The Path Not Taken

The White Sox have had themselves a nice little run of starting pitching the first five games of the season, including last night, when Rule-5 acquisition Shane Smith threw 5-2/3 shutout innings against the Twins. Too bad Smith lost his control and walked the final two batters he face3d. That led Will Venable to call on his bullpen, as if he had one. A 3-0 lead turned into an 8-3 loss. Of course, Smith and Martin Perez might not be with the Sox if management had decided to keep Garrett Crochet, someone the Red Sox think enough of to award a six-year, $170 million extension. But, hey, we got a whole bunch of minor leaguers in exchange for the 25-year old lefty. Who cares if Kyle Teel sits in Triple-A? Crochet and Sean Burke and Jonathan Cannon and Davis Martin and Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith? We don’t need no stinkin’ high-priced ace. That’s big-market ball. The White Sox prefer to develop, then trade. It’s the path they’ve taken, every time.

Deals Past and Future

My, my, four games into the season and the White Sox are at .500 thanks to some fine pitching, including yesterday’s 9-0 whitewash of the Twins. I wonder who Chris Getz will be looking to move for prospects? Martin Perez, who pitched six no-hit innings? Oh, he could get a second-rounder in return. Maybe Andrew Benintendi, who cranked a three-run shot in the second, or Andrew Vaughn, who did likewise in the first? Vaughn’s still under control, so Getz might not want to let him go. But I bet Benintendi could be had for a song. I mean, this is an organization that traded Jake Burger for Jake Eder, who as of last Wednesday “pitches” for the Angels’ organization. By the way, I see that Burger homered for the Rangers yesterday and Gavin Sheets drove in four runs for the Padres. Who would’ve thought those two would amount to anything?

Recalculating

What to make of one series that finds the White Sox 1-2 after yesterday’s 3-2 loss to the Angels? Well, the team ERA stands at 1.00, which is pretty much to die for. Oh, but the team batting average. When you throw out a bunch of guys who “hit” at a .196 clip, there’s trouble in River City, my friends. Now, let’s turn our attention to Triple-A Charlotte, where the Knights are 3-0 after sweeping Gwinnett. Top prospects Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel had themselves quite a weekend; Quero went 5-for-11 and Teel 6-for-12 with an eye-popping nine RBIs. And these guys aren’t in the majors, why, exactly? As for Colson Montgomery, look out below. The not-so-long-ago gem of the organization is already slumping, as evidenced by a .077 BA (1-for-13) with a stomach-turning nine strikeouts. Montgomery hasn’t hit above .244 since his promotion Double-A Brimingham during the 2023 season. This is the Sox prospect I expect to see on the move soon. Back to Double-A.

Bah, Humbug

The downside to rooting for a team or two is the losing. In Chicago, that means a lot of downside. Yesterday, the White Sox lost 1-0 because the lineup Will Venable threw out there couldn’t touch an OK+ pitcher (Jose Soriano) and Mike Clevinger couldn’t field his position. Bah. A little over five hours later, the Bulls lost 120-119 to the visiting Mavs because Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis always scare the bejesus out of them and they committed way too many turnovers, nineteen vs. six for Dallas. Plus the Bulls missed five free throws. Humbug. Fortune does not smile on sloppy play, guys.

Is This Anything?

How can it not be, when Josh Giddey sinks a 47-footer from half-court to beat the visiting Lakers Thursday night, 119-117? Oh, the look on the face of that LA fan was priceless. Don’t let the door hit you on the way to the airport, my friend. I think we can now officially move past the “they should be tanking, not winning” take that filled the airwaves the past week or so. And let’s not worry what Joe Cowley brought up in today’s Sun-Times, how much it will cost to keep Giddey and Coby White around. Right now, those two get the rest of the regular season, which comes out to nine games, and the postseason to show what they’re about. Until then, just enjoy the ride, or, as the great philosopher Bobby McFerrin once urged, don’t worry, be happy. Like scoring nine points in the final 12.6 seconds when you’re down by five. Makes me smile.

Cruel to be Kind

The White Sox beat the Angels 8-1 yesterday at (Cut)Rate Field to go above .500 for the first time in two years. Truly, baby steps. Sean Burke continues to look like a major-league starter, throwing six shutout innings on a mere three hits and zero walks. Oh, gosh, only three punchouts, which means the 25-year old righthander pitched to contact. Whatever. If Burke’s a keeper, maybe Lenyn Sosa is, too. Sosa hit the ball hard twice before connecting for a two-run homerun in the bottom of the eighth. All I’m asking for, Lenyn, is consistency at second base and at the plate. After that, it would be wrong to get too excited. Andrew Benintendi cranked a three-run homer to put the game out of reach in the eighth, so could for him. Chris Getz is still likely to spend the entire season trying to move Benintendi, though. Along with Luis Robert Jr., who hit a double and played a nice centerfield, and Mike Clevinger, who struck out Jorge Soler on a full count with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth. Austin Slater, who homered in his first White Sox at-bat, is more likely to get released when the time comes, unless he puts up some nice numbers that will net a midlevel prospect from somebody. Miguel Vargas? Two hits, one of them the saddest of dying quails. He didn’t do anything to hurt his chances at third base, but time will tell. Ditto for Andrew Vaughn, who really needs to get off to a good start for a change. As for Korey Lee, he’s a gone catcher walking, unless Kyle Teel and/or Edgar Quero fail to make it out of Triple-A. Anyway, it’s baseball, and that’s all I can ask for.

What I Want

What I want from the White Sox, first off, is for them to play hard and with a purpose. Under ex-manager Mickey Mouse, those proved to be two impossible goals. Next, I want to see young talent playing at 35th and Shields, the sooner the better. I don’t want to watch ballgames with the Cannon Ballers, Barons or Knights. If the Sox are going to be compared to a bunch of minor leaguers, put those minor leaguers on the major league roster. Last and by no means least, I want Jerry Reinsdorf gone. Hope springs eternal on a day such as this.