White Sox Players Give Brutally Honest Assessment of 2022 Season

The Chicago White Sox entered last season with high hopes after winning 93 games and the AL Central in 2021. Instead, they never managed to get untracked and stumbled to a disappointing 81-81 record, finishing 11 games behind the Cleveland Guardians.

While many were quick to blame aging manager Tony La Russa -- who left the team during the second half due to medical issues -- but White Sox players believe the finger should be pointed at them instead.

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In a USA Today article by Bob Nightengale, Chicago reliever Joe Kelly said he and his teammates deserve the blame for their underwhelming performance and that La Russa shouldn't be scapegoated. “It didn’t matter who was managing. We didn’t play hard enough," Kelly said. "We didn’t focus enough. We embarrassed ourselves.’’

While injuries to key players were a factor as well, Kelly acknowledged that the team didn't do enough to overcome them. Every team deals with injuries, after all, so it's hard to use that as an excuse when things don't work out.

Fortunately for the White Sox, 2023 is a clean slate for them. They're healthier now and have a new manager in Pedro Grifol, who is already drawing strong reviews. They're also out to prove last year was a fluke and that they're a better team than what they showed on the field in 2022.

Chicago hopes its new mentality can help carry the team to its first World Series since 2005. The White Sox currently have the 13th-best championship odds (+3500) on FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds.

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