Chris Ransom follow @DraftUtopia Posted on 10/1/2026.
Chicago handled the AL West Champion Houston Astros pretty easily. Houston finished 81-81 on the year, but still won the AL West. Chicago won both wild card games in Houston in a best 2/3 series.
Chicago had Hagen Smith as the starting pitcher in game 1 which allowed them to steal that game with the Chicago White Sox 2024 first round pick drafted fifth overall out of Arkansas on the mound. Chicago won game two as well to win this best of three series.
Chicago White Sox second baseman Chase Meidroth had a huge role in this series. He generated RBI's while scoring runs in both games of this wild card series. Chase Meidroth was probably the biggest reason the Chicago White Sox got to their first ALDS since 2005, the year the Chicago White Sox won their only World Series in franchise history.
Chicago will play the Cleveland Guardians, the AL Central Champions the last three seasons in the 2026 ALDS. That series starts on Saturday at 1 PM EST at Progressive Field.
Chicago led the AL Central in the early part of the season. Cleveland got hot in September and rallied back to win the AL Central which allowed Cleveland to secure the 2 seed as well as the second bye in the AL Central.
MLB teams with byes under the new six team format in the American League and National League haven't always fared the best with additional time to rest. Cleveland has two ace pitchers in their starting rotation in Parker Messick and Gavin Williams.
The White Sox were the only MLB team with 3 30 home run hitters in the regular season. They got the best batters in terms of generating runs in the entire American League, but also have the most volatile pitching. Two AL Central teams enter the 2026 ALDS, but only one will get to play for the 2026 ALCS.
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