Carlos Rodon's second spring start a good one

Carlos Rodon

Here's something encouraging: White Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was sharp in his second Cactus League start.

The left-hander tossed four scoreless innings, allowing only one hit Thursday in a 9-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Rodon struck out three and walked one.

Dylan Covey also is making his case for a roster spot -- as a reliever, thankfully, not a starter. I've long thought Covey was miscast as a starting pitcher. I think he can help a team as a swingman, the 11th or 12th man on a pitching staff.

On Thursday, Covey relieved in the eighth inning and pitched the rest of the game, retiring all six Brewers he faced. Granted, none of this was against an "A" lineup, but I'm in favor of guys throwing strikes and getting outs, no matter the situation.

Rodon and Covey have been exceptions to the rule for Sox pitchers this spring. We've seen some inflated offensive numbers and some ugly Arizona box scores.

Let's look at the ERAs for Sox pitchers. For purposes of this exercise, we'll limit it to guys who are candidates for roster spots:

Alex Colome: 0.00
Covey: 0.00
Ryan Burr: 1.59
Ivan Nova: 3.38
Rodon: 3.86
Nate Jones: 6.75
Lucas Giolito: 7.71
Manny Banuelos: 8.10
Jace Fry: 9.00
Carson Fulmer: 9.00
Thyago Vieira: 9.82
Reynaldo Lopez: 10.13
Randall Delgado: 10.80
Caleb Frare: 13.50
Aaron Bummer: 17.18
Juan Minaya: 22.09
Kelvin Herrera: 27.00
Ian Hamilton: 36.00

Funny thing is, Hamilton got the win Thursday. He entered in the top of the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead and gave up four runs. The Sox answered with four in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead, highlighted by a 3-run homer by Danny Mendick.

Covey did the rest, and all of a sudden, Hamilton was a winner. In fairness to Hamilton, it was his first game action of the spring after he was in a minor car crash, so we'll give him a pass.

But looking at that list, there's nobody on the bubble who is stepping up to claim a job -- except for Covey.

Hysterical White Sox prediction from some guy at yardbarker.com

Check this out.

Am I reading that right? The author predicts the White Sox will go 91-71.

That would be a 29-win improvement over last season. Did this person step into an alternative universe where the Sox signed *both* Manny Machado and Bryce Harper?

Because that's what it probably would have took for me to believe that sort of improvement would be in the cards for the Sox. As we all know, the Sox signed *neither.*

Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease are cited as reasons for optimism. I, too, have high hopes for Jimenez and Cease, but even if that hope becomes reality, those guys are rookies. Even in the best-case scenario, I can't seem them boosting the Sox's win total by more than four or five wins.

I'm thinking 71-91 is going to be much closer to the reality, even in the weak American League Central.

Well, I guess I give the prognosticator credit for going out on a limb.

White Sox prospect Luis Robert injures thumb (again)

Can someone on the White Sox's coaching staff please teach Luis Robert how to slide?

The prized outfield prospect is once again injured, having hurt his thumb sliding head-first into second base on a stolen base attempt Saturday during an intrasquad game.

This is the third time Robert has hurt his thumb in the past 12 months. He first got hurt on a slide during spring training last year, and he reinjured the thumb on July 3 of last season.

Robert played in only 50 games in 2018; the injuries cost the 21-year-old valuable development time.

Fortunately, this injury is not thought to be serious. The team expects him to return to game action as soon as Thursday.

Sox manager Rick Renteria said Robert wasn't supposed to be trying to steal in the intrasquad game. He apparently made the attempt on his own. Renteria said the youngster was guilty of a "lapse in his own judgment."

I do applaud the Sox coaches for not wanting Robert to take risks on the base paths in meaningless games. However, it's clear he needs to be coached on his technique.

This is a player who is important to the Sox's rebuild. Fix this problem, so that Robert can stay on the field.

Madrigal among first cuts

The Sox made their first roster cuts of the spring Tuesday. Nick Madrigal, the team's No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, was among the players reassigned to minor-league camp.

Outfielders Blake Rutherford and Luis Gonzalez and left-handed pitchers Jordan Guerrero and Bernardo Flores also are headed to minor-league camp.

Second impression of 2019 White Sox ... more tolerable

I'm a glutton for punishment. After Sunday's disastrous game, I gave White Sox spring training baseball another chance on my commute home from work Monday afternoon.

I picked up the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Sox trailing the Los Angeles Angels, 6-5.

Moments later, the Sox tied the game on an infield single by minor-league catcher Nate Nolan that included a throwing error by Angels minor-league third baseman Jordan Zimmerman (not the Detroit Tigers pitcher).

I listened to the rest of the game, which ended in a 6-6 tie, before I made it home.

Hey, at least they didn't lose!

And they rallied from an early 6-2 deficit. I've read that Reynaldo Lopez struggled, allowing four earned runs on four hits over 3.1 innings. However, he said he was happy with the outing, and that he's not worried about his spring numbers. True enough, spring numbers don't matter for guys who know they are going to be on the team.

That said, it's nice when guys who are going to be on the team perform well. Take presumed closer-to-be Alex Colome, who retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth inning. Or reliever Nate Jones, who allowed a hit but worked a scoreless sixth.

Backup catcher James McCann went 2 for 3 and is hitting .333 for the spring, so there's that.

The Sox are now 3-6-2 in Cactus League games. It will be nice when a game or two makes its way to TV, so there can be more to observe than just a few nuggets gleaned from a box score.

In the meantime, the next game on the radio is Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Presuming I have a decent day at work, maybe I'll be in the mood to tune in and listen to Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson during my drive time.

First impression of 2019 White Sox ... intolerable

High temperatures on Sunday in Chicago never made it out of the teens. Wind chills were in the single digits all day. Amid this miserable March weather, I thought it would be nice to think spring and listen to some baseball on the radio.

I made it to the bottom of the third inning before I remembered that White Sox baseball is intolerable.

I turned off my radio with the Sox trailing 9-0, on their way to a 13-4 loss to the Cubs. The Sox had no hits through the first three innings. Their pitchers had walked six men and hit a batter through 2.1 innings, and at one point, eight consecutive Cubs batters had hits.

Feel free to insert jokes here about the Sox being a laughingstock, but after six consecutive losing seasons, I'm tired of my favorite team being the butt of every joke.

Remember SoxFest, when general manager Rick Hahn touted Manny Banuelos as a candidate for the starting rotation? That seems ridiculous after Banuelos faced nine batters Sunday and five of them reached base -- four on walks and one on a hit batsmen.

This is the pitcher Sox talent evaluators identified as someone who could help the big-league team right now? No wonder I don't believe in the rebuild.

Banuelos gifted the Cubs a run in the first inning with four walks, then hit the second batter of the second inning before thankfully being removed.

Too bad Juan Minaya was even worse. He walked his first hitter, then gave up five consecutive hits. Included was a three-run homer by the Cubs' Kris Bryant, and the rout was on. Aaron Bummer relieved Minaya, and at least he managed to get three outs.

He did, however, give up two runs on four hits with one walk.

Minaya's spring ERA is 21.00. Bummer's is 17.18. These are pitchers who are supposed to be candidates for the 25-man roster. Hell, Minaya is almost certain to be on the club.

Maybe that's why it is hard not to feel as though the Sox are destined for a third-straight 90-plus loss season.

The loss drops the Sox to 3-6-1 on the spring, and granted, none of this counts. But after the misery of the past several seasons, you'd like to see some signs of hope this March.

But through the first 10 games of spring training, this appears to be more of the same.

White Sox sign veteran right-hander Ervin Santana to minor-league deal

Ervin Santana

The White Sox on Friday agreed to terms with veteran right-hander Ervin Santana on a minor-league contract.

If Santana makes the club -- a good bet if he's healthy -- his salary will be $4.3 million, according to reports.

There is good news and bad news about the 36-year-old Santana. First, the good news:

He's only two years removed from the best season of his 14-year MLB career. In 2017, Santana went 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 starts for the Minnesota Twins. He led the American League in both complete games (5) and shutouts (3), and was selected to the All-Star team for the second time in his career and for the first time since 2008.

Now, the bad news:

Santana was hurt last season. Surgery on his right middle finger limited him to five starts and 24.1 innings in 2018, and he went 0-1 with an 8.03 ERA.

Yes, that's the reason he's available on a minor-league deal.

That being said, I don't object to this signing. At SoxFest, I asked general manager Rick Hahn about getting another starter for the rotation, and he gave me a line of bull about how Manny Banuelos is capable of helping this team.

Not sold on Banuelos, and looking at the remaining free agent starting pitchers, I felt like either Santana or Gio Gonzalez would fit the bill as a one-year stopgap. Turns out Santana is the choice.

The Sox's 2020 rotation projects to be Carlos Rodon, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Dylan Cease.

But right now, Kopech is recovering from elbow surgery and will miss all of 2019. Cease needs another half-season or so of experience in the minor leagues before he gets called up.

The Sox need a couple of veterans to fill those two spots in the short run, so let's hope Santana and Ivan Nova can do the job.

Based upon the young pitching that is in place, and the young pitching that is on the way, I don't have a problem with the Sox declining to make a longer-term investment in the rotation at this time.

The lineup, however, is another matter. Looking at all the weak bats on this roster, I would like to see some money spent on position players. There remains money to be spent, but there is no indication that it will be spent before the season begins March 28.

White Sox remind everyone that they are cheap, timid and stupid

Manny Machado

Remember when White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the team and its fans are allowed to have nice things?

Turns out we're not, surprise surprise. As expected on this blog, the Sox failed to sign Manny Machado. The superstar infielder agreed to terms Tuesday on a 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres, according to reports.

That's right, the Padres. Not the New York Yankees. Not the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not the Boston Red Sox. Not the Philadelphia Phillies. Not the Cubs.

The Padres, who haven't had a winning season since 2010 and are one of the few clubs with a longer postseason drought than the Sox. (San Diego last made the playoffs in 2006.)

According to reports, the Sox weren't willing to go above eight years and $250 million in guaranteed money. In fact, senior vice president Ken Williams said the Sox weren't willing to go to the $300 million mark to sign this player.

"That level wasn't feasible to us because we still have to project putting together a total winning roster and keeping the young players that will ultimately earn into greater dollars themselves," Williams said, according to a tweet from MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

Here's the big problem with that: This free agency sweepstakes was ALWAYS going to end with Machado getting $300 million in guaranteed money. If the Sox weren't willing to go to that point, why did they waste the past three months in this fruitless pursuit?

The Sox have spent the past two seasons losing games and dumping payroll, all to achieve precious "flexibility" to pursue marquee free agents this offseason. Thus far, they have done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with that payroll flexibility, and there's no indication they will.

Once again, this regime came this far, only to pull up two years and $50 million short.

Only the White Sox would spend 90-plus days chasing a free agent that they never were willing to go the extra mile for to sign. Only the White Sox would tell fans at SoxFest that they would be "disappointed" if they didn't "convert" on Machado and then get outbid by another also-ran team.

And, oh yeah, the Sox brought in two players who don't fit their roster in an attempt to lure Machado to the team. Fans, you don't get Machado himself, but you do get Machado's brother-in-law (Yonder Alonso) and his BFF (Jon Jay). I'm sure the at-bats from those two unneeded veterans will sell tickets this summer, won't they?

I dare the Sox to shut me up by using the Machado money to sign Bryce Harper. That's the only thing that could lessen my anger at this point.

Until then it's the same ol' Sox: cheap, timid and stupid.