A Playoff Berth In Their Future
By Bruce Levine--
GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) -- Will a $130-million payroll commitment, the White Sox have invested heavily in 2015. Their first payment will be due Wednesday, when major league players begin collecting their checks. Then on Monday, the question of how good the White Sox will be begins to be answered when Chicago opens its season at Kansas City.
The White Sox will have their hands full in an AL Central that's expected to be as competitive as any in baseball. Various publications have already projected four different teams to win the division, with Chicago included in that mix.
"With our pitching staff, we have a chance to be in every ball game," White Sox left-hander John Danks said. "The offense should score some runs. The ball is in our court. We have a solid group of guys here. We need to play some consistent baseball here over the course of the summer."
The White Sox added six essential players to the mix in the offseason. All of those new additions will be counted on to help bring a playoff-caliber team to the South Side fan base for the first time in seven seasons.
"Once you start in the games and you have had a couple of months together, you learn how everybody ticks," center fielder Adam Eaton said. "You learn how your teammates react to things when things are going well and not going well. We are all creatures of habit, so those things take a while to mesh together."
Predicting a championship is usually fool's gold for players, but the White Sox know they have high expectations for 2015.
"It's everyone's goal to win the whole thing," Eaton said. "You can't say that it's not your goal and can't say you don't want to be there. I think we all expect to be there. The idea is compete well in your division and get hot at the right time and win a World Series. That all being said, we have some talented players here. We are going to compete at a high level and hopefully make ourselves and our fans happy."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
