Projecting the White Sox's 25-man roster

Tim Anderson, not Manny Machado, is the shortstop

Spring training is underway, so that means it's time to start talking about roster battles in White Sox camp.

Personally, I'm tired of hearing the Manny Machado rumors, so for purposes of this exercise, I'm going to assume he's not going to be on the team. If he wanted to play for the Sox, wouldn't he have signed by now? And if the Sox were serious about signing him, wouldn't they have made him an offer he can't refuse by now?

Moving on.

Let's take a look at each position group:

Starting pitchers (5)
1. Reynaldo Lopez
2. Carlos Rodon
3. Lucas Giolito
4: Ivan Nova
5: ???????
Other contenders: Manny Banuelos, Dylan Covey, Jordan Stephens
Comment: I think the Sox are short here. I still want to see a veteran acquisition before the season starts, but I'm not holding my breath. Lopez is the only man on this list to surpass 180 innings pitched in 2018. James Shields might not be what he used to be, but he did pitch more than 200 innings last year. Who is going to take that workload? Nova is a partial answer, but I'm not buying the idea that Banuelos can handle the rest. Or Covey.

Relief pitchers (8)
1. Kelvin Herrera
2. Alex Colome
3. Nate Jones
4. Jace Fry
5. Juan Minaya
6. ???????
7. ???????
8. ???????
Other contenders: Aaron Bummer, Caleb Frare, Ian Hamilton, Jose Ruiz, Ryan Burr, Zach Thompson, Thyago Vieira
Comment: This position group actually was addressed over the offseason with the additions of Herrera and Colome, two men with closing experience. I applaud that, because it shoves younger, unproven pitchers down the leverage ladder. Fry is the one left-handed lock. Bummer or Frare will compete for the second left-handed spot, and if both are good, both can make the club. There's enough options here that the Sox can hope a few guys step up and fill out those last few spots.

Catchers (2)
1. Welington Castillo
2. James McCann
Comment: No roster battle here. Like it or not, these are your guys barring injury. And I don't particularly like it. I have a feeling McCann is going to be playing more than I care to see. Castillo usually finds a way to get hurt or suspended. This is a position of weakness.

Starting infield (4)
1B: Jose Abreu
2B: Yoan Moncada
SS: Tim Anderson
3B: Yolmer Sanchez
Comment: Everybody is back from last season, and nobody on the current roster is going to unseat any of these four. Sanchez would be best served as a utility player, but he's the third baseman for now. Hopefully, Moncada's swing adjustments will lead to strides with the bat. The Sox badly need him to step forward this season. Anderson's glove rounded into form last year. Will his bat follow in 2019?

Designated hitter (1)
DH: Yonder Alonso
Comment: He and Abreu will split time between first base and designated hitter. I figure Abreu will get most of the playing time, based upon seniority in the locker room.

Starting outfield (3)
LF: Jon Jay
CF: Adam Engel
RF: Daniel Palka
Other contenders: Nicky Delmonico, Eloy Jimenez, Brandon Guyer
Comment: That's an ugly starting group, isn't it? We all know Jimenez will be the left fielder by May 1, but he's going to be in Charlotte to start the season because of service time considerations. I have to believe Jay beats out Delmonico, whose days on the South Side are numbered. Engel is easily the best defensive outfielder the Sox have. He'll start until somebody better arrives, and that might not happen this year. Palka's power plays, but his defense is poor, so the hit tool needs to develop. Guyer was signed on a minor-league deal, and has a shot to make the club as the right-handed hitting platoon partner for either Jay or Palka.

Bench spots (2)
Utility: Leury Garcia
Utility: ???????
Other contenders: Jose Rondon, Delmonico, Guyer, Danny Mendick, Ryan Cordell
Comment: Garcia plays six positions. I would argue he doesn't play any of them well, but the Sox don't care. He'll make the club because they can put him out there somewhere with a glove on his hand. Rondon can play three infield spots (and play them better than Garcia). That might make him more desirable as a bench player than Delmonico, whose only advantage is his left-handed bat. That means he has to hit to make the club. Don't count on it. He's a career .231 hitter.

Opening Day tickets bought ...

It's Monday night, Feb. 11, and there's some sort of snowy, slushy winter mix falling outside my bedroom window right now. It might take me two hours to get to work tomorrow.

But on the bright side, I bought my tickets for White Sox Opening Day today, so that means spring can't be too far behind.

There are only 45 days until the Major League Baseball season begins. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training Tuesday. And 52 days from now, April 4, I'll be at Guaranteed Rate Field watching the Sox take on the Seattle Mariners.

Think spring, think spring, thing spring ... #ReadyForBaseball.

Next time someone tries to tell you baseball is boring ...

Dallas Keuchel -- still looking for work ...

... hand them a tape of Sunday's Super Bowl, in which the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.

What a snooze fest. But, hey, some guy on the Rams set a Super Bowl record by unleashing a 65-yard punt! That probably was the highlight of the game for Los Angeles.

But seriously, the one thing I like about Super Bowl Sunday is that it means it's almost time for pitchers and catchers to report. The NFL is out of our way now. No more experts droning about about "the football," and we can move on to watching a more interesting sport that doesn't result in its players contracting CTE.

Pitchers and catchers report Feb. 12 for the White Sox, as they do for many teams around the league. I'm excited to see spring training get going.

Now, if only some of these 130 remaining free agents could get contracts between now and then.

There's some pretty good players on that list, beyond just the obvious. (Manny Machado and Bryce Harper)

Mike Moustakas, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel, think any of those guys could help your favorite team? I'll bet they could.

Heck, I wouldn't mind seeing the Sox take a flyer on someone in the second tier of pitchers to fill out their starting rotation. Gio Gonzalez or Ervin Santana anyone?

54 days until Opening Day: Celebrate with classic White Sox jerseys!

Today is Feb. 2. The first game of the 2019 Major League Baseball season is March 28. That means we are only 54 days away. To celebrate, perhaps I should don one of these classic No. 54 White Sox jerseys, found at the garage sale Jan. 25-27 at SoxFest:

Chris Beck, my second least-favorite Sox player of all-time!

Jeanmar Gomez

Deunte Heath

Man, there have been some bad No. 54s in the Sox bullpen through the years. Let's review some of the other gems I uncovered during my weekend at the Chicago Hilton:

Emilio Bonifacio

Scott Downs

Dustin Garneau

Mat Latos

Francisco Liriano

Cory Luebke

Hector Noesi

Mike Pelfrey

Andre Rienzo

Bruce Rondon

Rob Scahill, with photobomb from my friend Brian

Blake Tekotte

Trayce Thompson

Charlie Tilson

Jacob Turner

Chris Volstad

Andy Wilkins

Some other photos from SoxFest 2019

I mentioned in Monday's blog that I didn't get a great shot of the five Hall of Fame players on stage, but my girlfriend, Jen, did capture Harold Baines, Tim Raines and Frank Thomas together after that seminar.

Me with Manny Machado's brother-in-law (Yonder Alonso). I told him he would like Chicago better than Cleveland. (Who wouldn't?)

I tried to get in line to meet Ken Harrelson. That didn't work out. I was person No. 126, and he was only taking 125 photos. So, I got in the back of the line for Bo Jackson instead. Too bad Bo doesn't know Yaz.

Proof that SoxFest photographers aren't the best. I zoomed my phone in for this woman, and apparently, she zoomed it back out to take this photo of me and Jace Fry.

And then there is this very zoomed in photo of me with Reynaldo Lopez ...

Ozzie Guillen was at SoxFest for the first time since his last year as manager in 2011. Even though the feud between Guillen and former GM Ken Williams cost the Sox an opportunity to contend in that season, eight years probably is long enough to say that's water under the bridge.

I joked that I should try getting a haircut like Daniel Palka's. OK, maybe that's not such a good idea.

Sure, more than 13 years has passed, but the 2005 World Series trophy still is being displayed. Maybe the Sox should think about winning another one these sometime soon, huh?

5 takeways from SoxFest 2019

After months of anticipation (I booked my hotel package in September), SoxFest 2019 has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

A few thoughts and opinions from the three-day event at the Chicago Hilton.

1. 5 Hall-of-Fame members on one stage: Easily the coolest moment of the weekend for me came Friday night when the White Sox had a seminar featuring five Hall-of-Famers and a Cy Young award winner on the same stage.

I wish I could have gotten a little closer for a better picture, but you can see Harold Baines, Jim Thome, moderator Steve Stone, Frank Thomas, Tim Raines and Carlton Fisk in the picture above.

I wonder how many organizations in baseball could put together a star-studded panel such as this for their fans. That's more of a rhetorical question than anything. ... I'm sure there are a few other teams that could, but credit the Sox for getting all these guys in the same room.

It had been a couple years since I had seen Thome at SoxFest, even though he works for the organization. A recorded message was shown last year at SoxFest, with Thome thanking Chicago fans for their support on the occasion of his election to the Hall. It was good to see the man in person this time.

2. The Machado pursuit is real: Not surprisingly, GM Rick Hahn fielded a lot of questions about the team's pursuit of superstar free agent Manny Machado. Hahn can't speak specifically about negotiations, of course, but in a rare moment of candor, he said he would be personally disappointed if the Sox fail to bring Machado into the fold.

I remain skeptical, and I'll award Hahn no points unless he gets Machado to sign on the dotted line. Trying isn't enough, but it's quite clear that the Sox are really trying. Hahn went out of his way to detail the organization's top-to-bottom effort to get Machado on the South Side of Chicago. Everyone is involved from the front office to players to community relations staff.

At a seminar Sunday, players were asked whether they were involved in the Machado recruitment. Michael Kopech answered first and said he was not. But right after that, Yoan Moncada raised his microphone to his mouth and immediately began speaking rapid-fire Spanish. Through an interpreter, the second baseman noted that he and teammate Yonder Alonso had face-timed Machado right before the start of SoxFest opening ceremonies Friday, and they basically told him that he needs to get up here and join the Sox.

The saga continues.

3. Fifth starter? The Sox don't have one: Are you ready for Manny Banuelos to be a member of the 2019 starting rotation? I asked Hahn about it Friday night. I said the Sox have four starters: Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Ivan Nova. I don't see a fifth. Who might it be?

Hahn did not rule out an acquisition from outside the organization. Thank goodness, because I think they need one. He said right now the competition for the job would be between Banuelos and Dylan Covey, who failed in the role last season.

It was quite clear from Hahn's answer that Banuelos, who was a top-30 prospect seven years ago before injuries curtailed his career, has the inside track. Apparently, some scout "pounded the table" and told Hahn that Banuelos could help the Sox win right now, so they acquired him in a swap of minor-leaguers with the Los Angeles Dodgers three months ago.

Personally, I think it will take a lot more than Banuelos to cover the 204.2 innings that James Shields pitched as a member of the Sox's rotation last season.

4. Moncada's struggles: On Saturday, I asked manager Rick Renteria about Moncada. The "Jason from Wheeling" in the first sentence of this Chicago Tribune story? Yep, that was me.

I want Moncada to continue taking his walks. I don't want him to swing wildly at bad pitches, but he needs to be more aggressive. He needs to put the ball in play more often. He makes hard contact, so there's every reason to believe his production will go up if his strikeouts come down.

Renteria told me that Moncada was working with him and hitting coach Todd Steverson in Arizona a few weeks after the season ended. They are making a physical adjustment in the way Moncada grips the bat. Previously, his grip apparently limited his plate coverage, making it difficult for him to get to pitches on the outer half as both a left-handed and right-handed hitter. Renteria also wants Moncada to accept the idea that a productive out every now and then isn't the worst thing. They've been going over situations to try to improve his mental approach to hitting.

I also asked whether Moncada might be moved down in the lineup, with the arrival of veteran outfielder Jon Jay. It sounds as though the answer to that is no, because Moncada wants to bat leadoff and told Renteria so. But, the manager did acknowledge that Jay's presence on the roster gives him another option for the top spot in the batting order.

5. Don't worry about Madrigal: There's a Baseball America article out that made note of Nick Madrigal's struggles in hitting the ball to the pull side of the field during his professional debut last season.

I wasn't real concerned about it, given the small sample size, and when Madrigal was asked about it, he didn't express concern either. But since it's being talked about, I decided to ask player development director Chris Getz and amateur scouting director Nick Hostetler about it during a Sunday seminar.

Hostetler noted that Madrigal suffered a broken wrist during his season at Oregon State last year, and that he had seen the 2018 top draft pick the day before the injury. And, Madrigal had turned on a fastball and cranked it over the left-field bullpen. So, maybe that wrist wasn't 100 percent at the end of 2018, and maybe that was sapping him of pull-side power.

Getz made note of Madrigal's consistent approach and elite bat-to-ball skills, and it's expected that he'll make adjustments to the inside pitch as we go along.

Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina elected to Hall of Fame

Mariano Rivera

Here's your fun fact of the day: Edgar Martinez has a .579 career batting average against Mariano Rivera.

With that kind of track record against the greatest closer of all-time, it makes you wonder how in the world it took Martinez 10 years to get elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, doesn't it?

Regardless, Rivera and Martinez both were elected to Cooperstown on Tuesday, along with Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina.

Rivera became the first player in history to earn unanimous election, appearing on all 425 ballots. Previously, Ken Griffey Jr. had the record for highest vote percentage (99.3 percent) after he was named on 437 of 440 ballots in 2016.

Frankly, I'm surprised Rivera got 100 percent of the vote -- not that he isn't deserving. The former Yankees closer has 652 career saves and five World series championships -- and an 8-1 record with a 0.70 ERA and 42 saves in 96 postseason appearances.

I just didn't think a closer would be the first guy to break down the barrier and appear on every ballot. Think about it: Greg Maddux threw more than 5,000 innings in his impeccable career as a starting pitcher, but not even he got 100 percent of the vote. Rivera, however, did, despite only pitching 1,283 innings in his career.

It's an interesting argument, but ultimately it doesn't matter much, since Rivera is no-doubt Hall of Famer regardless of what percent of the vote he received -- as are Maddux, Griffey Jr. and dozens of others.

I've long been an advocate for Martinez as a Hall of Famer, and I'm glad to see him receive 85.4 percent of the vote (75 percent is required for induction). The former Seattle designated hitter is one of only six players who began their career after World War II to retire with a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. Martinez won two batting titles and retired with a .312 batting average and 309 home runs in 18 seasons.

Halladay is going to the Hall posthumously, after his tragic death in November 2017 when a plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast. The right-hander totaled 203 wins and a 3.38 ERA in 16 seasons -- 12 with the Toronto Blue Jays and four with the Philadelphia Phillies. He won a Cy Young award in both leagues and finished second on two other occasions. He threw a perfect game and is best-known for the no-hitter he threw for the Phillies in the 2010 NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds. From 2003 to 2011, he threw 61 complete games -- more than twice as many as the next-closest pitcher during those years (CC Sabathia had 30).

As for Mussina, will he go into the Hall as a Baltimore Oriole, or as a Yankee? I hope he goes in as an Oriole, but it will be close. Mussina pitched 18 seasons, 10 in Baltimore, eight in New York. He won 270 games, 147 with the Orioles, 123 with the Yankees. Mussina won seven Gold Gloves and totaled 2,813 strikeouts. He never won the Cy Young award, coming close in 1999, when he finished second to Pedro Martinez.

These four players will join Harold Baines and Lee Smith in the Class of 2019. Baines and Smith were elected in December by a Hall of Fame veterans committee. This year's induction is July 22.