The Chicago White Sox were big spenders in free agency last winter and the result was a 79-83 record, which had them in 3rd place in the A.L. Central, 16 games behind the Tigers. Here is a look at the things that stuck out most to me in 2011:

TEAM MVP: 35-year old righty swinging 1B Paul Konerko didn’t let a team wide slump slow him down. He played in 149 games for the Pale Hose last year and he was 163 for 543 (.300 avg, .906 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 31 homers, 105 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Konerko is one of he best players in White Sox’ history and he still appears to have a lot left in the gas tank.

BEST PITCHER: 22-year old lefty reliever Chris Sale is just plain nasty! He pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the White Sox last year and he was 2-2 with 8 saves, a 2.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Sale only gave up 52 hits while whiffing 79 batters in 71 innings last year, and those are very impressive numbers. The White Sox are planning to move Sale into the starting rotation for 2012.

PLEASANT SURPRISE: 28-year old righty starting pitcher Philip Humber came out of nowhere to win a spot in the rotation when Jake Peavy wasn’t healthy enough to start the year. He never gave the job back. Humber pitched in 28 games (26 starts) for the Pale Hose in 2011 and he was 9-9 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: This is a very easy pick. 31-year old lefty swinging DH Adam Dunn got a huge deal over the winter and he was pathetic. Dunn played in 122 games for the White Sox in 2011 and he was 66 for 415 (.159 avg, .569 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 11 homers and 42 RBIs. Dunn walked 75 times but that was negated by the 177 times he whiffed!