With The Addition of Manny Ramirez, Will The White Sox Win The AL Central?

The Chicago White Sox are just three games behind the Minnesota Twins in the loss column, and despite their 14-15 August, have been the best team in baseball since the beginning of June.

If it weren’t for their abysmal start to the year, they’d probably be in first place.

The news gets better for the ChiSox though. They now have Manny Ramirez, and they have yet to lose since he joined the team.

Some have claimed that Manny is a declining player — one who doesn’t add much to a team other than headaches at this point. Still, the statistics don’t lie. He’s batting .314 with a .502 slugging percentage in 2010. Most teams would  take that addition to their lineup.

The acquisition is a smart one for the White Sox, who themselves are a strong offensive team, but lacked a big bat to protect first baseman Paul Konerko. Manny will certainly do that.

The Sox also recently acquired Edwin Jackson from Arizona, and he has posted a spectacular 1.47 ERA in his first five starts with the team.

The only bad news for Chicago is how well Minnesota is playing. The Twins are 21-11 since the beginning of August, and have posted a winning record in every month but a 12-15 June. They hit for the league’s highest average, and while their bullpen is a ragtag bunch and their rotation’s only true top-end starter is the previously-injured Francisco Liriano, they have pitched pretty well too.

Chicago has three games at home against the Twins next week.

So, what do you think of the White Sox’ chances in their division?

With the addition of Manny Ramirez, will the White Sox win the AL Central?survey software