By Bruce Levine–

GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) — As the 2017 MLB regular season is set to begin in a week, nobody is giving the White Sox the time of day or much of a chance as they’ve started an rebuild. The expectation is that losing will be a part of how the organization will grow, as that is a by-product that many franchises with similar approaches have undergone.

In the case of the White Sox, the fans and media may be buying into the build-now and win-later mantra, but the present group will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking or the term “tanking” a year after going 78-84.

“I am telling you, we have a good group here,” third baseman Todd Frazier said. “You can write us off if you want to. Everybody starts 0-0. Sure, it is a tough time for guys right now because they are figuring out who will be on the 25-man. That said, it is a good time for some with opportunities in front of them.”

The strength of the White Sox is the starting pitching. After the December trade of Chris Sale to the Red Sox, the new ace of the staff is Jose Quintana. The comebacks of James Shields and Derek Holland will be key components to a competitive season for the White Sox, who also boast a strong back end of the bullpen in setup man Nate Jones and closer David Robertson.

“I am expecting to have a better year than last season personally,” Robertson said. “As far as our team goes, we expect to win. We strap on this uniform, we will be out there to play and win. I am not sure how many we will win, but hopefully more than we lose.”

Robertson hasn’t paid much attention to outside projections, which include PECOTA pegging the White Sox to go 76-86 and many others expecting less than that.

“I don’t pay much attention to what is written or said,” Robertson said. “It is not easy to get here, and we are all good. We are all trained to win and in getting here, you were a winner somewhere for sure. I am not influenced by what people write or say about me. My job is to get those outs between the lines.

“You know what? A rebuild can happen very quickly. Baseball is a crazy sport. We play a lot of games, and anything can happen during those six months. You may call us a rebuilding team. Still, there is no way to know what is going to happen.”

The longest-tenured White Sox player, Jones has a heightened sense of pride and sensitivity when he hears comments regarding losing projections for his team.

“We are here to win ball games and championships,” Jones said. “When we hear contrary to that, we want to prove them wrong. If we do our job, the games, wins and losses will take care of themselves. We will show people what we are made of.”

Youth will be served eventually on this evolving White Sox roster. The recent six-year extension the club gave 23-year-old shortstop Tim Anderson provided a clear look at the future. The goal is to acquire and keep young players with high upside, and the team will look to build itself in the coming years.

“We have good chemistry here,” Anderson said. “We are hard working but are having fun. We have a manager who we are a reflection of. He pushes us and knows how to get the best out of us. We are all into it and active because of his direction.”

Anderson promised the fan base a strong effort in 2017.

“We are going to compete,” Anderson said. “The energy level will be high. You will see everyone hustling. I can’t say anything about the results. The other things I said will be there. I promise that.”

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.