The 2010s were the first postseasonless decade for the White Sox since the 1970s, so it lends itself to reflexive negativity, as evidenced by the most forgettable and most-regrettable teams of the last 10 years.
But hey, the White Sox are ending the year with their most optimism-inducing offseason in years, so we may as well end the year on an upswing of our own. To accompany the All-Decade team and even the vibes score at 2-2, here's the team of players I felt I appreciated more than the average fan.
Most of these guys won't show up on any franchise leaderboards, but they're the kind of players who, 30 years from now, I'll remember for a skill, trait or moment that made them more fun to write about than they might've been to watch.
You might notice that this list didn't include a DH. When looking at the previous lineups, it's easy to understand the lack of enthusiasm for that particular spot.
Catcher: Tyler Flowers
- Years: 2009-2015
Like jazz, if you didn't know what to focus on, all you heard were squeaks, honks and other assorted nonsense. If you knew what his game was designed to accomplish, you could appreciate the beauty in the dissonance.
tl;dr: Tyler Flowers invented jazz.
Honorable mention: Donny Lucy. He was first and foremost Larry's boy, but retiring to the avocado farm is a beautiful piece of poetry that deserves its proper place for anybody.
First base: Matt Davidson
- Years: 2016-18
Jose Abreu owned the position for the decade, but among the part-time players, Davidson should outlast the competition. He achieved Tuffy Rhodes Status with three homers on Opening Day, and he's the gold standard when it comes to position players pitching.
I thought the Rangers might explore making him a two-way player, but he only pitched once for their Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, with whom he spent the entire season. What a waste.
Second base: Tyler Greene
- Year: 2013
He only played in 22 games, he only came to the plate 57 times, but what's important is that he pinch-ran five times, and if GIFs were hits, he'd be Ted Williams.
Honorable mention: Yolmer Sánchez, who was for everybody.
Third base: Conor Gillaspie
Honorable mention: Nobody else.
Shortstop: Alexei Ramirez's aversion to contact.
- Years: 2008-2015
Even Ramirez's biggest detractors would say he helped more than he hurt, but he annoyed some people by shying away from collisions at second base on stolen-base attempts. Those weren't the most sporting efforts, but it made a lot more sense when realizing he just didn't like being touched on the field in any sense. He might've allowed bases by letting the occasional throw get into center field, but he made up the deficit with creative slides and artistic double plays, and the fact that he never needed an injury replacement.
Left field: Moises Sierra
- Year: 2014
He's the only player to earn a 15-GIF farewell salute, partially because he was the perfect foil to Gillaspie.
Center field: Alejandro De Aza
- Years: 2010-14
Like Ramirez and Flowers, De Aza had a flaw that was often difficult to overlook (poor baserunning decisions), but the White Sox signed him off the scrap heap and got two above-average seasons out of him, and he could've done more if he weren't suppressed in Charlotte due to the Cold War between Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams. I was more willing to forgive his transgressions.
Also, he endowed the club's Alejandro De Aza Chair for Low On-Field Pain Threshold, which is currently occupied by Yoan Moncada. A franchise is defined by its legacies.
And when we were lucky, he combined his trademarks.
Right field: Brent Lillibridge
- Years: 2010-12
Even if he were only limited to the Thrillibridge Game at Yankee Stadium, and not the subsequently useful bench season from a guy who wasn't expected to ever hit 10 homers in the season, he'd still make this list.
Starting pitcher: Scott Carroll
- Years: 2014-16
Among ballplayers with personalities, there's baseball funny, and there's funny funny. Nick Swisher is an example of the former, a guy who says unusual things with a big smile and a lot of energy, with actual laughs a secondary concern. Carroll was an example of the latter, as he won me over before pitching a game for the White Sox.
He fought his way past a couple surgeries and those who overlooked a less-than-impressive arsenal to make his big league debut at 29, which he won in front of an emotional group of family and friends, and he bought himself a little bit of staying power to pitch his next idea, Doodle Hats.
Relief pitcher: Matt Albers
- Years: 2015-16
I can't recall another White Sox reliever matching Albers' lows, at least for such a prolonged amount of time -- an 8.83 ERA over 43 games! -- but I can't also can't recall an ordinary mid-leverage reliever matching Albers' highs. He had a two-month stretch that included a 30-outing scoreless streak, fierce gum-tossing, expletive-laden misnomers, and capping it off with the most improbable at-bat I may ever personally witness.
