GLENDALE, Ariz. — Who will be the White Sox Opening Day starter on March 27 when the Angels visit Rate Field?
That topic is being discussed among the White Sox hierarchy as pitchers and catchers completed their second day of work at the team’s Camelback Ranch facilities. But Davis Martin, the 28-year-old senior member of the White Sox rotation and one of three main candidates — with Martín Pérez and Jonathan Cannon — shared a humorous conversation he had with Cannon illustrating the importance of this honor.
“I said, ‘You better bring it,’” said Martin with a broad smile. “I want it. I know he wants it. And I know Martín wants it. You are not a competitor if you don’t want to be the No. 1 guy and the responsibilities that come with that.
“You see the responsibilities Garrett [Crochet] held, that [Dylan] Cease held. You need to be the guy who goes out there and executes 33 starts on the year and the whole team looks to you to be successful. This is the guaranteed one day we are going to have a really good shot of winning. So, you dream about that opportunity, to cherish that role.”
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Martin has sported an upbeat personality since he was selected by the White Sox in the 14th round of the 2018 Draft, but a level of added excitement is understandable considering he was still working through recovery from Tommy John surgery undergone last Spring Training. He hit 84 mph during his first ’24 side session on the back fields in Glendale, Ariz., and celebrated as if he had just recorded the final out of a perfect game.
It was one part relief, one part excitement. Martin made his 2024 debut on July 27 at home against the Mariners, eventually posting a 4.32 ERA over 11 games (10 starts) and striking out 47 in 50 innings. He enters the current campaign fully healthy following a normal offseason program at PitchingWRX in Oklahoma City, where Detroit’s Jackson Jobe also worked out.
“That in itself was the last test of the Tommy John,” Martin said. “You are used to building up [while rehabbing]. You have three months until your first bullpen. When you get your first bullpen, it’s three months of bullpens.
“You go into the [past] offseason and you play catch for a month and then you get on the mound and you are like, ‘Whoa, that’s really fast.’ That was a big challenge, just getting back into a normal groove of what an offseason is. Did a great job. I felt like the place I worked out at was a good spot.”
Drew Thorpe, 24, also would be in this Opening Day mix, but has yet to throw off the mound following offseason soreness setbacks connected to September surgery to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow. Thorpe has felt good since receiving a cortisone shot on Jan. 24 and hopes to get to the mound next week.
Pérez, 33, brings 13 years of mound experience, while also having worked with White Sox manager Will Venable as players in Texas, when Venable was a coach in Boston, in Texas and now in Chicago. So there’s an understanding on Venable’s part of Pérez’s ability and leadership. Cannon, 24, was the most successful of the returning White Sox crew in ’24, and Martin combines talent with a good story of fighting his way back.
