What, Me Worry?

With multiple spring games under the collectively strained belts of the fandom, and more importantly the sleek and well-fitting belts of the White Sox as a team, it is time to look back at what had us worried in the start of the off-season, and whether the concerns have been quelled or not. Sure, it’s early, but we demand immediate satisfaction. So hath we the satisfaction? What hath Rick Hahn wrought?

GAHHH!!! WE NEED A DH!!!

Yes, yes we did. Edwin Encarnacion went from aging slugger with a parrot gimmick to just a parrot gimmick. But wait!! In the off-season there would be new veteran hitters, and when Eddie Rosario and Kyle Schwarber were non-tendered, the optimism abounded that a lefty tater whacker was coming to the Southside.

So did Rick fix it? No. Not directly. The Sox had decided internally that Andrew Vaughn was ready in spite of the 55 games total at A-Ball and the practices in Schaumburg being his only experience. And thus far, they look right. Vaughn has been among the best hitters so far this spring and has the approval of Jose Abreu. I’ll argue with the front office, but I will not argue with Abreu. Vaughn will need to work on “his defense” or “some stuff” at the alternate site to play the service time shuffle, but hopefully he’s there Day 1.

RIGHT FIELD IS A SWIRLING BLACK HOLE

Yes, yes it was. Nomar Mazara was a fair gamble last year but since Adam Eaton was traded this position has been a pit.

So did Rick fix it? Sure. Adam Eaton is back, a bargain and he is still a bona-fide major league starting right fielder, albeit one who briefly gave himself clown shoes in his first stint with the team. This is not that ill-fated Sox team, and thus far Eaton has been quiet and doing his job. He might only be a rental but that depends on Gavin Sheets, Yoelkis Cespedes and Micker Adolfo…and Adam Engel. And they are why Rick was right to not commit a long-term deal to the likes of George Springer. In reverse order you have a rapidly improving major-league outfielder with a great glove and a bat that will play a big role in 2021 if he keeps going; a top prospect in the system and a guy that without injury was talked about as emerging with Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn and Nick Madrigal; the top international prospect from this year’s signing pool who has the tools to be a stud; and another top prospect that represents the missing lefty thunder in the lineup. It’s a good bet that one of those four grabs the brass ring in 2022, or else Adam Eaton gets his option picked up for a farewell tour. In the meantime, Eaton is a better fielder than Rosario and Schwarber, and his bat will complement the rest of the lineup well.

MORE STARTING PITCHING!! FINISH THE TOP 3!!

No kidding. After Lucas Giolito and Dallas Kuechel, last year’s rotation wasn’t pretty. The nail in the coffin was Dane Dunning getting a quick hook in the playoffs, but the slump leading to Oakland was pretty damning too. It felt like everyone with an arm had a shot and no one wanted to perform up to replacement-level standards.

So did Rick fix it? Boy howdy, did he. Lance Lynn was a premium arm in 2019 and 2020 and should eat innings and batters for the Sox in 2021 as well. Some argued that Dane Dunning was to high a price, but then Lynn was cheaper money and player-wise than Yu Darvish and Blake Snell on the trade market and well below guys like Trevor Bauer cost-wise. Plus, Rick may do the team a disservice by committing long-term high-priced dollars.

Why? Well…

MORE STARTING PITCHING!! FIX THE BACKEND!!

Deja vu alert: After Lucas Giolito and Dallas Kuechel, last year’s rotation wasn’t pretty. The nail in the coffin was Dane Dunning getting a quick hook in the playoffs, but the slump leading to Oakland was pretty damning.

So did Rick fix it? Nope, unless you credit him for Ethan Katz. And re-signing Carlos Rodon, I guess. Dylan Cease was called a Cy Young candidate by Yasmani Grandal. Jonathan Lucroy said his stuff is devastating. Cease’s big bugaboo last year and prior was that his pitches moved in ways he didn’t want, causing excessive balls, excessively hittable strikes, and excessive pants-stooling when he was on the mound. Enter Ethan Katz, who re-worked Giolito’s mechanics before the 2019 season and turned him into an ace after being the worst starter in the MLB in 2018. Katz got into Cease’s brainpan and clicked a switch about where he strides, apparently causing vertical movement instead of horizontal movement, and resulting better control. Cease hasn’t been in a game yet, so we’ll see what he does against human batters. Meanwhile, Katz convinced Reynaldo “You Know You’re Pitching Right Now, Yeah?” Lopez to compact his arm swing the way Giolito started to in 2019, adding deception to the power, and Lopez looks more like the 2018 rotation piece than the 2019-2020 headcase after his first two clean innings and some good BP sessions. Allegedly there are also talks about Rodon not just stepping down and using only his glass arm to pitch, and some dude named Michael Kopech is back or something and re-discovered his love for the game. And his 100+mph heater. Basically, Rick might have been right to let the young guys get sorted out. And there will be guys available at the trade deadline.

Noooo….don’t let McCann go!!!

The legend James McCann was once grabbed by the Sox off the scrap heap, a failed backup catcher for the Tigers. That’s low. In the next two seasons he became an All-Star, and then as a free agent became the Mets’ starting C for the next few years. That’s not low. Sox fans were convinced that he was the Giolito whisperer and actually questioned signing Yasmani Grandal. Yikes. But merit to McCann, he did catch Giolito and others on the team really well, and that could be important. Plus the guy started hitting better than he ever had, hence the 2019 All-Star bid.

So, did Rick fix it? Seemingly. Backup catchers are easy to find. Chris Widger was playing softball. McCann got more money than he probably should have so resigning him was not in the cards. Jonathan Lucroy is on a minor-league deal, fixed the neck issue that faded his career from All-Star to Journeyman, and was already raved about and nicknamed by Lucas Giolito. Yermin Mercedes also caught Giolito the other day and did well. Both guys are hitting this spring. Zack Collins is too, but really he’s going to play everyday in Charlotte. But if Lucroy hits like he did as an All-Star and Giolito likes throwing to him…I guess you McCann replace James easily. Sorry…

CLOSING TIME

This wasn’t as hot an area of need but knowing that Alex Colome was a free agent, signing a veteran closer was better than trying out the rest of the bullpen. No knock on guys like Evan Marshall and Aaron Bummer, but when you can get a guy that has been there, saved that…ya do it. Plus that means that the rest of the bullpen can be awesomer earlier in the game. Would it be Alex again, who was pitching beyond his stuff in 2020? Brad Hand, the Indians non-tendered AL saves leader? The bounceback of Trevor Rosenthal or the soon to bounceback Kirby Yates? Or…who????

So, did Rick fix it? Yes. Yes he did. One might say he hit it out of the park.

Observations from the weekend

There’s a great divide between the pitchers that are projected to be on the roster and those that aren’t. It’s early and the innings are few, but the Sox regulars have ERAs between 0.00 and 1.80, most of the minors and NRIs have ERAs of 9.00 and up. The two who don’t through Monday? Bernardo Flores, Jr., who may factor into the big club, and Kade McClure. You may remember him from .1 innings in 2020.

Through Monday, the Sox regulars at the plate are having the opposite luck of the pitchers, as they are being outhit by the likes of Nick Williams, Jonathan Lucroy, and Yermin Mercedes. Except Luis Robert, who at .429 is doing just fine, thanks. The rest of the starting nine is hanging around the Mendoza. That’ll change of course.

The team is not learning how to win based on the results.

Only Yasmani Grandal and Tim Beckham have yet to take an AB, while Dylan Cease, Dallas Keuchel, Michael Kopech, Aaron Bummer, Liam Hendriks, Matt Foster, Carlos Rodón, and Jimmy Lambert have yet to record an inning. If you’re a big fan of pitchers you don’t really know much about, they’ll be done with their showcase soon and we’ll get a better feel for who will make up the staff as the Sox are clearly beginning some pitchers along slowly.

Ethan Katz’ mechanics magic is 1 for 1. Reynaldo Lopez looked good.

A Lineup’s worth of Things about the Sox that worry me, an ongoing list:

1. They’ll monkey with Vaughn’s service time.
2. Yermin Mercedes should be on the team but there’s no room.
3. I still see Jose Ruiz in the Box Score.
4. Walls and Nets and evidently Luis Robert vs. Eloy. (Stop running into things and people. Dude.).
5. Nothing! Spring Training is where Hope Springs Eternal!
6. PECOTA knows something we don’t
7. How twisted is Grandal’s knee, anyway?
8. Crochet or Kopech killing someone with a fastball. That’s at least a suspension, right?
9. That I watched Nick Madrigal corkscrew himself to ground out to third.
10. And warming up in the pen: Chris thinks Lori Lightfoot backed down because I’d him. And I get to hear about it…