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| Tim Anderson, not Manny Machado, is the shortstop |
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.
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