Showing posts with label Adam Engel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adam Engel. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

White Sox avoid arbitration with 5 players

Dylan Cease
As you may recall, the White Sox began the offseason with eight arbitration-eligible players.

They reduced that number to five by non-tendering infielder Danny Mendick and outfielder Adam Engel, and outrighting relief pitcher Kyle Crick.

Mendick signed with the New York Mets. Engel is now a member of the San Diego Padres. Crick remains a free agent.

Here's a look at the other five players who are still with the Sox and have their 2023 salary settled, after agreements were announced last Friday:

1. Dylan Cease. In his first year of arbitration eligibility, Cease will make $5.7 million, which is slightly higher than the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $5.3 million. The right-hander is coming off a season in which he finished second in the AL Cy Young award voting. Cease went 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA and a career-best 227 strikeouts in 32 starts and 184 innings pitched. Last year's AL Cy Young award winner, Justin Verlander, has since signed with a National League team, so Cease enters 2023 on the short list of preseason Cy Young award candidates.

2. Lucas Giolito. Giolito is in his last year of arbitration eligibility, and his $10.4 million 2023 salary is probably less than he envisioned for himself at this time. His MLB Trade Rumors projection was $10.8 million. However, the right-hander is coming off a down 2022 season. He was 11-9 with a 4.90 ERA in his 30 starts, a profile that is less than league average. Giolito had finished sixth, seventh and 11th in the Cy Young voting the previous three seasons, so 2022 was a huge step back for him. This coming season is a crucial year for him. He's a free agent next offseason, and his future earnings hinge on his performance in 2023.

3. Reynaldo Lopez. After three years of inconsistent performance, mostly as a starting pitcher, Lopez carved a niche in the Sox bullpen in 2022. He appeared in 61 games, going 6-4 with a 2.76 ERA across 65.1 innings pitched. Aside from closer Liam Hendriks, Lopez was probably the most reliable relief pitcher the Sox had last season. For his efforts, he'll earn $3.625 million in 2023, beating the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $3.3 million. With Hendriks sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Lopez is among the candidates to close games for the Sox this season.

4. Michael Kopech. The 26-year-old Kopech is kind of like the new version of Carlos Rodon, only right-handed. We know he's a good pitcher -- when he's actually available -- but will he be healthy? Kopech managed to make 25 starts in 2022, going 5-9 with a 3.54 ERA across 119.1 innings. However, he battled a right-knee injury throughout the season, which required surgery. His availability is in doubt for Opening Day, with the Sox expressing hope that he'll be "ready to throw about 85 pitches" in a game by late March. His 2023 salary will be $2.05 million, below the MLB Trade Rumors projection of $2.2 million. If Kopech ever puts it together, he's a bargain.

5. Jose Ruiz. Give credit to Ruiz, because he's yet to fall off the roster despite being out of options for the past two years. He made 59 appearances in 2021 and 63 appearances in 2022. He was 1-0 with a 4.60 ERA in 60.2 innings of mostly low-leverage work last season. Ruiz has never done particularly well when entrusted with a clutch late-inning situation, but he's held his roster spot by chewing up innings in lopsided games. His salary in 2023 will be $925,000, less than the $1 million projected by MLB Trade Rumors. Odds are Ruiz will hang on the roster for another season. Unlike some of his bullpen brethren, he has a habit of being healthy and available. As we've noted before, availability is a skill, and it's been in short supply for many Sox players over the past two years.

The total outlay for the Sox in arbitration this year? It's $22.7 million. It's looking as though their payroll is right about $180 million, assuming no further additions. The Opening Day payroll last year was $193 million. Do with that information what you will.

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Lucas Giolito (finally) slays the Guardians

Lucas Giolito
Monday night's loss to the Cleveland Guardians was probably the worst one the White Sox have endured in nearly six years. (Think May 28, 2016, in Kansas City.)

If nothing else, the fan base needed a win Tuesday night, because we might have all slit our wrists if we had to watch another game like Monday's.

Fortunately, Lucas Giolito (2-1) came up with his best outing of the season so far, and the Sox beat the Guardians, 4-1.

Final line for Giolito: seven innings pitched, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out five and walked only one. Josh Naylor hit a home run off him in his seventh and final inning, but by then, the Sox already had a 3-0 lead, so no harm, no foul.

Giolito generated 11 swings and misses and got 23 called strikes out of his 91 pitches. That means 37% percent of his pitches fell into the category of either a whiff or a called strike.

The league average at last check was 27%, and I always say if a pitcher is about 30% in that department, that's a strong performance.

The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when the Sox finally solved Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill (1-2). Josh Harrison doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Tim Anderson.

Gavin Sheets added a two-run homer, his third of the season, in the sixth inning to make it 3-0. After the Naylor homer, Anderson's RBI double in the bottom of the seventh scored Adam Engel, who had singled. That brought the score to 4-1. Anderson was 3 for 4. He's now hitting .347.

Jose Ruiz and Bennett Sousa combined to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Liam Hendriks was given the night off -- he had pitched six of the past eight days, and after five consecutive saves, he contributed greatly to the meltdown on Monday night.

That gave Kendall Graveman a chance for his second save of the season, and he converted -- albeit not without some drama. Graveman got the first two batters out before a walk and a single brought the tying run to the plate.

Andres Gimenez grounded out to Jose Abreu to end the game. It was a bang-bang play at first, and Gimenez was initially called safe. However, the Sox challenged the call, and it was overturned for the final out.

The Sox are 15-14, and they have their first win against the Guardians in five tries.

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Stop the presses: White Sox finally win 2 in a row

Tim Anderson
The White Sox have won two games in a row for the first time since April 15-16, as they defeated the crosstown Cubs, 3-1, on a rainy Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

This was not a good night to be a hitter. The game-time temperature was 45 degrees. The wind was blowing in from left field at 23 mph, and most of the game was played in a persistent rain.

You know that whole urban myth about how the Cubs sell out every game? Yeah, no, not tonight. The announced attendance was 34,206, but I'd be willing to bet they didn't have even half that many people there. And who can blame fans from staying away from this one?

Both the Sox and the Cubs are off to poor starts this season, and you might say these March-like conditions during the first week of May are less than ideal for baseball.

Anyway, the Sox got all the runs they needed in the first three innings. They scored two in the second. Jake Burger's infield single scored Jose Abreu, who had reached on an error earlier in the inning. Reese McGuire's safety squeeze bunt scored Adam Engel, who had doubled.

In the third inning, Tim Anderson connected for his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox ahead 3-0. Anderson drive off Keegan Thompson landed in the right-field seats, which is the direction you needed to hit it to get one out of Wrigley on this night. Anything to left field wasn't going anywhere.

Sox pitching did the rest, with six players combining on a six-hitter. Michael Kopech worked four scoreless, but inefficient, innings. He was removed with a man at first base and no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. He had thrown 83 pitches at that point.

Reynaldo Lopez (3-0) relieved and got a double play and a strikeout out of the two batters he faced. For that, he earned his third victory of the season.

Jose Ruiz allowed the lone Cubs run in the sixth. But Aaron Bummer, Matt Foster and Liam Hendriks each worked 1-2-3 innings with one strikeout each, as the Cubs surrendered relatively quietly in the late innings.

For Hendriks, it was his sixth save in seven opportunities. The Sox are 10-13. The Cubs are 9-14. The two teams play one more time in this brief two-game set Wednesday night.

Friday, January 7, 2022

The remaining free agent right fielders ... it's better than the second basemen

Michael Conforto
One day, the Major League Baseball lockout will end, and when it does, the White Sox will still need a right fielder.

That's assuming you don't think some combination of Adam Engel, Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn is a suitable solution for the position. (Hint: It's not.)

So, here's a look at the guys who are available in free agency. I apologize in advance if the listing of one of Manny Machado's friends triggers you:

If you want to expand the universe of guys to players who have played more left field than right field, here are some other names:

I included those four names because I'm presuming the Sox are looking for a left-handed bat. The best hitter on these lists is Castellanos, but he's right-handed, and the Sox are already right-hand heavy offensively. Not to mention, Castellanos is closer to the top of the market than the bottom -- in other words, I expect him to be too rich for owner Jerry Reinsdorf's blood.

The name I keep coming back to is Conforto. I'm not particularly excited about him, but he checks the boxes of playing right field, being affordable and being a left-handed hitter. 

Why is Conforto affordable? He's coming off a down 2021 season, during which he batted .232/.344/.384 with 14 home runs, 20 doubles and 55 RBIs in 125 games. He had a 101 OPS+, which means he was 1% above league average.

There's nothing exciting about 1% above league average, but then when you consider the fact that the Sox have put players such as Jay, Nomar Mazara, Ryan Cordell in Adam Eaton in right field over the past few seasons, maybe anything above average doesn't seem so bad.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Tim Anderson headed to the IL, other White Sox roster moves

Tim Anderson
Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1, and the White Sox made six roster moves Wednesday ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates:

  1. Shortstop Tim Anderson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. The move is retroactive to Aug. 29.
  2. Pitcher Matt Foster was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.
  3. Outfielder Billy Hamilton was activated from the 10-day injured list.
  4. Infielder/outfielder Jake Lamb was designated for assignment.
  5. Infielder Romy Gonzalez was added to the 40-man roster and called up from Triple-A Charlotte.
  6. First baseman Gavin Sheets was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Now for a few thoughts on these moves.

First off, the Sox must have a healthy Anderson in October if they have any hope of advancing in the playoffs. This whole business of him being available for a couple of games, then needing a couple of days off has been both annoying and concerning. It's a good decision to sit him down for 10 days and let him get right. 

Adam Engel is still rehabbing a shoulder injury, so it's good to see Hamilton back on the roster. His defensive skills are needed as a backup center fielder. The Sox probably aren't going to play Luis Robert every single day in center field, so Hamilton can handle that position when Robert takes a day off. And Hamilton can do that job better than Brian Goodwin or Leury Garcia can.

Gonzalez has had a terrific season split between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. Between the two levels, he has batted .275/.357/.525 with 23 homers in 335 at-bats. He needed to be added to the 40-man roster by this offseason, or else he would be subject to the Rule 5 draft. Gonzalez has played every position except pitcher and catcher, and with Garcia hitting free agency at the end of the season, this is an opportunity to see if Gonzalez can play the same role as Garcia for less money.

Lamb has hit only .179 with one home run in 12 games in August. Sheets can probably do a better job as the left-handed bat off the bench. I'm just surprised the Sox are OK with Sheets sitting on the bench in Chicago, as opposed to playing every day in Charlotte. There aren't a lot of at-bats available at DH or at first base, although Sheets (much like Lamb) can masquerade as a right fielder for a game here or there.

The one thing Lamb can do that Sheets cannot is play third base. However, with Garcia, Gonzalez and Danny Mendick all on the 28-man roster, there are other options to back up Yoan Moncada. That makes Lamb expendable.

Monday, July 26, 2021

Eloy Jimenez is back ... but the White Sox continue to slump

Eloy Jimenez
After missing the first 99 games of the season, Eloy Jimenez was back in the White Sox lineup Monday night. 

Jimenez batted fourth and served as the designated hitter. And he went 0 for 4 and swung at some bad pitches as the Sox lost, 4-3, to the Kansas City Royals.

I'm not overly surprised that Jimenez didn't produce immediate results, nor am I particularly worried. You expect a guy who has missed that much time to struggle at the outset.

The rest of the Sox batters have no excuse, however, as they were baffled by Kansas City starter Mike Minor (8-8), who entered Monday's game with a 5.45 ERA.

Alas, Minor allowed only one hit -- a double by Adam Engel -- through the first five innings of the game. The Sox were trailing 3-0 at that point, before they finally broke through in the sixth on a two-run single by Andrew Vaughn.

The Sox have scored only eight runs during the first four games of this seven-game road trip, but it's not Vaughn's fault. He's 7 for 16 with three doubles, a home run and three RBIs in the past four games.

Monday's loss, however, was well-earned by Sox starter Dallas Keuchel. Just after the Sox got him back in the game with those two runs, he gave up a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth to Andrew Benintendi.

Keuchel also gave up two solo home runs to Jorge Soler, who entered Monday's game with a .193 batting average. Keuchel (7-4), who is known for his sinker, needs to start doing a better job of keeping the ball in the park. He is allowing 1.41 home runs per nine innings. That's the worst rate since his rookie season. His ERA is 4.32, and he looks the part of No. 5 starter at this point.

The Royals (43-55) are in fourth place in the division, but they are good at closing out games -- 36-1 when leading after eight innings this season. And they led 4-2 after eight innings in this game.

Scott Barlow worked the final two innings for his sixth save, but the Sox almost got to him in the ninth. After Jimenez popped out, Yoan Moncada doubled and scored on a single by Engel that made it 4-3.

Pinch-hitter Brian Goodwin had an atrocious call go against him -- a pitch that was both low and outside was called a strike -- but he managed to work the count full. With Engel running on the 3-2 pitch, Goodwin lined out to second base, and Engel was hung out to dry -- easily doubled off first to end the game.

The Sox (59-41) are 1-3 on the road trip and have lost four out of five overall. I guess this is why you get a big lead in the division, right? The division lead in the AL Central is 8.5 games. That's still comfortable. You'd just like to see the Sox swing the bats better against less-than-spectacular pitching.

Monday, July 12, 2021

Adam Engel has as many home runs as Yoan Moncada

Adam Engel
White Sox outfielder Adam Engel has played in 13 games in 2021. Hamstring injuries have limited him to only 42 at-bats through the first 89 games of the season. 

Nevertheless, Engel has homered five times in those 42 at-bats. That's the same number of home runs third baseman Yoan Moncada has in 272 at-bats. Doubt anyone expected that.

But Engel's fifth home run came at an opportune time Sunday. It was a 3-run shot in the top of the 10th inning that lifted the Sox to a 7-5 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

With the victory, the Sox are 7-0 this season against the AL-worst Orioles. They will go into the All-Star break with a five-game winning streak, a 54-35 record and an eight-game lead over the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

Sunday's game should have been a tidy 4-2 win. Closer Liam Hendriks got two easy outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and appeared poised to secure a victory for Sox starter Dylan Cease. Instead, Hendriks got sloppy. He gave up a single to Ryan McKenna on a first-pitch, get-me-over slider, which is about the only pitch the .185-hitting McKenna can sting. 

Then the Orioles used Trey Mancini, their best player, to pinch hit. Mancini drove a 1-1 fastball, which was middle-middle, over the short porch in right field to tie the game at 4.

Hendriks struck out Pedro Severino easily to force the game to the 10th inning. Frankly, there was nothing wrong with Hendriks' stuff. All three of his outs came by strikeouts -- he just appeared to lose focus after getting the first two batters out so easily.

The Sox were in jeopardy of not scoring in the top of the 10th. Tim Anderson was placed on second as the ghost runner, and Moncada walked to set up a RBI opportunity for Jose Abreu. Alas, Abreu struck out, and Brian Goodwin flew out deep to center, advancing Anderson to third.

Baltimore reliever Tyler Wells (2-1) had a chance to get out of the inning with no damage, but he fell behind 3-1 to Engel, then served up a center-cut fastball that Engel hit out for a 7-4 Sox lead.

Jose Ruiz had problems in the bottom of the 10th. After a single, a sacrifice fly that scored the ghost runner and a walk, Baltimore pulled within 7-5 and had two men on with one out.

Matt Foster relieved and got the last two outs for his first career save. The last out was a 408-foot fly off the bat of DJ Stewart, but hey, it's 410 feet to center field at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

Engel caught the ball just in front of the wall to secure the win for the Sox. They don't ask how; they just ask how many.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

White Sox beat Rays despite using makeshift lineup

Yasmani Grandal
The White Sox starting lineup in Wednesday's series finale with the Tampa Bay Rays looked like something you would see in a split squad game during spring training -- a mix of regulars and reserves. It wasn't the sort of lineup one typically sees in a June game:

  1. Tim Anderson, SS
  2. Brian Goodwin, CF
  3. Andrew Vaughn, LF
  4. Jose Abreu, 1B
  5. Yasmani Grandal, DH
  6. Jake Lamb, RF
  7. Leury Garcia, 3B
  8. Zack Collins, C
  9. Danny Mendick 2B

It was especially weird to see Goodwin, Lamb and Collins all in there, because they are all left-handed batters, and the Sox were facing a left-handed pitcher in Tampa Bay's Ryan Yarbrough.

But this is triage kind of situation. Nick Madrigal is out for the season with a torn hamstring. Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert are weeks, if not months, away from being healthy, functional big leaguers. Yoan Moncada is out with a sinus infection. Adam Engel, working his way back from a hamstring injury, still isn't ready to play a day game after a night game. Adam Eaton has some sort of leg soreness that is keeping him out of the lineup, and Yermin Mercedes is in a terrible slump.

So, you end up with a piecemeal lineup like this. And, of course, the Sox won because of their offense. They scored four runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. After the bullpen let the lead slip, the Sox scored one in the 10th on a walkoff single by Grandal and won, 8-7.

And, oh yeah, Ryan Burr pitched the top of the 10th inning to earn the win, because closer Liam Hendriks was only available in the event of a save situation, which never materialized.

Just the way they drew it up, right?

Monday, June 14, 2021

White Sox complete three-game sweep of Detroit Tigers

Carlos Rodon
There are still questions about the White Sox's ability to beat good teams, but the Sox have proven they can reliably slay the bums in the American League.

The South Siders are now 8-2 against the Detroit Tigers this season, after completing a three-game sweep in Detroit over the weekend.

The Sox (41-24) have won four in a row overall and now possess a 5.5-game lead in the American League Central over the second-place Cleveland Indians.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 11

White Sox 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings): Liam Hendriks had converted 12 straight saves and not allowed an earned run since April 24, so he was due for a bad game. After sitting through a rain delay at the onset of the bottom of the ninth, Hendriks let a 4-2 lead slip when he gave up a two-run homer to Detroit's Daz Cameron.

Fortunately for Hendriks (3-1), he got the win anyway. The Sox scored a run in the top of the 10th inning on a sacrifice fly by Yoan Moncada. Aaron Bummer recorded his second save of the season by pitching out of a first-and-second, no-outs jam in the bottom of the inning. Bummer struck out two, then benefited from a nice defensive play by second baseman Danny Mendick to end the game.

At the plate, Mendick was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Adam Engel hit his second home run of the season to highlight the Sox offense.

Saturday, June 12

White Sox 15, Tigers 2: Brian Goodwin had a successful debut with the Sox. The veteran outfielder was added to the roster last week when Nick Madrigal went on the injured list with a torn hamstring. Goodwin delivered an RBI double as part of a three-run first inning, then added a three-run homer as part of a five-run second inning.

Goodwin finished the game with five RBIs. The Sox pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of 11 walks by the Detroit pitching staff. The Tigers used seven people to pitch, including two position players, after starter Jose Urena gave up eight runs and got knocked out in the second inning.

Dylan Cease (5-2) is now 8-0 lifetime against the Tigers. He pitched five innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. He exited the game after five because the Sox were ahead 13-2. Lightly used relievers Ryan Burr and Matt Foster finished the game.

Yermin Mercedes and Leury Garcia had two hits and three RBIs each in the rout.

Sunday, June 13

White Sox 4, Tigers 1: Carlos Rodon took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Unfortunately for him, he lost the bid after a missed strike call by the home plate umpire. With one out in the seventh, Rodon aced Detroit's Eric Haase with a 2-2 slider that had the whole plate. Alas, the pitch was called a ball. Haase doubled to break up the no-hitter, and later scored on a sacrifice fly to spoil the shutout.

Rodon (6-2) was at 103 pitches after seven innings, so he was removed from the game at that point. He allowed only the one hit and two walks. He struck out nine. 

It wasn't an explosive day for the Sox offense, but it was good enough. Jose Abreu had three hits, including an RBI single in the fourth. Garcia had two RBIs, one on a double in the fifth and the other on a bases-loaded walk in the sixth. Mendick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth, as the Tigers continued to show why they are tied for last place.

Evan Marshall worked a 1-2-3 eighth, and Hendriks bounced back from Friday with a clean ninth for his 17th save in 20 attempts.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

White Sox to sign outfielder Brian Goodwin

Brian Goodwin
With Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Adam Engel all on the injured list, the White Sox have added some outfield help by signing Brian Goodwin to a minor league contract, according to multiple reports.

Goodwin had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he exercised Monday. If the Sox add him to the 40-man roster, his salary will be $1 million. I would expect that to happen.

Two years ago, the 30-year-old Goodwin had the best season of his career, when he batted .262/.326/.470 with 17 home runs, 29 doubles, 47 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 136 games for the Los Angeles Angels.

Last season, Goodwin was decent in 30 games for the Angels. He batted .242/.330/.463 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. The Cincinnati Reds acquired him in a midseason deal, and that didn't work out so well. 

Goodwin slumped to a .163 batting average in 20 games with the Reds, and that's how you end up on a minor league deal with the Pirates.

But the standard is not high for the Sox right now. They need some help with all these injuries, and they're hoping Goodwin and his left-handed bat can recapture what we saw in 2019. This is a career .250/.317/.455 batter, and that's at least better offense than you'll get from Leury Garcia or Billy Hamilton.

Is Goodwin a long-term solution to anything? No. Is this the big move Sox fans are clamoring for? Absolutely not.

But you have to be realistic here. The trade market doesn't heat up this early in the season, and there aren't a lot of impact players out there that you can acquire right now.

Not to mention, opposing GMs know the Sox are desperate for outfield help, and if Sox GM Rick Hahn calls, they are going to ask a high price. I'm not sure there's a fair trade Hahn can make right now, and I would caution against any panic moves -- the Sox are 16-12 and tied for first place after Tuesday's 9-0 win over the Reds, and nobody in the AL Central looks primed to run away.

Around Chicago, you hear some people calling for the Sox to acquire Kris Bryant from the Cubs. That suggestion literally makes me laugh out loud.

If Hahn calls the Cubs, you know who Jed Hoyer is going to ask for? Probably Michael Kopech. Maybe a package of Andrew Vaughn and Dylan Cease.

Sox fans, are you willing to make that move? Because that's what it's going to take. My answer is a resounding no.

Normally, I'm the first in line with the pitchforks and torches at Hahn's doorstep. But I think a minor acquisition such as Goodwin is fine for now. Try to stem the tide until we get to midseason, some teams fall out of it, and GMs become more willing to deal.

If anyone wants to criticize Hahn for not signing adequate depth in the offseason, I will join that chorus.

If anyone wants to criticize the Sox's draft-and-development arm for failing to provide adequate depth to plug these holes from within, I will join that chorus as well.

Remember when there was a so-called glut of talented minor league outfielders in the Sox system? Welp, none of Micker Adolfo, Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzalez or Luis Alexander Basabe panned out. 

So now the Sox are in a fix. Cross your fingers that Goodwin can become the 2 WAR player he was in 2019.

Monday, May 3, 2021

Luis Robert out 12 to 16 weeks ... Now what?

Luis Robert
Get ready to see a lot of Leury Garcia and Billy Hamilton in center field over the next month ... at least.

The White Sox had a successful 6-3 homestand, but I don't think anyone is celebrating. That's because center fielder Luis Robert crumbled in a heap while beating out an infield single in the first inning of Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians

Robert was in tremendous pain, holding the area in front of his right hip while writhing around on the ground in shallow right field. After he was helped to his feet, he couldn't put any weight on his right leg and had to be carried into the dugout. 

Bad news was expected, and bad news was made official Monday, with the announcement that Robert will be out 12 to 16 with a hip flexor tear. It is not known yet whether Robert will undergo surgery, or if rest and rehabilitation will be enough. The timeline for return to baseball activities is expected to be the same, regardless of the treatment path chosen. 

This is a terrible break for Robert, who was off to a fine start this season. He was batting .316/.359/.463, and he was showing much improved plate discipline. Robert has had a weakness for breaking balls down and out of the zone in the past, but he's made significant strides in fixing that problem. Namely, he seems to be recognizing pitches better, and not swinging at as many pitches that are out of the zone. 

The injury is also a substantial blow to the Sox's playoff aspirations. They are already without left fielder Eloy Jimenez until at least August, and it doesn't sound as though Adam Engel will be returning anytime soon. 

Engel suffered a pulled hamstring the third week of March and hasn't played yet this season. The latest report indicates Engel is "back at square one" after a setback, and he will not return to baseball activities for three more weeks. 

This means three of the top four outfielders on the Sox roster are unavailable because of injury, and the other guy -- Adam Eaton -- is hobbling around right field on a sore knee. Eaton is in a terrible slump that has seen his slash line dip to .217/.301/.380. That being said, no matter how bad it gets for Eaton, if he can physically get out there, he has to play. The Sox don't have a lot of alternatives. 

In left field, Andrew Vaughn has gone 7 for his last 19 to pull his slash line up to .275/.373/.373, but he is still without a home run and has only one RBI. But despite his expected rookie struggles, he has to play. 

And that leaves Leury Garcia and Billy Hamilton to share center field until Engel gets healthy. 

Garcia: .200/.224/.246 

Hamilton: .176/.263/.176 

Gulp. Yeah, it's hard not to be discouraged knowing these players are going to get more playing time than they should in the weeks and months ahead. 

Back in the offseason, I thought the Sox needed to sign two outfielders to bolster their depth. They signed only Eaton, and now that weakness is coming home to roost.

Monday, March 1, 2021

Observations from White Sox spring training opener

The White Sox opened Cactus League play with a 7-2, six-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. Here are some observations:

1. Hey, fans in the stands! It didn't matter that this game was only six innings. It didn't matter that the Sox didn't pitch a single guy who has a chance of making the major-league roster. It was just good to see baseball on TV again, and most of all, it was good to see 2,000 or so fans in the stands at a Sox game. While that's a relatively sparse gathering, it sure beats zero fans. The broadcast almost felt like watching a normal spring game.

2. The second coming of Dan Wright? As noted before, the Sox trotted out pitchers whom we will likely not see at Guaranteed Rate Field at any point in 2021. Six pitchers all worked one inning. They were: Mike Wright, Jacob Lindgren, Kade McClure, Bennett Sousa, Kyle Kubat and Danny Dopico. You could be forgiven if you're not familiar with any of those guys. 

Mike Wright, a 31-year-old veteran with previous big-league time with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, got the start. He immediately evoked memories of erstwhile right-hander Dan Wright, who made 70 horrible appearances for the Sox from 2001 to 2004. Mike Wright had a full count on his first three batters, giving up a walk, a single and a three-run homer to Keston Hiura. Absolutely terrible pitching. Mike Wright even wore the same number as Dan Wright: 46.

3. Still hitting lefties. The Sox got their two runs in the first inning off Milwaukee starter Eric Lauer, who didn't pitch much last season. Lauer, a left-hander, was a member of the San Diego Padres starting rotation in 2018 and 2019. He gave up a leadoff single to Tim Anderson, and a two-run homer to Adam Engel. Anderson and Engel dominated left-handed pitchers last season, and they picked up where they left off. But that was about it for the Sox offense, which totaled only four hits for the game.

4. First look at Vaughn. One of the big stories in Sox camp is whether Andrew Vaughn can win the everyday job as designated hitter. The former first-round pick batted fourth in Sunday's lineup, and he went 0 for 1 with two walks. Vaughn's understanding of the strike zone and plate discipline are of major-league quality, and he showed that with those walks. In his other at-bat, Vaughn fouled out to the catcher. We know Vaughn won't swing at many bad pitches. It remains to be seen whether he can punish pitches that are in the zone.

5. Burger back on the field. Jake Burger, the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2017, hasn't played affiliated ball since his draft year. He's torn his Achilles' tendon twice, and, of course, that pesky pandemic got in everyone's way last year. But Burger got the start at third base Sunday -- Yoan Moncada served as designated hitter. Burger went 0 for 3 with two flyouts and a strikeout, but hey, just getting him on the field represents progress. He's now a long shot to make the majors, but it's hard not to pull for the guy after the horrible injury luck he's been through.

The Sox have another game Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. The next televised game is Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. That one might be a little more interesting ... because Lucas Giolito is scheduled to be the starting pitcher.

Sunday, January 3, 2021

White Sox, Evan Marshall agree on one-year contract, avoiding arbitration

Evan Marshall
Holiday weekend roster news: Right-handed relief pitcher Evan Marshall and the White Sox agreed on a one-year, $2 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

Marshall has worked out of the Sox's bullpen the past two seasons, and they've pretty much been the two best years of his career. Combining his 2019 and 2020 numbers, Marshall has gone 6-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 78 appearances.

The 30-year-old struck out a career-best 11.9 batters per nine innings in 2020 and limited opponents to a .198 batting average. Thanks to Marshall's outstanding changeup, left-handed batters managed only five hits in 42 at-bats against him last season.

The Sox have now signed three of their five arbitration-eligible players: Marshall, Adam Engel and Jace Fry. The remaining two are starting pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.

The bullpen is one area of the Sox's roster that figures to be stable going into the 2021 season. Here's the projected relief corps right now:

Right-handers: Marshall, Codi Heuer, Jimmy Cordero, Matt Foster

Left-handers: Fry, Aaron Bummer, Garrett Crochet

That's seven guys out of a projected eight-man bullpen. Alex Colome remains a free agent. You figure the Sox will add one more veteran relief arm this offseason, whether it's bringing back Colome or signing someone else.

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

White Sox sign Adam Engel to one-year deal, avoiding arbitration

Adam Engel
One minor announcement for the White Sox today: The team signed outfielder Adam Engel to a one-year, $1.35 million contract, avoiding arbitration.

Engel had a career-best season in a part-time role in 2020. He batted .295/.333/.477 in 36 games. He totaled five doubles, three home runs, one triple, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored in 93 plate appearances. Engel, a plus defender, played all three outfield positions and started 23 games last season.

Over the past two seasons, the right-handed-hitting Engel has carved a niche as a platoon player. Since the beginning of 2019, he has batted .310/.355/.466 against left-handed pitching. He homered off Oakland left-hander Jesus Luzardo in Game 1 of the 2020 playoffs.

In 2021, Engel is expected to platoon in right field with left-handed-hitting Adam Eaton, who was signed to a one-year contract earlier this offseason.

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

White Sox non-tender Carlos Rodon, Nomar Mazara

Carlos Rodon
Teams had to decide which arbitration-eligible players to offer contracts to by 7 p.m. Wednesday. Right fielder Nomar Mazara and pitcher Carlos Rodon will not be receiving offers from the White Sox, according to a post on the team's Twitter account.

The Sox also announced that left-handed relief pitcher Jace Fry avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $862,500 contract. All other unsigned players on the 40-man roster were tendered contracts.

This means that pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Evan Marshall, and outfielder Adam Engel, have received contract offers from the Sox. 

Mazara and Rodon become free agents, meaning the Sox's 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.

The subtractions of both Mazara and Rodon were expected. Mazara was projected to receive about $6 million in arbitration, an unacceptably high salary for a supposed power hitter who slugged .294 during the 2020 season and managed only one home run in 149 plate appearances. 

Mazara's 2020 OPS of .589 was, umm, slightly below his previous career low of .745. The Sox apparently thought they could unlock Mazara's talent when they acquired him from Texas last offseason. Instead, they found out why the Rangers were willing to give up on him. Mazara turned out to be not even as good as he was in Texas, where he was profoundly mediocre.

Rodon, the team's first-round pick in 2014, simply cannot stay healthy. 

Here are Rodon's innings totals over the past four seasons: 69.1, 120.2, 34.2 and 7.2.

Here are Rodon's ERAs over the past four seasons: 4.15, 4.18, 5.19, 8.22.

Rodon's projected arbitration number is $4.5 million. Given the lack of innings, the injuries and the declining performance, there are better ways to spend $4.5 million -- especially during these financially challenging times associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team will stay "in contact" with both Mazara and Rodon, leaving open the possibility that they could be brought back for lesser money.

Frankly, I'd move on from Mazara no matter what. Rodon, I'd be willing to give him a minor-league deal, look at him in spring training and see if he can be turned into a reliever, but I wouldn't consider him for a job in the starting rotation. If Rodon still wants to be a starting pitcher, I'd shake his hand and wish him luck elsewhere. It's time for the Sox to move on.

Among the players tendered contracts by the Sox, Lopez was the only question mark. Giolito, Marshall and Engel all did their jobs in 2020 and earned their offers.

Lopez struggled with injuries and underperformance. He made only eight starts and went 1-3 with a 6.49 ERA. However, his projected arbitration number is only $2 million, and his upside is still greater than a lot of the mediocre retreads you'll find on the free agent market this offseason.

Given the price and the overall landscape, it's not a bad play to see if new pitching coach Ethan Katz has an answer to get Lopez on track. If it doesn't work out in 2021, then it will be time to move on from Lopez, as well, but I'm willing to give him one more kick at the can. Apparently, so are the Sox.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

A solution for the White Sox OF/DH problem that doesn't involve George Springer

Michael Brantley
Do we really believe White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is going to open his wallet this offseason and sign George Springer, the best free agent position player on the market?

Sure, the Sox have a gaping hole in right field, and Springer would look good there. But I'll file that possibility under, "I'll believe it when I see it." Even amid a pandemic, signing Springer is going to take a nine-figure outlay, which is something the Sox have yet to do in team history.

So, if not Springer, then what?

Here's my proposal: Sign *both* Michael Brantley and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Make the 33-year-old Brantley the primary designated hitter, but he's still young enough and decent enough defensively to spend some time in left field. Eloy Jimenez remains your primary left fielder, but he can DH sometimes.

Luis Robert is the everyday center fielder. Duh.

And Bradley Jr. becomes the left-handed half of a right-field platoon with Adam Engel. Whichever player doesn't start in right field becomes the late-inning defensive replacement for Jimenez when the Sox are trying to protect a lead.

These proposed signings would give the Sox three outfielders capable of playing center field -- Robert, Engel and Bradley Jr. -- and can you imagine all three of them being in the outfield at the same time in the ninth inning? A one-run lead feels a little safer with that defensive alignment, no?

Brantley has a career .297/.354/.440 slash line. He's hit .300 or higher for three consecutive years. His OPS has been .800 or better for four consecutive years. And he swings left-handed, to help balance out the Sox's right-handed-heavy lineup. Not to mention, Brantley doesn't strike out much -- he had only 28 strikeouts in 187 plate appearances for the Houston Astros in 2020.

A left-handed contact hitter with gap power sounds like exactly what the Sox lineup needs.

Bradley Jr. is 30 years old and coming off one of his better seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He slashed .283/.364/.450 with seven homers. He's also a left-handed hitter. He can run; he takes some walks; and he's an high-end defensive outfielder. Those are all skills the Sox could use.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not going to be angry if the Sox somehow come up with the cash to sign Springer. But the objective here is to replace *both* Edwin Encarnacion and Nomar Mazara, who weighed down the Sox lineup at DH and RF, respectively, in 2020.

If you can't get the All-Star, it's not necessarily a bad thing to take two quality players who set a higher floor for your team and add to your depth and platoon flexibility.

Monday, November 2, 2020

Catching up on White Sox roster moves: Encarnacion, Garcia, Gonzalez, etc.

Leury Garcia
The White Sox made several roster moves over the weekend. Let's get caught up:

  • Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion's $12 million club option was declined.
  • Utility player Leury Garcia's $3.5 million club option was picked up.
  • Left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez had his $7 million club option declined.
  • Infielder Yolmer Sanchez was placed on waivers and claimed by the Baltimore Orioles.
  • Right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech was reinstated from the restricted list.
  • Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Lambert was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.

The series of moves leaves the Sox's 40-man roster at 36 players.

There aren't many surprises on this list. The 37-year-old Encarnacion might retire after a struggling year -- if he wants to play in 2021, he might need to sign a minor-league deal and try to make a roster out of spring training.

Gonzalez was a combination of hurt and bad in 2020, and with Kopech and Lambert returning to the active roster, they join a back-of-the-rotation logjam that includes Dylan Cease and Dane Dunning -- and possibly Reynaldo Lopez, if he's tendered a contract. That makes Gonzalez expendable. 

Garcia's option being picked up is the only move here that some may disagree with. We discussed it earlier on this blog: We cited Garcia's option and Alex Colome's impending free agency as being among the tougher roster calls the Sox had/have on their plate this offseason.

Turns out, Sox brass feels Garcia's ability to play multiple positions -- in both the infield and the outfield -- switch-hit and pinch-run makes him worth the $3.5 million.

Garcia has shown he can play that role, but the question mark with him is not his performance. It is his health. Garcia was limited to 16 games and 59 at-bats in 2020 because he tore ligaments in his left thumb with an ill-advised slide into first base. This is a player who is good for at least one trip to the injured list every year.

Because of that, you could make the case (and I have) that the Sox would have been better off buying out Garcia for $250,000, saving that money and allowing Adam Engel and Danny Mendick to be the key bench players at a cheaper price. I would not have objected at all had the Sox gone that route, provided that $3.5 million was invested wisely in roster improvements elsewhere.

However, here's the argument for keeping Garcia: Shortstop Tim Anderson also is good for one trip to the injured list pretty much every year. It's not uncommon to see Anderson miss a couple of weeks here and there for a strained groin or a turned ankle, and when that happens, Garcia is a guy you want around to play shortstop.

I like Mendick's defense at second base and third base. His hands are good, and he turns the double play acceptably well when he's at second base. However, he doesn't have the athleticism Garcia has, which limits his range at shortstop, and Garcia also possesses a stronger arm.

If and when Anderson needs to sit out, Garcia is a better choice at shortstop than Mendick. Garcia costs more, sure, but the Sox have apparently decided that price is worth it.