Michael Kopech sharp in spring debut

Fans and media shouldn't draw grand conclusions from spring training results. The main goal for pitchers, in particular, is to stay healthy and build stamina to get ready for the start of the regular season. If good results come during these outings, it's a bonus.

For White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech, his spring training debut Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Angels went just as you would hope. He worked three innings and retired all nine batters he faced in a game that finished in a 1-1 tie.

Kopech, who had offseason knee surgery, is being brought along slowly with the hope that he can start the Sox's home opener -- and fifth game of the season -- April 3 against the San Francisco Giants.

The plan for Kopech on Sunday was to throw about 45 pitches. The thought was he would pitch two innings. Fortunately, he only needed 23 pitches to get through the first two innings, which afforded him the opportunity to go out there one more inning.

Watching the outing, it appeared Kopech threw almost exclusively fastballs and sliders. I noticed only one changeup. His velocity topped out at 98 mph, which is terrific news. That's a sign that he's healthy.

The Sox need him to be healthy, and take the next step as a pitcher this season. He has top-of-the-rotation talent. Now's the time for him to live up to his potential.

The other piece of good news for the Sox involves outfielder Oscar Colas, who homered for the team's lone run Sunday. For Colas, it was his second home run in as many days, and he's batting .400 for the spring.

More importantly, he's only struck out once in 25 at-bats, and he's making good swing decisions at the plate. That was the question mark about Colas -- will he be a wild swinger, chasing everything? If not, he's ready to be the starting right fielder in Chicago.

So far, so good.

The Sox are 7-6-1 this spring.

Last Comiskey, Part 1: It's worth a look

 

If you've got about 40 minutes of time, check out this video on YouTube. It's Part 1 of the Last Comiskey documentary, which details the 1990 season -- the final summer at the original Comiskey Park.

Most White Sox fans will tell you for understandable reasons that 2005 is their favorite all-time season, but I think 1990 deserves a mention in that discussion.

The Sox came out of nowhere to win 94 games and challenge the Oakland Athletics, who were the defending World Series champions and a juggernaut in the American League at that time.

This video harkens back to when Oakland came to town that June. It's a series that I remember attending as a 13-year-old, although the Sox lost the particular game that I was at.

There also are a lot of reflections on the career of organist Nancy Faust, who was a big part of the atmosphere at Comiskey Park. A lot of the footage brought back some memories from my childhood.

Going back further, Dick Allen's impact on the franchise in the 1970s was also discussed. Allen, of course, won the AL MVP in 1972 as a member of the White Sox. Many of us who are students of the game believe Allen belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The people interviewed in this video include Ozzie Guillen, Faust, Bobby Thigpen, Donn Pall, Jack McDowell, Wayne Edwards, Lance Johnson, Scott Fletcher, Ron Kittle, Dan Evans, Scott Radinsky and Vance Law.

If you're a Sox fan of a certain age, give this video a watch. It's worth the time.

Jose Abreu strikes nerve with recent comments on White Sox dysfunction

Jose Abreu

Let's talk about what former White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu said in a recent Sun-Times interview.

Abreu, the 36-year-old longtime leader of the Sox, signed a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros this past offseason.

When asked about his departure from the South Side, Abreu said this:

“Sometimes, when you’re at a place where maybe you’re not being respected to the point where you think you should be, you just have to go somewhere else." 

The Sox obviously made the decision to go with a younger, cheaper player at first base for 2023 -- 24-year-old Andrew Vaughn.

But Abreu's comments went beyond his belief that he was disrespected. He added some thoughts on the 2022 season:

“The best way I can put it is just that we weren’t a real family,” Abreu told the Sun-Times. “And I’m hoping that maybe [the Sox] can get to a situation where a lot of the guys there that do deserve to be in a good situation, they can have it there and be able to win. But I don’t really have too much more to say about that.”

With that, Abreu joins a long line of former Sox players who criticized management and the team culture on the way out the door. 

Indeed, even in a down season, Abreu was the team's healthiest and most consistent position player in 2022, yet it's unclear whether he was ever offered a fair contract. So, it's understandable to me if he felt disrespected.

As for these comments about the team not being "a real family," that's no fooling, right? The atmosphere around last year's club seemed toxic, as preseason expectations of competing for a championship crumbled and the team limped to an 81-81 finish.

During the 2020 season -- and for most of the 2021 season -- Sox players seemed to be having a good time playing together. That didn't feel like it was the case last year, whether it was the result of Tony La Russa's management of the team, or some other factor.

Much to my surprise, I read a lot of online outrage about these comments, most of them directed toward Abreu. Some even went so far as to call him a traitor. 

I think I'll take a pass on joining that chorus. Abreu did his job throughout his nine seasons in a Sox uniform. He was a good soldier during that time, during which he often played on bad teams. I take no offense to his comments, especially knowing that his remarks are most likely fair and correct.

White Sox spring roster battle: Utility infielder

Leury Garcia

Who will be the utility infielder for the White Sox in 2023? This is one roster battle I'm keeping an eye on during Cactus League play this year.

There are three players under consideration for that spot: Leury Garcia, Romy Gonzalez and Hanser Alberto. 

With Pedro Grifol being a first-year manager, we can't be sure what he values in terms of his bench. Might he keep two of these three utility players? Possibly, but I would assume that only one of them comes north. If you keep two, they are redundant on the roster. 

Garcia would seem to be the favorite, because he's got two years and $11 million remaining on his contract. If he doesn't make the club, Jerry Reinsdorf would have to pay him to go away. That doesn't seem likely, right?

Alberto is at a disadvantage. He's a non-roster invitee. Gonzalez can still be optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, but at least he has the security of being on the 40-man roster.

I was thinking about this roster battle because all three players started Thursday in the Sox's 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Alberto started at third base and had a big game. He went 3 for 3 with a triple, a double and two runs scored. He's now 6 for 8 on the spring.

Garcia started at shortstop and went 1 for 3 with a two-run homer. Garcia is currently 3 for 10 this spring.

Gonzalez batted leadoff and played right field, going 0 for 3. He is now 1 for 9 in the Cactus League.

The regulars on the left side of the Sox infield, shortstop Tim Anderson and third baseman Yoan Moncada, are off to play in the World Baseball Classic. That means, all these guys will receive plenty of playing time to sort this out.

With Thursday's win, the Sox are 3-3 in spring ball.

Tim Anderson vs. the World

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson said some stuff in a recent interview with NBC Sports Chicago's Chuck Garfien.

If you're plugged into Sox baseball, you've probably seen it all over the place already, so I won't rehash it. You can read and listen to the comments here. 

Here's my take on the need for more "positivity" from the fans and media:

It’s hard for me to buy a “let’s start fresh and be positive” sales pitch when I know the endemic problems in the Sox organization still exist. Players don’t get that because they come and go. As fans, we’ve been here for decades, and we’ve seen the Sox fail in predictable ways over and over.

To be honest, I don't think my attitude about the team, or thoughts on how the season is going to go, have any bearing on the outcome. Players play. Coaches coach. Reporters write. Fans cheer, or don't cheer.

I've been both right and wrong about baseball 1,000 times before. I think the Sox will be mediocre again this season, but what difference does my opinion make? Sometimes I feel that Anderson is a little too concerned with outside noise.

The Sox just need to win. Put up 95 victories, and everything will be fine, right?  

Elvis Andrus signs 1-year deal with White Sox

Elvis Andrus

Elvis Andrus is back with the White Sox on a one-year deal worth $3 million, according to reports.

The 34-year-old is a veteran of 1,947 games and 14 seasons, but he's never played a position other than shortstop or designated hitter. For the 2023 Sox, he is expected to be the starting second baseman.

Andrus joined the Sox on Aug. 19, 2022, after being released by the Oakland Athletics and after Tim Anderson suffered a season-ending hand injury. 

In 43 games with Chicago, Andrus played better than he had in years, batting .271/.309/.464 with nine home runs, 28 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. In fact, Andrus hit more homers last season with the Sox than he did in 106 games with Oakland (8). He also stole more bases than he did with the A's (7).

It's also notable that Andrus was an asset defensively, and an excellent base runner. Those two attributes are rare on the current Sox roster, and that made his competence in those areas stand out even more.

There are two key questions surrounding this signing. First, was Andrus' late-season surge in 2022 a dead-cat bounce from a guy looking for his next contract, or was it a sign that he still has some useful baseball left? Second, can he make the transition to second base after years and years of playing shortstop?

Clearly, other teams were not sold on Andrus as a starting shortstop. To be fair, the free agent market was saturated this offseason with high-level shortstops -- Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson -- and that made it difficult for Andrus to find a job.

His best path to a regular spot in a lineup was to come back to the Sox as a second baseman, a position that is a sore spot on the South Side. Does anybody out there believe the internal candidates -- Romy Gonzalez, Lenyn Sosa or Leury Garcia -- can play above replacement level, or even at replacement level? I'm skeptical. 

Andrus raises the floor at second base, and he also provides injury insurance for Anderson, who is usually good for at least one stint on the injured list per season. We know Andrus can still handle shortstop, and we know Andrus is likely to stay healthy -- he's appeared in 145 or more games in 12 of his 14 seasons in the majors.

Can Andrus handle second base defensively? I'm going to say he can, because the working theory is always, "If you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere else." 

At this point, there's not much of a downside here. Do I wish the Sox would have found a better option for second base earlier in the offseason? Yes, no question. But given that there were apparently no trades to be made, bringing back Andrus is better than doing nothing. After all, what sense does it make to go with such unproven internal options in the middle of what is supposed to be a "contention window"?

Here's a look at how the Sox lineup could look on Opening Day, if everyone makes it through spring training healthy:

1. Anderson, SS
2. Andrew Benintendi, LF
3. Luis Robert, CF
4. Eloy Jimenez, DH
5. Yasmani Grandal, C
6. Andrew Vaughn, 1B
7. Yoan Moncada, 3B
8. Oscar Colas, RF
9. Andrus, 2B
   

Mike Clevinger investigation casts pall over White Sox spring training

Mike Clevinger

The day when pitchers and catchers report to spring training is supposed to be one of the happiest days on the calendar for baseball fans.

But not for a lot of White Sox fans. Not this year. The 2023 season is starting with a dark cloud over Sox camp in Glendale, Ariz. Most of the questions on Wednesday's first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers centered on MLB's investigation into domestic abuse allegations made against pitcher Mike Clevinger.

In fact, 25 minutes of general manager Rick Hahn's 35-minute-long press availability was devoted to answering questions about Clevinger.

Not that Hahn said much, or even could say much. The Sox are (rightfully) being questioned about their processes when performing background checks on free agents. Clevinger has been under investigation since last season, when he was a member of the San Diego Padres, but that somehow escaped Hahn's attention before he added Clevinger to the roster.

Hahn said Wednesday that the Sox have no other option but to let the process play out. On that point, I would say he is correct.

According to the MLB-MLBPA Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the commissioner’s office holds sole authority to discipline players for violating the policy, unless it transfers the authority over to the team. 

That policy is collectively bargained. It must be adhered to, and at this time, the commissioner's office has not placed Clevinger on administrative leave, nor has it transferred authority over to the Sox.

Thus, Clevinger reported to Sox camp Wednesday and took questions from the media. During that session, he denied any wrongdoing -- as expected -- and, on the advice of his attorneys, didn't say much about the allegations or the investigation. 

Bottom line: The Sox can't hand out any discipline here, because they would be in violation of the collective bargaining agreement. They could just cut Clevinger, but if they did, they would still be on the hook for paying him his $12 million salary, and they would open themselves up to a grievance or a lawsuit from Clevinger.

The Sox are basically stuck because they signed a free agent they never should have signed, and they are taking all of us on an express elevator to hell with them. It's Day 1, and everyone's already pissed off.