The Chicago White Sox have some talent in their rotation.
Lance Lynn is an accomplished pitcher, and Lucas Giolito is talented.
Yet neither of them will take the ball on Opening Day.
Dylan Cease, who completely dominated the competition last year, is deservingly getting the nod.
your 2023 #WhiteSox Opening Day starting pitcher: Dylan Cease! pic.twitter.com/AR3WKJGo2c
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) March 24, 2023
Cease was so good in 2022 that he was one of the three Cy Young finalists in the American League.
He finished second in the voting behind the winner, Justin Verlander.
The right-hander has improved every season since the 2020 pandemic campaign.
He was much better in 2021, with a 3.91 ERA and 226 strikeouts.
The year of the true breakout, however, was 2022.
He posted an otherworldly 2.20 ERA in 184 frames, striking out a whopping 227 hitters.
One of the star prospects the White Sox got from the Chicago Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade a few years ago, Cease took some time to blossom into the pitcher he is today.
However, with elite fastball velocity – he averaged 96.9 mph with it – and a major improvement with his command and breaking pitches, he finally took the necessary step forward to enter ace territory.
Despite the presence of Lynn and Giolito, Cease is now the unquestioned ace of the staff.
He will try to build on a breakout season to be just as good or even better in 2023, a pivotal year for the franchise.
After finishing last year with a mediocre 81-81 record, Chicago fans would love to see them return to the playoffs again.
If they are going to do that, they need the exact same season Cease had in 2022.
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