Saturday, March 14, 2020
Thursday, March 12, 2020
When a 9-2 loss is actually a win ...
 |
| Michael Kopech |
Each of those three pitchers is coming back from an injury that sidelined them during the early part of camp, and I was eager to see how close they would look to being ready to start the season.
Alas, Mother Nature had other plans.
But, speaking of returns from injury, how about Michael Kopech on Tuesday? Sure, the Sox lost, 9-2, to the Texas Rangers, but it was actually an encouraging day for the South Siders and their fans.
That's because Kopech looked like he did before his elbow injury. He needed only 11 pitches to work a 1-2-3 first inning. His fastball consistently hit 98 mph-plus on the radar gun, and his heater topped out at 101 mph -- his final pitch striking out Greg Bird looking.
After missing the zone on each of his first two pitches, Kopech fired seven of his final nine over the plate and ended the inning quickly.
Kopech admitted that "adrenaline was a factor" with the high velocity, but hey, at least we know it's still there after surgery. It will be an exciting time when Kopech returns to the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field for the first time since 2018.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Baseball Digest also believing in the White Sox
For instance, this magazine has Mookie Betts as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers -- not the Boston Red Sox -- and that makes it different than some of the other ones I've read.
I try not to give away too much about these magazines' predictions -- copyright infringement and all -- but it's been quite unusual to read positive thoughts on the White Sox.
Baseball Digest has the Sox finishing second in the American League Central behind the Minnesota Twins, a forecast that is both optimistic and realistic.
The magazine notes that the Sox have the longest postseason drought of any team in their division, and the second-longest drought of any team in the American League. It also refers to "octogenarian chairman Jerry Reinsdorf," which is quite amusing, and notes that Reinsdorf and general Rick Hahn were out to end that postseason drought with significant moves this offseason.
And three of the Baseball Digest's "five rookies to watch" in the AL Central are members of the Sox: Luis Robert, Michael Kopech and Nick Madrigal.
Hey, at least the days of being picked to finish last are gone, right?
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Lucas Giolito, Yasmani Grandal rejoin the active for White Sox
White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito appears to be on track to start Opening Day against the Kansas City Royals.
Giolito, who had been sidelined by a minor ribcage strain, pitched for the first time in a Cactus League game Friday, working the first inning in a 6-3 win over the Cubs. He threw 15 pitches and faced four batters. His only blemish was a HBP to Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber.
He also struck out Sox nemesis Willson Contreras looking on a 3-2 changeup. After the outing, Giolito went to the bullpen to "get his work in" in a more controlled environment, throwing another 20 pitches or so.
Friday was March 6, and if you count off the days -- and you assume that Giolito has four days' rest in between outings -- that lines him up perfectly to make the start against Kansas City on March 26.
Also of note Friday, catcher Yasmani Grandal made his first Cactus League appearance of the spring. Grandal, who has missed time with a calf injury, made three plate appearances. He struck out twice and walked once.
Grandal did not play Saturday, but he was back in the lineup Sunday against the San Diego Padres, catching right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is a split-squad game. Grandal went 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a run scored in a 6-0 Sox win.
On Monday, Grandal served as the designated hitter and had his best game of the spring, going 2 for 3 with a double, a solo home run and two runs scored in a 3-3 tie with the Cincinnati Reds.
We'll know Grandal is ready if he catches back-to-back days. That hasn't happened yet.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the Sox need Grandal healthy and ready to start the season. The "big offseason" doesn't look as good if the big free-agent acquisition opens the season on the injured list.
Giolito, who had been sidelined by a minor ribcage strain, pitched for the first time in a Cactus League game Friday, working the first inning in a 6-3 win over the Cubs. He threw 15 pitches and faced four batters. His only blemish was a HBP to Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber.
He also struck out Sox nemesis Willson Contreras looking on a 3-2 changeup. After the outing, Giolito went to the bullpen to "get his work in" in a more controlled environment, throwing another 20 pitches or so.
Friday was March 6, and if you count off the days -- and you assume that Giolito has four days' rest in between outings -- that lines him up perfectly to make the start against Kansas City on March 26.
Also of note Friday, catcher Yasmani Grandal made his first Cactus League appearance of the spring. Grandal, who has missed time with a calf injury, made three plate appearances. He struck out twice and walked once.
Grandal did not play Saturday, but he was back in the lineup Sunday against the San Diego Padres, catching right-hander Reynaldo Lopez is a split-squad game. Grandal went 1 for 3 with an RBI double and a run scored in a 6-0 Sox win.
On Monday, Grandal served as the designated hitter and had his best game of the spring, going 2 for 3 with a double, a solo home run and two runs scored in a 3-3 tie with the Cincinnati Reds.
We'll know Grandal is ready if he catches back-to-back days. That hasn't happened yet.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the Sox need Grandal healthy and ready to start the season. The "big offseason" doesn't look as good if the big free-agent acquisition opens the season on the injured list.
Monday, March 9, 2020
White Sox make first roster moves of spring training
The White Sox on Friday made their first round of roster cuts. Most notably, No. 5-ranked prospect Jonathan Stiever was reassigned to minor league camp without getting an opportunity to pitch in a Cactus League game.
Stiever, 22, was bothered by soreness during a sideline session, and he was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his right forearm. An MRI showed no problems, and Stiever was shut down for three weeks. He currently is about halfway through that three-week period.
When I made my list of top 10 White Sox prospects, I was a little reluctant to put Stiever up real high on the basis of 10 or 12 good minor league starts at the end of last season. Last year's breakout story can quickly become this year's downer, and we know young pitchers often get their careers derailed by injury.
Here's to hoping this is just a minor blip for Stiever.
The Sox also optioned right-handed reliever Matt Foster to Triple-A Charlotte. Pitchers Dane Dunning and Jimmy Lambert were optioned to Double-A Birmingham. Both Dunning and Lambert are rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Right-hander Ryan Burr, left-hander Hunter Schryver and first baseman Matt Skole also were reassigned to minor league camp.
Burr spent time in the majors last season, but he also is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Schryver recently underwent Tommy John surgery and is done for this season. Skole, a left-handed hitter who has spent some time in the majors in each of the past two years, is an organizational player who will no doubt begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte.
The Sox now have 60 players in camp.
Stiever, 22, was bothered by soreness during a sideline session, and he was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his right forearm. An MRI showed no problems, and Stiever was shut down for three weeks. He currently is about halfway through that three-week period.
When I made my list of top 10 White Sox prospects, I was a little reluctant to put Stiever up real high on the basis of 10 or 12 good minor league starts at the end of last season. Last year's breakout story can quickly become this year's downer, and we know young pitchers often get their careers derailed by injury.
Here's to hoping this is just a minor blip for Stiever.
The Sox also optioned right-handed reliever Matt Foster to Triple-A Charlotte. Pitchers Dane Dunning and Jimmy Lambert were optioned to Double-A Birmingham. Both Dunning and Lambert are rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Right-hander Ryan Burr, left-hander Hunter Schryver and first baseman Matt Skole also were reassigned to minor league camp.
Burr spent time in the majors last season, but he also is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Schryver recently underwent Tommy John surgery and is done for this season. Skole, a left-handed hitter who has spent some time in the majors in each of the past two years, is an organizational player who will no doubt begin the season in Triple-A Charlotte.
The Sox now have 60 players in camp.
Friday, March 6, 2020
Yoan Moncada, White Sox agree on five-year contract extension
The White Sox on Thursday agreed with third baseman Yoan Moncada on a five-year, $70 million contract extension. The contract includes an option for a sixth year that could make the deal worth $90 million.
The news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and MLB Network. The Sox have not formally announced the deal as yet, but I have always found Rosenthal's reporting to be quite credible.
Moncada would have become arbitration-eligible in 2021, and he would have hit free agency in 2024. This contract delays Moncada's free agency by two years. He would hit the open market at age 30, and presumably, this gives the Sox a better shot to get to the World Series and win sometime between now and 2025.
In 2019, Moncada had a breakout campaign in which he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs, 34 doubles, five triples and 79 RBIs. He also made a smooth transition from second base to third base, surprising many observers (including me) with his defensive competence.
If Moncada continues to perform at that level, getting him at $14 million a year is a steal. There have been rumors all spring of an extension, but most people were thinking eight or nine years, with a total value in excess of $100 million.
At this point, Moncada has played two full seasons in the majors, and he's had one rough year and one excellent year. There is risk involved for both sides, and but I'm guessing Moncada is more like the player he was in 2019 than the player he was in 2018.
If I'm proven correct, the Sox will come out ahead in this deal.
The news was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and MLB Network. The Sox have not formally announced the deal as yet, but I have always found Rosenthal's reporting to be quite credible.
Moncada would have become arbitration-eligible in 2021, and he would have hit free agency in 2024. This contract delays Moncada's free agency by two years. He would hit the open market at age 30, and presumably, this gives the Sox a better shot to get to the World Series and win sometime between now and 2025.
In 2019, Moncada had a breakout campaign in which he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs, 34 doubles, five triples and 79 RBIs. He also made a smooth transition from second base to third base, surprising many observers (including me) with his defensive competence.
If Moncada continues to perform at that level, getting him at $14 million a year is a steal. There have been rumors all spring of an extension, but most people were thinking eight or nine years, with a total value in excess of $100 million.
At this point, Moncada has played two full seasons in the majors, and he's had one rough year and one excellent year. There is risk involved for both sides, and but I'm guessing Moncada is more like the player he was in 2019 than the player he was in 2018.
If I'm proven correct, the Sox will come out ahead in this deal.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Some starts from actual White Sox starting pitchers
The first eight White Sox Cactus League games were mostly characterized by starts from pitchers who will begin the season in the minor leagues, including two outings by the erstwhile Ross Detwiler.
But the past three days, we've seen Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo Lopez and Dylan Cease get on the mound, and results for the most part have been good.
Cease was perhaps the most impressive of the three. On Wednesday, he worked four innings in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed one run on three hits -- a solo home run to Keston Hiura -- while striking out five and issuing no walks.
I'm encouraged for two reasons. First, no walks. That really can't be emphasized enough. I really don't care that Cease gave up a home run, because it was a solo home run. Last season, we saw Cease get himself and the team in real trouble by walking a couple of guys, then giving up a home run. Solo home runs are much easier to overcome than three-run shots and grand slams.
Secondly, Cease got through the first two innings unscathed. The home run did not come until the fourth inning. As you may recall, Cease had a 9.00 ERA in the first inning, and a 9.64 ERA during the second inning, in 2019. He has to get out of the habit of putting his team two and three runs down early in games, and so far, he's avoided trouble out of the gate this spring.
The Sox lost, 6-5, to the Oakland A's on Tuesday, but most of the runs were scored late. Lopez pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out three and walked three, and that control is one area Lopez needs to clean up. One walk an inning isn't going to cut it, but the good news is he kept the ball in the yard and missed some bats.
As you may recall, Lopez surrendered 35 home runs in 184 innings pitched in 2019, so if there's one guy on the Sox's staff who needs to focus on not giving up the long ball, it's Lopez. I'd be more concerned about him giving up home runs than I would be Cease.
As for Keuchel, he was as advertised Monday in a 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. He pitched to contact and gave up his share of hits -- six in four innings -- but San Diego only scored one run off him. Keuchel struck out only one, but he didn't walk anybody.
That's pretty much what I'm expecting from Keuchel this year -- a lot of balls put in play, but hopefully, it will be a ton of soft contact in the infield. In this outing, Keuchel recorded eight groundball outs, and not a single flyball out.
That's the formula we're looking for from the veteran left-hander.
But the past three days, we've seen Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo Lopez and Dylan Cease get on the mound, and results for the most part have been good.
Cease was perhaps the most impressive of the three. On Wednesday, he worked four innings in a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. He allowed one run on three hits -- a solo home run to Keston Hiura -- while striking out five and issuing no walks.
I'm encouraged for two reasons. First, no walks. That really can't be emphasized enough. I really don't care that Cease gave up a home run, because it was a solo home run. Last season, we saw Cease get himself and the team in real trouble by walking a couple of guys, then giving up a home run. Solo home runs are much easier to overcome than three-run shots and grand slams.
Secondly, Cease got through the first two innings unscathed. The home run did not come until the fourth inning. As you may recall, Cease had a 9.00 ERA in the first inning, and a 9.64 ERA during the second inning, in 2019. He has to get out of the habit of putting his team two and three runs down early in games, and so far, he's avoided trouble out of the gate this spring.
The Sox lost, 6-5, to the Oakland A's on Tuesday, but most of the runs were scored late. Lopez pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out three and walked three, and that control is one area Lopez needs to clean up. One walk an inning isn't going to cut it, but the good news is he kept the ball in the yard and missed some bats.
As you may recall, Lopez surrendered 35 home runs in 184 innings pitched in 2019, so if there's one guy on the Sox's staff who needs to focus on not giving up the long ball, it's Lopez. I'd be more concerned about him giving up home runs than I would be Cease.
As for Keuchel, he was as advertised Monday in a 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. He pitched to contact and gave up his share of hits -- six in four innings -- but San Diego only scored one run off him. Keuchel struck out only one, but he didn't walk anybody.
That's pretty much what I'm expecting from Keuchel this year -- a lot of balls put in play, but hopefully, it will be a ton of soft contact in the infield. In this outing, Keuchel recorded eight groundball outs, and not a single flyball out.
That's the formula we're looking for from the veteran left-hander.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)