Chicago White Sox Tickets

The Chicago White Sox have high hopes for this year after winning the American League Central Division title last season.

The White Sox were carried through much of the season by Carlos Quentin, a former top prospect whom the Arizona Diamondbacks eventually gave up on.

Before injuring himself in the final month of the season, Quentin put up huge numbers and was thought to be the favorite to win the MVP award.

Designated hitter Jim Thome saw his numbers decline in 2008 but remains a solid power option in the heart of the lineup.

First baseman Paul Konerko's numbers also went down, and the team hopes he can bounce back in 2008. If the team struggles, look for Konerko's name to surface in a lot of trade talks with playoff contenders.

With Joe Crede out of the equation, Josh Fields will finally get a chance to shine at third base without having to look over his shoulder. Field was one of the top position prospects in the organization and has plenty of pop in his bat.

John Danks has become the team's ace, taking that role over from veteran lefty Mark Buehrle. Danks was mentioned in trade talks in the offseason, but the White Sox would had to have been blown away by an offer to pull the trigger.

Gavin Floyd had a breakout season for the White Sox and is now counted upon to become one of the studs in the starting rotation.

The White Sox also elected to sign Bartolo Colon after he saw some brief time in Boston's starting rotation last year. He is a low-risk, high-reward signing that could pay off if he can manage to stay healthy.

Chicago has a solid bullpen led by closer Bobby Jenks. Scott Linebrink and Matt Thornton provide skipper Ozzie Guillen with two situational guys who can come in and get a couple of outs in a pinch.

In what is a division full of mediocrity, the White Sox should battle it out with a couple of other teams for the title all season long.