After bringing Bryan Shaw back into the fold the number of players in White Sox camp has grown to 70. Of those 70 players, a whopping 30 of them are non-roster invitees. A handful of those NRIs are aging veterans like Shaw, that the front office has brought in to compete for jobs.
Depth has been an issue for the White Sox in years past. While this current version of the roster isn’t expected to compete for much there is no denying the depth general manager Chris Getz has given the team plenty of options across nearly every position group.
There are 35 pitchers in camp competing for roughly 13 spots. Ten outfielders battling for four spots, 12 infielders battling for five spots, and seven catchers battling for two spots. Everyone else is hoping to snag an extra spot on the White Sox bench when Opening Day rolls around.
Of course, many of those roles have already been decided, even if Pedro Grifol refuses to admit it. Outside the battle for right field and the fourth outfielder role off the bench, no position group carries more uncertainty than the pitchers. The 35 pitchers in camp are a healthy mix of veterans looking to stick around in the show and young players looking to prove themselves.
“Competition never hurts anybody,” Pedro Grifol told MLB.com. “As a matter of fact, it makes you better. But as far as building a roster right now or even a bullpen, I’m not even thinking about it.”
Grifol is hoping the large number of players in camp will help build a better team culture.
“Be ready to compete. That’s what it tells us,” Grifol said. “I’ve never been a part of one with 70 guys but I’ve seen 70-plus in camp with other teams before. It’s just a number. We have six fields out there, we’ve got a half field. We have an area for everybody and we got a ton of cages. Like I said, 70 just tells the story of this camp.”
Last season made it abundantly clear the White Sox needed to press the reset button. There were nights when the team looked disinterested in playing, quit after trailing early in games, and had little regard for fundamental baseball.
Chris Getz’s offseason moves show he is trying to change that. The White Sox had little need for Mike Moustakas on paper. So why bring him in? Because Moustakas feels like he still has some quality baseball left in the tank and adding him to camp is only going to make every other infielder better as they fight for their job.
Other players such as Brett Phillips, Chad Kuhl, Danny Mendick, Erick Fedde, Jesse Chavez, Kevin Pillar, Martin Maldonado, Nicky Lopez, Paul DeJong, and Rafael Ortega all want to prove they still deserve to be on an MLB roster. This is only a small sample size of players with something to prove.
Even established players such as Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Michael Kopech will be playing with a chip on their shoulders. Moncada showed up early to Spring Training for the first time in his career. Kopech showed up to camp 20 pounds lighter, and Jimenez predicted he would set a new career-high in home runs this offseason.
Nicky Lopez has already begun collecting bulletin board material for motivation. Garrett Crochet is trying to prove he can become a stater. Mike Soroka is trying to prove he can return to the ace he was pre-surgery. The list goes on.
The White Sox will not be good this year. But I expect you will see a team that plays hard every night and looks much more motivated than last season. With 70 players all vying for jobs, the tone will be set early in camp.
