Sox move past Royals, A's in opening rounds of MLB Dream Bracket
While actual, live baseball is on pause these days, MLB.com came up with one of their best ideas in a long time: MLB Dream Bracket. The basic premise is as such: Select the best players at each position for each franchise in baseball and toss them together in a big simulation and see who comes out on top.
[Read about the bracket in further detail here]
The MLB Dream Bracket got underway on April 20, with 16 first round matchups. (A Negro League All-Star roster, and a 25 & Under roster were added to the current 30 franchises to make an even 32.)
Check out the White Sox roster:
Pitchers: Mark Buehrle, Chris Sale, Billy Pierce, Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, Red Faber, Wilbur Wood, Bobby Jenks, Bobby Thigpen, Hoyt Wilhelm, Roberto Hernandez
Starting Lineup:
C: Carlton Fisk
1B: Frank Thomas
2B: Nellie Fox
3B: Robin Ventura
SS: Luke Appling
LF: Magglio Ordoñez
CF: Minnie Miñoso
RF: Harold Baines
DH: Paul Konerko
Bench: José Abreu, Luis Aparicio, Eddie Collins, Jermaine Dye, Shoeless Joe Jackson, A.J. Pierzynski
That roster was paired off against the Kansas City Royals in Round 1, a fun division rival matchup, with the White Sox favored in part due to their history being more than twice as long as the Royals.
The Chisox made quick work of their Central foes, winning the first three games, and eventually winning the series in a gentleman’s sweep. Billy Pierce led the way with victories in Game 1 and Game 5, with Paul Konerko making mincemeat of the Royals pitching to the tune of a .421 average and three long balls.
In the second round, the Sox drew the Oakland A’s, the two-seed on the American League side of the bracket (seeding was done by championships won in franchise history), but the Pale Hose were able to pull off the upset, with Pierce once again locking in the series-clinching win in Game 5.
The White Sox actually dropped Game 1, and they were trailing in the eighth inning of Game 2, but a late surge catapulted the Sox to four straight wins to close out the series in five games, with Robin Ventura swinging a hot stick this time. The sweet-swinging third baseman hit .333 and cleared the fence four times in the series, while Luke Appling hit .450 and Magglio Ordoñez .391.
The Pale Hose will now face their Sox rivals in the Quarterfinals, with the deciding game(s) to be shown on MLB.com and the MLB Twitch stream on April 23 at 3:30 p.m.
Jim Turvey is a baseball diehard, who was born and raised in Vermont, attended the University of Vermont and is currently attaining an MBA at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, N.J. He is a baseball nomad, having been raised by one Yankee fan and one Red Sox fan (I know), and he is first and foremost a lover of the history and statistics of the sport.