The White Sox are worse than most people could have even imagined. While the starting pitching isn’t really that bad, the offense is. In the first 10 games, the White Sox were shut out four times, which is just inexcusable. While it does not hurt the team to win games, as the highest the White Sox can pick in the 2025 draft is 10th overall, they aren’t doing much winning to this point.
So, while starting veterans to win a few more games could make sense, it simply hasn’t worked. Kevin Pillar, Paul DeJong, and Martin Maldonado, among others have all struggled mightily at the plate, contributing to the many shutouts this early in the season. Also, none of these players are likely to be on the team in 2025, and none are etched into the long term plans for the White Sox. So, the White Sox need to look to the younger players that could make themselves a part of this team for the future.
The White Sox must prioritize young players in the lineup, so they can get ample playing time to show what they can do. Most of the infield should be subject to the youth movement, as they need to figure out who can fill in long term. Right field and catcher are also positions of interest, as they need to turn over every stone to see if they can evaluate if they are major league players on the roster.
Most of the guys on the current roster aren’t highly ranked prospects, so even if they turn out to be rotational or backup players, that could be a win, as depth is extremely important, especially considering the White Sox lengthy injury history.
Paul DeJong has been missing way too many 90MPH right down the middle, so he should give way to Braden Shewmake. Shewmake has looked promising so far, despite going through rookie growing pains. Shewmake has 5+ years of team control, so they need to see if he can fit in the infield long term, or if he can stick around as a solid utility infielder, as he can play all the infield positions. If he shows he can perform well enough over a major league season, he can ease the burden of upcoming infield prospects as they transition to the MLB.
Korey Lee has looked very good both at and behind the plate. Martin Maldonado has not. The team needs to let Lee take over the catching duties the rest of the way to let him show if this early season success can translate through the whole season. When Stassi comes back, it should be Maldonado that is DFA’ed and they need to let Lee play.
In the outfield, the White Sox need to let Dominic Fletcher and Oscar Colas play almost everyday. There is no reason to have Kevin Pillar or Robbie Grossman play consistently besides having them raise their trade value, and even then, they are not likely to get much of a return. While Colas did not play well last year, he was still a top-100 prospect for a reason and he should get one last opportunity to show what he can do before they move on.
In the rotation, the White Sox need to make sure that there will be significant innings for Nick Nastrini and Drew Thorpe as the season progresses. They have the ability to be staples in the MLB rotation for a long time, so we need to see if they live up to the hype. Plus, it can take a little bit for pitchers to get acclimated to MLB hitting, so they need to get that under their belt now, before it costs games when it counts.
I’m sure that most fans, just like me, are sick and tired of watching the struggling veterans. There is no loss of skill letting the young players play, as they can also go 0-4 with two strikeouts on a daily basis. Let them get acclimated to the majors and show what they can do.
