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What’s up, White Sox fans?
We still have a ways to go until the Sox need to set their Opening Day roster. There are three more weeks of Cactus League games and three and a half weeks till the season starts with that March 28 game against the Tigers.
But as the kids say, it’s roster-projection szn. (Did I do that right?)
Not only that, us CHGO types have cooked up something special for Diehards, a database of every player who might play for the Sox this year with writeups on how they did in 2023 and what to expect from them in 2024. Hyperbolic, perhaps, considering Chris Getz will add guys, via trade, waiver claim or an old-fashioned promotion from the minor leagues.
But given the guys in camp, we’ve amassed a comprehensive list of South Siders, one we hope you’ll enjoy perusing and coming back to as new names pop up on your radar while watching games or reading updates from Arizona.
To go along with all that, I figured I’d weigh in and do an Opening Day roster projection myself.
Outside of the bullpen, there aren’t a ton of position battles for the Sox this spring, as much as Pedro Grifol is talking about all the competition in camp.
But here’s a unit-by-unit look at where the Sox sit and my best guess at where they’ll be by Game 1.
The five-man starting staff — and it will most likely be five, per Grifol — isn’t terribly difficult to forecast. Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen figure to have spots locked down.
That leaves one more. Plenty assume Michael Soroka is the leading candidate, given his past All-Star level success in the majors. Garrett Crochet is being given a chance to be a starter this spring. Davis Martin is working his way back from Tommy John. Touki Toussaint didn’t impress much last year, but he was reliable.
Though the Sox have a lot of promising young arms, only Nick Nastrini strikes as someone who could crash the major league roster, but he only made four starts after being promoted to Triple-A last year.
Starting pitchers (5): Cease, Kopech, Fedde, Flexen, Soroka
Free-agent additions John Brebbia and Tim Hill seem locks for the relief corps. Past those two, who knows?
The realities of roster movement could see the Sox stick closely to their 40-man roster, guys like Deivi Garcia, Tanner Banks and Alex Speas. Banks could have an upper hand — no pun intended — considering a relative dearth of lefty options.
But it seems logical a couple non-roster guys could make the bullpen. Jesse Chavez and Bryan Shaw had good 2023s. Justin Anderson earned Ethan Katz’s praise early in camp. Jordan Leasure seems like a future closer, but there’s no rush to get him to the majors.
At least one of the pitchers who fails to make the rotation could land in the ‘pen to eat innings. Toussaint seems the best candidate. Crochet would be a valuable relief arm, but if the Sox are dedicated to making him a starter, he’ll need innings, perhaps in the minors.
Relief pitchers (8): Banks, Brebbia, Chavez, Garcia, Hill, Shaw, Speas, Toussaint
Martin Maldonado and Max Stassi will be the Sox’ catchers. Korey Lee will be the next man up in case of injury. The young Edgar Quero seems unlikely to make the majors this year but is the catcher of the future.
Catchers (2): Maldonado, Stassi
Andrew Vaughn, Nicky Lopez, Paul DeJong and Yoan Moncada are the starting infielders, leaving just the job of backing them up to be determined.
Of the guys competing for that spot — Lenyn Sosa, Jose Rodriguez, Braden Shewmake, Danny Mendick, Zach Remillard — all have versatility, but none are overly impressive with the bat. Sosa has some pop. Mendick had that hot stretch in 2022. Remillard can do the little things.
Elsewhere, Gavin Sheets and non-roster invite Mike Moustakas are mostly relegated to first base or DH, given Getz’s emphasis on defense. So this is the “lefty bench bat” battle. Moustakas has proven a positive clubhouse presence but hasn’t had good offensive numbers since 2019. Sheets’ offense hasn’t been great, but he’s off to a good start this spring. Sheets can be sent to the minors and brought back. Getz and Grifol know Moustakas, who could be valuable in crafting a new culture.
Infielders (6): DeJong, Lopez, Moncada, Moustakas, Sosa, Vaughn
With Dominic Fletcher likely to be the guy in right, per Getz, we can set the starting outfield as Fletcher, Luis Robert Jr. and Andrew Benintendi. Much like the infield, the only thing to figure out is who’s the backup.
Again, the focus will be on defense. Non-roster veterans Kevin Pillar and Brett Phillips have strong defensive reputations, perhaps pointing to them as favorites. Rafael Ortega is also in camp on a minor league deal. The Sox picked up Peyton Burdick on a waiver claim. Trade acquisition Zach DeLoach had strong offensive numbers last year at Triple-A. Oscar Colas is seemingly destined for the minors.
Outfielders (4): Benintendi, Fletcher, Pillar, Robert
Eloy Jimenez is the DH.
DH (1): Jimenez
Enjoy the week everyone and I’ll see you back here next time.
Vinnie Duber
CHGO White Sox beat writer
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