The White Sox have a bunch of players that could be on the 26-man roster when Spring Training ends. There are 70 players in camp and there are endless combinations of players that could break camp with the team. It is likely that the players that make the roster are veterans, as the White Sox could opt to go for past potential as opposed to future potential. This might not be the best idea, as the White Sox are likely to be bad, so let the young guys show what they can do.
In an ideal world, the roster is filled with young guys that are eager to show what they can do, allowing the White Sox to figure out what they can do at the major league level, instead of wasting their time in AAA. Here is the dream roster that would include as many of those guys as possible.
Let’s assume for this exercise Colson Montgomery is not ready for the major leagues quite yet.
C(2)- Martin Maldonado, Korey Lee.
INF(6)- Andrew Vaughn, Nicky Lopez, Yoan Moncada, Braden Shewmake, Jose Rodriguez, Gavin Sheets
OF(4)- Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert, Dominic Fletcher, Zach DeLoach
DH(1)- Eloy Jimenez
SP(5)- Dylan Cease, Eric Fedde, Michael Kopech, Michael Soroka, Nick Nastrini.
Bullpen(8)- Prelander Berrora, Jared Shuster, Touki Toussiant, Deivi Garcia, Garrett Crochet, Tim Hill, John Brebbia, Alex Speas.
This would be the dream, as the White Sox could get some good looks at younger players that have not had the ability to show what they can do at the major league level.
At catcher, Maldonado would be able to hold down the fort as the veteran presence while being able to mentor Lee. There is no need at this point to have Madly and Stassi, as the White Sox should see if Lee has a future with this team instead of giving a year of at-bats to Stassi.
The infield is where it gets interesting. I don’t think that the White Sox will benefit much from playing Paul DeJong, as they can see what they can get out of former first round pick Braden Shewmake. Shewmake is known for his defense, so there should not be much of a difference there. In terms of hitting, DeJong won’t provide much, so let Shewmake show what he can do.
I think that Jose Rodriguez should also make the team, as he could be a fantastic pinch runner and he should get some opportunities to show what he can do at the plate. He is rated as one of their best prospects at this point, so give him a shot. Many people think Sheets could be on the bubble, but Moose has looked rough in Spring Training at this point, so opt to go with the younger guys.
The outfield remains the same, but with DeLoach grabbing the 4th outfielder spot. Instead of having Brett Phillips or Kevin Pillar, let the young guy who hit 23 home runs at AAA show what he can do in the pros.
In the rotation, I think that we should let Nick Nastrini get some work in the back of the rotation instead of a veteran that will not be very good like Chris Flexen. Nastrini is one of their highest ranked pitching prospects, so let him come along this year, as it can take a while for pitchers to develop in the pros.
The bullpen is where it can get dicey, but let the young kids show what they can do. You still can have the veterans like Tim Hill, John Brebbia, and Touki while still having some younger guys get some innings. I am a huge fan of Garcia, Berrora, Speas, and Shuster, so I would love to see what they could develop into.
I have no problem keeping veterans on the roster that will play well. Why keep a guy on the team just because he was good at one point instead of seeing what you can do with the unknown. This is a season that the Sox should try some new things out and this could be the ideal roster to do it with.
This roster construction is not at all likely, as I left off a few guys they signed to major league deals, but if there is something close to this with those players included, that would be in the best interest of the team.
