Floyd's All Better + Rotation Thoughts

I clicked onto whitesox.com this morning and was so glad to see that right hander Gavin Floyd is rehabbing nicely after his 2009 season was cut short towards the end of September. Us Sox fans knew that was about the time our chances at doing something in the Central division were pretty much shot, but now that we're getting the news that Floyd is healing, it gives us hope for next year.

Take a look at the rotation we'll most likely be rolling out for 2010

1. Jake Peavy
2. Mark Buehrle
3. Gavin Floyd
4. John Danks
5. Freddy Garcia/Carlos Torres

Does that not sound like a slice of Heaven? Jake Peavy's handful of starts from last year ("The Tease"), as I mentioned in one of my last posts, makes the 2009 offseason unbearable for die hard Sox fans. October through February are four excruciatingly long months, then throw in Jake Peavy's Opening Day start and that makes the wait seem even longer.

Buehrle is a solid #2 pitcher in the rotation and one of the most underrated left handed pitchers in the American League, if not all of baseball. He gives you 12+ wins every season so what more could you ask for?

Floyd in the third spot can be dominant. Putting my obviously biased opinion aside, if I had a vote in the 2008 Cy Young balloting, Floyd would've gotten mine. The man was clearly the ace of our staff with a record of 17-8 and a 3.84 ERA.  

Danks in number four is a ghastly prediction seeing as how overpowering he can be at times, but with the other guys in the rotation with him, fourth is the best slot I can give him. This rotation isn't what the White Sox depth chart looks like right now; it's actually how I think the rotation will look in 2010 (probably the reason I'm not managing at a Major League level... or at all...). Danks was 13-11 for us last season.

Then either Freddy Garcia or Carlos Torres at the back-end of the rotation are solid transition guys for the man you can't wait to watch pitch.

I've been reading Bill Simmons' book "Now I Can Die in Peace" about the 2004 Boston Red Sox. The book contains hilarious columns from 1999 to post-October of 2004 and is a great read for any baseball fan, but I digress. In the book he says that in 2000 it was almost impossible to move from your seat when Pedro Martinez was pitching. That's how I think Jake Peavy will be for us (other) Sox fans come 2010. Our eyes will be glued to the television, or our ears to the radio if you're like me, every time he toes the rubber.

All-in-all I'm just glad to see Gavin Floyd is approaching 100% health.

For those of you wondering, it's 113 days until Spring Training.

Yes. I'm really counting down.