A look at how the White Sox 30-man roster will wrangle out
The Chicago White Sox currently have 43 players allocated to the 60-man pool allowed for the abbreviated 2020 season. 17 additional players will join the alternate site in Schaumburg at Boomers Stadium on Wednesday. The original roster supplied by the club included 44 players, but one player opted out of 2020.
Michael Kopech, 24, has decided against making his return from Tommy John surgery. It's a big blow for a White Sox club on the rise, but the decision is a personal one that all parties will seemingly respect in the world's current state.
While organizations can't disclose the names of specific players who have tested positive for COVID-19 without consent, media members have done mental gymnastics in covering a topic that has been all too real in today's landscape.
Infielder Yoán Moncada and right-handed reliever José Ruiz aren't with the team, and the franchise placed both players on the injured list on Friday. The White Sox reported two positives as a result of intake testing, and general manager Rick Hahn specified that the affected players were both asymptomatic and under league protocol.
The White Sox will open the season at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 24 against the Minnesota Twins, doing so with 30 players initially. Two weeks into the season, the roster trims to 28, and then stagnates at the standard 26 after one month.
Looking at the roster, there are plenty of choices for the pitching staff to open the season, but the position players mostly are set already. The club should have some wiggle room to add at their convenience in the early going, however.
The player pool currently consists of 23 pitchers, four catchers, 10 infielders and six outfielders. Looking at the roster, it seems like 26 spots are already accounted for if Moncada can make it back in time for Opening Day. Six players from the 40-man roster were left off of the initial roster stationed at Guaranteed Rate Field, and those players will be in Schaumburg.
Drew Anderson, Ross Detwiler, Tayron Guerrero, Codi Heuer and Tyler Johnson are pitchers in the 60-man group that aren't presently members of the 40-man roster. There are also five position players in the player pool that don't occupy a spot on the club's 40-man: Cheslor Cuthbert, Nick Madrigal, Andrew Romine, Andrew Vaughn and Nicky Delmonico.
OK Boomers!
On Tuesday, the White Sox announced the 16 players who will occupy the alternate site roster in Schaumburg at Boomers Stadium.
One of the notable omissions from the list is 2017 first-rounder Jake Burger. Burger will stay home in the St. Louis area and play in the CarShield Collegiate League. Yesterday, director of development Chris Getz spoke very favorably of Burger's progress this year: "He is in a really really good place. Physically, there is no hesitation in what he’s doing. His lateral movement resembles what he looked like years ago prior to the injury. There are indications that he’s in a spot we haven’t seen prior to injury."
The player chosen after Burger in the 2017 draft will not be a member of the alternate site roster, either. Gavin Sheets was the team's second round selection in 2017, and the 24-year-old first baseman will be Rule-5 eligible in December. The 6´4´´ 230-pound lefty slugger hit .267/.345/.414 with a 122 wRC+ and 16 homers with a 10% walk rate, which is particularly impressive given those numbers were accomplished in pitcher-friendly Regions Field in Birmingham. Sheets has been left behind, however, with a crowded DH/1B mix already present in Chicago.
Chicago's 2020 first round pick, Garrett Crochet, is the most notable name on the alternate site roster, and tracking his progress will be an interesting development.
Every major league club will have 60 players to choose from over the duration of the 2020 campaign. Players can be added as the season goes along, and the White Sox could choose to add some younger players to the mix. The White Sox chose roster depth over deep prospect development for the time being, but Getz confirmed that the strategy could change as the year progresses.
“Most of the guys could be looked at as closer to immediate help,” he said. “But the group will evolve over time, once things get a little bit more steady and we are comfortable with the rosters we have.”
A 30-man roster projection
One area of strength for the White Sox could be the amount of starting pitching currently in summer camp. With Carlos Rodón up and ready to go and Gio González recovered from shoulder soreness, the organization has six starting pitchers who they can rely on. Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo López and Dylan Cease will consume the first four spots in the rotation.
Jimmy Lambert and Dane Dunning have looked good during this baseball restart, and their respective returns have been promising. They could find themselves in the big leagues this year, pitching out of the bullpen as necessary. Righty Drew Anderson and lefty Ross Detwiler will serve as emergency depth to start the year.
The bullpen is an area where some pitchers could be shuttled in and out on a regular basis. Everyone knows the mainstays, and there should be eight spots pretty locked in for this group. Both 2015 first-rounder Carson Fulmer and 2019 surprise Jimmy Cordero are out of options, thus they likely join the White Sox for the opener in Chicago.
Codi Heuer has been impressive after being taken in the sixth round out of Wichita State in 2018. Tyler Johnson was a fifth rounder out of South Carolina in 2017 and while he's struggled a bit in camp, he's earned a spot in the large group of big leaguers regardless. Neither player is expected to start the season in Chicago, but both could make their major league debuts this coming year. Ruiz could re-join his teammates at any point after clearing the necessary health protocols to return.
Here's how the roster will likely shake out:
Pitchers (16): Aaron Bummer, Dylan Cease, Steve Cishek, Alex Colomé, Jimmy Cordero, Jace Fry, Carson Fulmer, Lucas Giolito, Gio González, Tayron Guerrero, Ian Hamilton, Kelvin Herrera, Dallas Keuchel, Reynaldo López, Evan Marshall, Carlos Rodón.
Position Players (14): José Abreu, Tim Anderson, Zack Collins, Cheslor Cuthbert, Edwin Encarnación, Adam Engel, Leury García, Yasmani Grandal, Eloy Jiménez, Nomar Mazara, James McCann, Danny Mendick, Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert.
One of the stories of camp on the offensive side is 2018 fourth overall pick Nick Madrigal. The second sacker is attempting to make the club and begin his MLB career right from the jump. Hitting coach Frank Menechino has been impressed so far.
“Coming out of college, going into a pro season, then an offseason, and then his first full season – he looks really good,” Menechino said. “He’s a lot stronger. I’m proud of the work that he’s done in these three months. I can tell he worked his butt off.”
With service time manipulation still a lingering concern during the 2020 season, it's expected that Madrigal will report to the alternate site to begin the season. The diminutive young hitter needs to be with the big-league club for 61 of 66 days on the baseball calendar, and that just doesn't seem likely given the club's recent history. Nevertheless, Madrigal has made the necessary improvements to ascend to second base sometime very soon.
Moncada hasn't practiced yet and is currently on the injured list, but he's included in the Opening Day projection. If he can't make it back in time for the opener, another infielder will need to be assigned to the club. Anderson, García and Mendick appear to be roster locks at this point. Despite a late start to summer camp, the versatility of Cuthbert should earn the utility man a spot as well.
Abreu and Encarnación are a couple of veteran right-handed sluggers who are expected to fill the first base and designated hitter slots on a daily basis. Grandal was one of the most significant signings in the history of the franchise, and he'll earn most of the time behind the plate. McCann, fresh off an All-Star Game appearance in 2019, will serve as the backup in a strong position group. Zack Collins should fill in admirably against righties at times after posting a 140 wRC+ with Triple-A Charlotte in 2019.
Jiménez and Mazara are young sluggers with defensive deficiencies who will be flanked by wunderkind Robert patrolling center field. Engel is one of the best defenders in the sport and he'll serve as the fourth outfielder on the 2020 club. Luis Basabe can play all three outfield spots and he could conceivably make his major-league debut during this 60-game sprint. Nicky Delmonico and super utility man Andrew Romine will serve as quality veteran depth as well.
Yermín Mercedes is a 27-year-old catcher who has raked in the minor leagues. The White Sox have deployed Mercedes in a multitude of ways during Summer Camp. It's unknown whether the fan favorite can profile anywhere on the diamond defensively, but he sure can hit. Initially, Mercedes will likely report to the alternate site and travel with the team as a taxi squad bat on the road.
The slugger is definitely a roster option, but the 30-man group is a puzzle and his piece doesn't seem to fit currently. He knows that the fans are ready, however, and he can't wait to get the call.
‘‘I love the fans,’’ Mercedes said. ‘‘I know Chicago fans love me; they want me to play here in Chicago. The only thing I want to say is, just wait."