Chicago White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn doesn't seem to think much credence should be given to projections that say the team will have a losing record for the 2023 MLB season.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections give the White Sox a 79-83 record. Lynn believes Chicago has a better team in 2023 than it did for the 2022 season, which saw the White Sox go 81-81.
“Someone told me we’re projected to be under .500. That’s pretty good because we were .500 last year with a s—-y team, so I like our chances of being better than their projections this year,” Lance Lynn said in an interview on the White Sox Talk Podcast. “This is my third year here. They haven’t been correct with any of them so far. Hopefully, we make sure they’re not correct again and definitely on the way higher side than whatever (amount of wins) they have.”
The White Sox were one of the American League's most disappointing teams in the 2022 season. Chicago won 12 fewer games than it did in 2021 and posted its worst winning percentage in three years.
Lynn was one of the biggest reasons why the White Sox failed to repeat as AL Central champions. After three straight top-six AL Cy Young finishes, Lynn went 8-7 with a 3.99 ERA in 21 starts.
There's a good chance that Lynn will have a bounce-back season in 2023. The right-hander is almost a year removed from knee surgery, which derailed the start of his 2022 campaign.
Chicago's rotation has a high upside. White Sox ace Dylan Cease was the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Michael Kopech pitched through injuries and still posted a 3.54 ERA last season. Before pitching to a 4.90 ERA in 2022, Lucas Giolito posted a sub-3.54 ERA in three straight years.
The White Sox have a new manager in Pedro Grifol. Tony LaRussa retired after two years during his second stint as Chicago's manager.