About all anyone needs to know about the 2022 season for the Chicago White Sox is that they’re starting 2023 with a new manager. That’s what happens when a team preforms below expectations, including those of customers at Illinois sportsbooks wagering on the home team.
Tony La Russa started last season as the manager but medical issues ended his season and his long career in August, when he retired. Miguel Cairo finished the season in the dugout on Chicago’s South Side.
Chicago seemed to get some traction late in the season, winning eight of 10 as September started. But then the Sox hit a wall, dropping eight straight starting on Sept. 20, and they limped home at 81-81, finishing second in the American League Central and failing to make the postseason.
2023 Chicago White Sox Betting Odds
Looking ahead at Thursday’s Opening Day and beyond oddsmakers at BetMGM Illinois Sportsbook have Chicago at +3500 to win the World Series in 2023; at Caesars Sportsbook, Chicago’s odds to win the World Series are +4000 as of Thursday afternoon. To win the division, BetMGM and Caesars both have the Sox at +250 odds. Cleveland is +125 at BetMGM and +130 with DraftKings to win the division.
The win total for the White Sox wavers from 82 to 84 wins depending on the oddsmaker.
Chicago heads into 2023 with a rookie manager, Pedro Grifol. However, a far more familiar face that won’t be in the lineup on opening day is Jose Abreu.
Abreu, who signed with Houston as a free agent, had been with the White Sox since 2014 following his defection from Cuba. His nine-year run on the South Side produced 243 home runs, 863 RBIs and an MVP in the pandemic-abbreviated 2020 campaign.
Despite hitting above .300 in 2022, Abreu, now 35, failed to hit with his usual power – just 15 home runs after averaging more than 28 a season from 2014-21.
Luis Robert American League MVP Odds
Young outfielder Luis Robert (.284 batting average, 12 HRs, 56 RBIs in 98 games last season) is the top White Sox player on the DraftKings Illinois Sportsbook board to be named AL Most Valuable Player, at +4000.
Chicago’s pitching needs to stay intact. Dylan Cease (14-8 in 2022) is back and so are Lance Lynn (8-7) and Lucas Giolito (11-9).
And to pick up the slack from Abreu’s better years, the White Sox – and their backers on Illinois sports betting apps – will need some key players to bounce back from bad seasons. Representative of that group is veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal, who slumped to .204 with just five HRs last season after averaging about .240 in his previous 10 seasons.
The White Sox open the season on the road on Thursday against the Word Champion Houston Astros. So Abreu will be there, but he’ll be in an enemy uniform.
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