The Chicago White Sox entered final spring because the favorites to win the American League Central.
It didn’t work out that means as accidents, inconsistency on the plate, questionable managerial choices and sloppy protection added as much as a disappointing 81-81 season by which the Sox completed 11 video games behind the division-winning Cleveland Guardians and missed the playoffs.
The Sox enter this spring seeking to return to the shape that led to postseason berths in 2020 and ‘21.
“We had such high expectations for last season,” beginning pitcher Dylan Cease stated throughout a videoconference final month. “If you’re taking satisfaction in what you’re doing and you actually took that to coronary heart, failing and shedding like that, it hurts.
“If we take that to heart and do use that, anytime you can have a little chip on your shoulder and have that extra motivation, it’s always a positive.”
It has been an emotional offseason with nearer Liam Hendriks asserting in early January he was recognized with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
It additionally has been a troubling one with Major League Baseball investigating newly signed starter Mike Clevinger for home violence allegations first reported in late January by The Athletic.
It’s underneath these circumstances that spring coaching will get underway, with pitchers and catchers reporting to camp Wednesday at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. The first full-squad exercise is Feb. 20.
Here are 4 questions because the Sox start getting ready for the 2023 season.
1. What shall be emphasised throughout supervisor Pedro Grifol’s first camp?
Grifol spent the final 10 seasons in varied roles on the Kansas City Royals employees, together with as bench coach from 2020-22. He formally turned the forty second supervisor in Sox historical past on Nov. 3, finishing a search that started after Tony La Russa introduced Oct. 3 he wouldn’t return in 2023 due to well being points.
Grifol takes over a roster that largely stays the identical from 2022 — with first baseman José Abreu’s departure to Houston a notable exception.
“It’s going to be a little bit weird (without Abreu), but this is the business,” outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez stated throughout a video convention in late January. “We need to move forward and play with what we have.”
Jiménez, heart fielder Luis Robert, shortstop Tim Anderson, third baseman Yoán Moncada and catcher Yasmani Grandal had been among the many regulars to spend time on the injured checklist final season. Their well being — and for Moncada and Grandal, a return to their accustomed ranges — shall be very important.
And if the Sox are going to be contenders, they should be higher defensively after making probably the most errors (102) within the American League final season. They additionally should keep away from crucial baserunning errors that often minimize quick rallies.
Those fundamentals shall be value monitoring, as will navigating camp throughout a spring that includes the World Baseball Classic.
Anderson, starter Lance Lynn and reliever Kendall Graveman are on the Team USA roster. Moncada and Robert are on Team Cuba, Jiménez is taking part in for the Dominican Republic, whereas Nicholas Padilla and José Ruiz are pitching for Puerto Rico and Venezuela, respectively.
Grifol doesn’t consider the WBC will trigger a disruption.
“I’ve coordinated camps before during the WBC,” he stated throughout the winter conferences on Dec. 6 in San Diego. “You’re just giving other guys an opportunity to showcase themselves in spring training, and you never know, somebody might make a team or somebody might impress to a point where something happens during the year, we have a really good idea of what this particular player can do in the big leagues.”
2. Who are candidates to offer pitching depth?
The rotation appeared set in early December when the Sox introduced Clevinger’s one-year, $12 million deal.
What comes subsequent stays to be seen as MLB continues its investigation.
The Sox, as a part of an announcement launched the day of The Athletic report, stated they “were not aware of the allegations or the investigation at the time of his signing” and would “refrain from comment until MLB’s investigative process has reached its conclusion.”
As the method performs out, the Sox should discover all choices for pitching depth.
Last 12 months, Davis Martin stuffed in when the Sox wanted a further arm. He went 3-6 with a 4.83 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 14 appearances (9 begins).
“Obviously Davis was really valuable for us last year, and it’s important to have depth beyond your starting five,” assistant common supervisor/participant improvement Chris Getz stated throughout a video convention on Jan. 31.
Getz talked about Sean Burke, Jesse Scholtens, Nate Fisher and Matthew Thompson as pitchers presumably in place to comply with Martin’s path.
Burke went 4-10 with a 4.75 in 27 outings (26 begins) at Class A Winston-Salem, Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte.
The right-handed Scholtens and the left-handed Fisher had been free brokers signed to minor-league offers this offseason.
Thompson had a 4-7 report with a 4.84 ERA in 25 begins for Winston-Salem and Birmingham.
3. What is the plan for the bullpen?
Hendriks is without doubt one of the prime closers within the majors, main the AL in saves in 2021 and ending second within the class final season.
But that’s solely a part of his affect with the Sox.
“It was definitely pretty devastating to hear (the news of the diagnosis),” Cease stated. “Not even from a baseball standpoint. He obviously is a huge part of what we have going on. And on the baseball side, it’s a big loss. But to us, he’s a friend and almost like family first.”
Teams and gamers all through the sport have proven assist. The Sox lately provided “Close Out Cancer” shirts via their web site with the web earnings benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
The Sox didn’t anticipate having an replace on Hendriks’ taking part in standing till “prior to opening day at the very earliest,” common supervisor Rick Hahn stated as a part of an announcement on Jan. 8.
If known as upon, Kendall Graveman has expertise within the ninth-inning position. The right-hander has 16 profession saves with 10 coming in 2021 for the Seattle Mariners and 6 final season for the Sox.
Others with at the least 5 profession saves embody Jake Diekman (15), Joe Kelly (six) and Aaron Bummer (5). Non-roster invitee Keynan Middleton, signed as a minor-league free agent, has 13.
Reynaldo López and Jimmy Lambert determine to have distinguished reduction roles, and Garrett Crochet shall be returning sooner or later after struggling an harm that required Tommy John surgical procedure final spring.
4. Who will emerge because the starters at second base and proper subject?
The Sox addressed one nook outfield spot, signing left fielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million contract.
They’ll use the spring to find out opening-day starters in proper subject and at second base.
Romy Gonzalez and Lenyn Sosa are among the many returning choices at second.
Gonzalez slashed .238/.257/.352 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 32 video games in 2022. Sosa was 4-for-35 (.114) with three runs in 11 video games.
The Sox anticipate utilizing Leury García in a backup position.
As for proper subject, Gavin Sheets made probably the most begins there for the Sox final season (78). After a sluggish begin, he slashed .241/.295/.411 with 15 dwelling runs and 53 RBIs in 124 video games.
Jiménez, beforehand the starter in left subject and the almost certainly possibility at DH, stated he has been figuring out in proper.
And there’s Oscar Colás, the No. 2 prospect within the group in keeping with Baseball America, who slashed .314/.371/.524 with 23 homers and 79 RBIs for Winston-Salem, Birmingham and Charlotte.
“Oscar’s season was certainly impressive playing at three different levels and being productive at each of them,” Getz stated, “and fairly actually continued to get higher each time he was challenged at the next stage.
“We just saw him recently at a minicamp in Arizona. He’s in very good shape. You can tell he’s really dialed in and excited to have a productive year.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com