With the first half in the books and the second half just ahead, Doug Padilla hands out his midseason report card for the Chicago White Sox.
MANAGEMENT
Front Office
Over the winter, the front office seemed to do an impressive job of filing multiple needs, but as the season has unfolded, the White Sox's roster has looked far past its prime. Give the front office credit for building a nice pitching staff, and for putting the bullpen back together from the bottom up. The offense, though, is dragging the White Sox into the dumps. It will be interesting to see where general manager Rick Hahn (right), executive vice president Kenny Williams & Co. take things from here.
Manager Robin Ventura
During the offseason, Ventura said that he was fine with being on the hot seat after the roster was improved because it meant he had a chance to win. The team hasn't won, mostly because the players have performed below their track records, and it didn't take long for many to call for Ventura's firing. A stoic, steadying force, Ventura has had a bit more of an edge about of him of late -- and the team responded with nine victories in the last 12 games of the first half.
STARTING PITCHERS
After starting slow while he was eased into the season following a foot injury suffered in spring training, the staff ace has made up for lost time in a hurry with a historic strikeout run that saw him reach double digits in K's 10 times in his past 12 starts.
After an early-season get-to-know-you period, during which Samardzija was throwing more cutters than usual, he has returned to his typical pitching arsenal, closing out the first half with a vengeance.
His 4-9 record suggests otherwise, but Quintana is as good as ever this year, with a 3.69 ERA through 18 starts, and his career-best 3.88 strikeout-to-walk ratio shows that he actually might be better than ever.
The left-hander continues to work on increasing the gap between his changeup and his fastball. His 5.30 ERA after 16 starts is proof that he still has work to do.
The rookie really does deserve an A for how he has held his own during his first 11 career starts, but his command issues show he still has more work to do while hinting at a future that should be bright.
RELIEF PITCHERS
The team's new $46 million closer ran into a couple of speed bumps during the first half, but overall he has given the White Sox something they haven't had in a while: confidence with a ninth-inning lead.
Like Robertson at closer, Duke has given the White Sox a setup man they can believe in while posting a 3.09 ERA. And his 2.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, half of what it was last year, shows he can be even better.
For a guy who pitches in the seventh inning, and sometimes in the eighth, Putnam is a nice option to have, and although he has given up some homers lately, his 13.34 strikeouts per nine innings is solid.
He started slowly after opening the season in the disabled list, but has come on strong with a 1.13 ERA over his last 17 appearances in the first half, 15 of which have been scoreless.
The lefty specialist started strong before starting to fade, which led to a DL stint because of neck inflammation. He has actually been better against right-handed hitters than lefties this year.
With much better control since he returned to the major leagues in May, Webb has found himself in key spots already, with his only stumble a July 5 outing against the Orioles.
CATCHERS
He gets downgraded for his offense, but Flowers has been a plus behind the plate, earning rave reviews from the starting pitchers -- especially Sale, who says the catcher is second to none when it comes to preparation.
The veteran backup not only gives Flowers the opportunity to rest on occasion, he primarily handles Samardzija's outings and has helped lead the right-hander back to form and a recent run of domination.
INFIELDERS
The second-year player hasn't been terrible on offense this season, but his power production is far below where it was last year and nagging injuries, especially to his index finger, seem to be to blame.
It's hard to knock what Sanchez has given on defense, given that his arrival practically coincided with the improvement from the team's starting pitchers, but he will need to give more offensively.
Last year at this time Ramirez was headed to the All-Star Game, but flash forward to the present and his struggles on both offense and defense suggest that his mind wasn't where it needed to be in the first half.
Foot issues in spring training got Gillaspie off track in a hurry and while his offense is down this year, his defense looks even worse. His lack of a strong throwing arm has become more of an issue.
Like Sanchez, Beckham has given the White Sox little offense, but his defensive contributions have been massive, especially in place of Gillaspie at third on occasion.
Signed to bring a left-handed power presence to the lineup that Adam Dunn could not consistently provide, LaRoche has looked more like Dunn at times than the steady run producer he had been in the NL.
It isn't Bonifacio's fault he hasn't been asked to contribute all that often. It's a sign that the White Sox have been healthy on the infield, which basically makes him a $3 million unused insurance policy.
OUTFIELDERS
The only thing that isn't making this grade any worse is the fact that Cabrera has actually come to life of late offensively, posting a 10-game hitting streak that ended in the first-half finale Sunday.
The spark plug from a season ago has not supplied much spark in either the outfield or at the top of the order, but there have been signs that he's coming around. And he was solid in the second half last year.
A .272 batting average is OK, but Garcia is one of the White Sox's few power bats. So, from that perspective, he needs to improve on a .379 slugging percentage, seven home runs and 31 RBIs.
The White Sox don't ask a lot out of Shuck, but when they do -- typically inserting him as pinch hitter in a key late-game spot -- he has delivered in the form of a team-leading four go-ahead RBIs in the eighth inning or later.