3 Positive And Negative Takeaways From First Half Of Chicago White Sox Season

CHICAGO –– The White Sox have an off day on Thursday after hitting the midway point of the 2025 season with Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

In their first season under manager Will Venable, the White Sox are 26-55 and in last place in the AL Central. It's likely to be a third consecutive 100-loss season for the rebuilding organization.

Here are three positive and three negative takeaways from the first 81 games.

Positive

1. Rule 5 Draft steals

It's not often that Rule 5 Draft picks have immediate success in the majors. In fact, Dan Uggla in 2006 is the only player to make the All-Star team in the year following his selection. Look through recent Rule 5 Drafts, and there are few everyday contributors on major league rosters.

But two White Sox pitchers are proving it's possible. Shane Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft, and the Milwaukee Brewers may be regretting leaving the 6-foot-3 right-hander off their 40-man roster last December. Smith had a 2.37 ERA through his 13 major league starts, putting him in the conversation for an All-Star selection.

His last two starts have been his worst, allowing a season-high five earned runs in each to bring his ERA up to 3.38. The league was bound to adjust to him at some point. But that doesn't erase the good will built up over the first two and a half months of the season, or the idea that he could be part of the starting rotation for years to come.

Smith's fellow Massachusetts native Mike Vasil – the No. 14 pick in the Rule 5 Draft by the Phillies, who was later traded to Tampa Bay, waived and picked up by the White Sox – has had a stellar rookie season, too. He began the year in the bullpen, but has emerged as a productive long reliever and occasional starter.

Vasil's 2.82 ERA ranks first among MLB rookies with at least 50 innings, and Smith ranks third. Remove the rookie qualifier, and Vasil is still 23rd overall. The duo represents a big win for the White Sox front office, especially given their under-the-radar status going into the year.

2. Garrett Crochet trade providing value

Even for a rebuilding organization, trading a 25-year-old pitcher of Garrett Crochet's caliber came with risk. He leads American League pitchers with 3.8 wins above replacement, 109.1 innings and 135 strikeouts, while ranking third with a 2.06 ERA. He could put up those kind of numbers for the next 10 years. So on the surface, it likely won't ever be a good look to trade away the prime years of his career.

Unless, perhaps, the White Sox received an incredible haul. It's too early to call it that, but early returns are certainly looking positive. Three players have already made their major league debuts: infielder Chase Meidroth, catcher Kyle Teel and pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez. The fourth player in the package, Braden Montgomery, 22, earned a minor league promotion this season and is No. 33 in the MLB Pipeline rankings.

Meidroth, 23, has impressed coaches and teammates with his plate discipline and contact skills, batting .264 through his first 236 plate appearances with a 34-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's also ninth among MLB shortstops in outs above average defensively.

Teel, 23, recorded the first three-hit game of his major league career on Wednesday, raising his batting average to .282 to go along with a .408 on-base percentage in 49 plate appearances. He's shown some defensive upside, too, posting a 42.9% caught-stealing percentage in across seven attempts. Teel's sample size is too small to be included, but only five of the MLB's qualified catchers are above 40%.

Gonzalez, 23, debuted last weekend in Toronto, and has given up three hits and two earned runs while striking out five batters and walking four across four innings. He made the jump after posting a 2.75 ERA in Triple-A as a reliever after beginning his season as a starter in Double-A.

If the White Sox weren't willing to give Crochet a pricy long-term extension, acquiring four players who all could be positive contributors at the major league level is a good consolation.

3. Miguel Vargas' turnaround

One trade that did not look so good from the get-go was a three-team deal last July that netted the White Sox Miguel Vargas, Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus. Getz had to give up pitchers Michael Kopech and Erick Fedde, plus outfielder Tommy Pham, to do so.

Vargas was the centerpiece of the trade from the White Sox perspective. And in a fairly substantial sample size of 42 games last season, it was fair to wonder if he could cut it in the major leagues. Through his first 157 plate appearances with the White Sox, Vargas slashed .104/.217/.170 with two home runs, 17 walks and 41 strikeouts.

He got off to a slow start in 2025, too, but has been the White Sox best hitter since a trip to Minnesota at the end of April, when he kickstarted his season with an eight-game stretch featuring 13 hits. With a slight adjustment to his batting stance, Vargas was named AL Player of the Week in mid-May, a run that included three home runs and six hits in the Crosstown Classic. He now leads the team with 10 home runs, 34 RBIs and 30 walks.

In May, Vargas was asked about his performance last season and claimed he didn't remember anything. It was a bit of a sarcastic comment, but his production over the last few months shows it was best to flush any memories of 2024 and focus on the future.

Negative

1. Robert's declining stock

Trading Luis Robert Jr. once appeared to be an avenue to help the rebuild, similar to dealing Crochet. But the White Sox have missed the window on getting major value for the former All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger center fielder, who has a $20 million club option in 2026 and 2027. So much so that The Athletic recently reported the White Sox are open to adding cash in a Robert trade to boost the return.

Robert is having the worst season of his career at the plate, slashing .185/.270/.313 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs, 29 walks and 88 strikeouts. His current value is based on his 22 stolen bases and strong center field defense, as well as the fleeting hope that a change of scenery could help him return to a level we haven't seen since 2023.

To make matters worse, Robert left Wednesday's game with left hamstring tightness. Not only has Robert failed to produce at the plate, but the White Sox likely won't get much in return for the player many viewed not too long ago as a perennial All-Star.

2. Close but no cigar

Narrow losses have been a major theme throughout the first half of the season. The White Sox are 4-20 in one-run games and 4-11 in two-run games. It wouldn't take much for their 26-55 record to be better by upwards of five games.

The White Sox have been consistent in losing these games, but the route they've taken changes. Often, it's because of a lineup that doesn't come through in the clutch, ranking 30th in MLB in batting average with runners in scoring position and OPS. Sometimes it's the bullpen, which doesn't have a traditional closer and ranks 19th in ERA and 25th in WHIP.

Sunday's 4-2 win over the Blue Jays marked the White Sox first win of the season when trailing after seven innings. They're 1-40 in such games. So despite having the second-worst record in MLB, four teams rank behind the White Sox in run differential.

3. Montgomery stalling in minors

It was a bit of a long shot to expect Colson Montgomery to be the White Sox Opening Day shortstop, but the general expectation was that he'd contribute to the major league team in 2025. That may still be the case, but his performance in Triple-A hasn't provided optimism.

In his first 103 plate appearances in Charlotte this season, Montgomery struck out 43 times and hit just .149 with a .479 OPS. So the team sent him to Arizona to work with director of hitting Ryan Fuller. He had a strong stretch in his first 10 games after the hiatus, but his numbers have dipped back down over the last few weeks.

For the season, Montgomery is slashing .188/.271/.351 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs, 17 walks and 76 strikeouts, a 35.5% strikeout rate. Getz hasn't closed the door on giving him a chance in the majors this season, but what reason is there to believe things would be better against a higher level of competition?

Montgomery was the White Sox first-round pick in 2021 at No. 22 overall, the No. 9 prospect in baseball during the 2024 season and a key piece to the rebuild. But a disappointing second season in Triple-A has put his future in question.