Were the 2021 White Sox a success? Or a failure?

Jen and I before Game 3

At least we got to attend two playoff games at Guaranteed Rate Field this October, right? That hadn't happened in 13 years. The 2021 White Sox won the American League Central Division championship, and that's at least something.

But after the Sox lost the American League Division Series to the Houston Astros, 3 games to 1, how do we define this season? Was it a success? Was it a failure? 

There's a case to be made either way, but I'm going to vote "failure." Those who would argue that this was a "success" would correctly point out that 93 wins and a division championship are pretty rare in the totality of Sox history. You go back, two, three, four years ago -- even eight or nine years ago -- and Sox fans could only dream of such success.

However, the problem for me is this: The Sox were outscored 31-18 in the four-game series. They took Game 3, 12-6, but in the other three games, they were outscored 25-5. They were soundly beaten by a far superior Houston team.

This is a failure by the expectations the Sox set for themselves. From the first day of spring training, we were hearing about parades, October glory, and how nothing short of getting to the World Series would be considered acceptable. Well, the Sox fell well short of that. They overpromised and underdelivered.

Since the series ended, I've had several people offer me their "condolences" on the loss. Thing is, I wasn't upset about the outcome of this series, because I knew the Astros were better. In fact, I selected Houston to win in four games, and told my girlfriend Jen, "I just hope they win a game, and hopefully it's one we go to." 

Indeed they did win a game that we attended, so in that regard, no complaints.

All the things that upset me about the Sox were things that happened throughout the season, and dating back to last offseason. I don't think general manager Rick Hahn adequately addressed lineup holes, and sure enough, the Sox ended up with Leury Garcia starting in right field in the playoffs. And they were relying on rookies to man the designated hitter spot.

Those holes remained unfilled at the trading deadline, as Hahn worked to load up his bullpen. Turns out, Craig Kimbrel was a total bust, and the combination of big free-agent acquisition Liam Hendriks and Kimbrel at the back end of the bullpen turned out to be a nonfactor, because the Sox weren't strong enough to have a lead after seven innings in three of four games.

The Sox were sloppy, arrogant and complacent throughout much of the year, as they went unchallenged in the AL Central. Many of us criticized them for not winning on the road, failing to beat good teams, playing poor defense, grounding into too many double plays, not holding base runners on, and issuing too many walks and wild pitches.

The team's defenders assured us it would be different in the playoffs. It was not. We saw all those weaknesses come to the forefront, in fact, and now the Sox have to reevaluate. They were dominated, punched right in the face.

Now, how do they react this offseason? Can they be honest with themselves and admit they have some significant roster holes? Can they admit that details matter, and that they need shore up some of these things that will give them wins on the margins? 

If I'm angry, it's because the front office sent the team into a gunfight with a knife. They didn't have a deep enough roster to beat the Astros. They weren't prepared enough to beat the Astros. The loss itself was inevitable; it was fait accompli.