Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but baseball fans know Spring Training marks the end of winter.
Goodbye January, and hello February and spring ball!
White Sox pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona in just over a week, and full squad workouts begin on Feb. 17. While it’s easy to get lost in the excitement that a new season and new players bring, a few players stand out among the 40 rostered and 24 non-roster invitees.
Here are five Sox players to pay attention to until Opening Day…
1. Colson Montgomery
Montgomery’s arrival to the big leagues has been long awaited. Selected 22nd overall in the 2021 draft, Montgomery has experienced some ups and downs in the minor league system.
He’s shown success in Rookie, Single, and High-A leagues, but has struggled in Double and Triple-A. Last year, Montgomery slashed .214/.329.381 in 130 Triple-A games. Mechanical changes to his swing to pull the ball more explain his regression.
Though he is slated as the starting shortstop, Montgomery’s shift to third base during the Arizona Fall League provides a sliver of hope for his debut this year. In a short season, he hit .313/.511/.656 with 13 runs and 11 RBIs.
While it’s difficult to say his defensive shift to the hot corner is the primary reason for his improved hitting, the Sox shouldn’t box him into shortstop with third base being a contested position battle.
The Sox will have plenty of time to see where Montgomery fits best in the infield before the season starts. As one of the several young players who will become the face of the new Sox franchise, Montgomery should (hopefully) be refreshing to watch no matter where he plays.
2. James Karinchak
Karinchak joins the Sox after five seasons in Cleveland as one of the best strikeout relief pitchers.
He holds a career 12-11 record with a 3.10 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and an impressive 13.9 K/9 rate. He finished sixth in the 2020 Rookie of the Year Award voting and is the fastest reliever in MLB history to reach 100 strikeouts.
Even after the sticky stuff crackdown was implemented in 2021, Karinchak, who notoriously relied on foreign substances to pitch, continued to show that he could elicit swings and misses with his four-seamer and curveball.
The main reason to pay close attention to Karinchak in the next couple of months is because his pitching performance is unpredictable. He missed all of 2024 due to shoulder fatigue, and it’s uncertain whether he’s gotten better since then.
Cleveland’s willingness to forgo sending him on a rehab assignment and remove him from their roster despite his successful years is a concerning sign that Karinchak isn’t the same guy who caused problems for the Sox and AL Central rivals for years.
Spring is a time for new beginnings, and in a new city, Karinchak will have the chance to revitalize his career. The Sox have plenty of depth in the bullpen but may benefit from incorporating a veteran presence among the young talent to start the season if Karinchak is ready to go.
3. Cal Mitchell
He might not be on Sox fans’ radar right now, but Mitchell shouldn’t be slept on.
Mitchell is coming off a solid minor league season with the Padres, where he batted .277/.359/.512 in 122 Triple-A games. His 22 home runs highlight his powerful lefty swing and his potential to become a lefty masher that can do plenty of damage.
Although Mitchell looked good last year, he hasn’t been able to translate his talent from the Minor to the Major League. He slugged .339/.391/.547 in Triple-A with the Pirates in 2022 but once called up his slash line plummeted to .226/.286/.349.
He demonstrated the same struggle to acclimate to the Majors in 2023, only his hitting was weaker in Triple-A and he never managed to get a hit. Fortunately, he has the chance to break old habits with the Sox.
If Mitchell can carry over his performance from San Diego to the Sox Spring Training, he could sneak onto the 40-man roster by Opening Day. First base will be an interesting position battle to follow with Andrew Vaughn’s production slipping and Miguel Vargas struggling to stay in the majors.
Mitchell could quickly become a front-runner for the starting job if he breaks out in February and March.
4. Luis Robert Jr
Robert Jr’s performance in Glendale may predict if he’ll be traded before the end of the season.
There is tons of speculation that Robert will be dealt by the deadline for several reasons. After trading Garrett Crochet and not re-signing free agents Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada, many assumed the Sox would trade Robert to close the book on the failed rebuild that began in 2017.
His poor .224/.278/.379 stat line last year with only 47 runs and 35 RBIs made it difficult for the Sox to barter a fair trade.
The decision to trade him this year could go either way.
While the Sox could likely get a decent return and offload the rest of his contract, worth at least $40 million, they would also lose the face of their team. It might tactically be the right decision, but it’s not an easy one to pull the trigger.
After finishing with a poor .224/.278/.379 stat line last year with only 47 runs and 35 RBIs, all eyes are on Robert to redeem himself. The last time Robert had a great spring, he hit .284/.319/.426 in the regular season.
If he looks like his old self, who many compared to the Cuban Mike Trout, there’s a high likelihood that Robert will be in a new uniform in August.
