WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF April 6, 2017 Q&A: Hahn talks White Sox rebuild Mark Feinsand, MLB.com Knights among most stacked rosters in the Minors Mike Rosenbaum, MLB.com No defense: Davidson, Asche adjust to DH Scott Merkin White Sox reportedly sign righty Pelfrey Oliver Macklin, MLB.com Shields remains on track to start after rainout Jason Beck, MLB.com White Sox Q&A: Yoan Moncada s clock, #TankForBeer and the rotating DH Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox sign veteran pitcher Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Offseason adjustments made, James Shields ready to bounce back Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune After brief stint in majors, what top pitching prospect hopes to gain with Charlotte Knights Pat James, Charlotte Observer White Sox, Tim Anderson ready to get something right Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun-Times White Sox sign Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times REPORT: White Sox sign pitcher Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal CSN Staff, CSN Chicago Rick Renteria committed to creating winning culture during White Sox rebuild Paul Roumeliotis, CSN Chicago White Sox sign veteran starter Pelfrey to minor-league contract Scott Gregor, Daily Herald Will Anderson eventually thrive as White Sox's No. 2 hitter? Scott Gregor, Daily Herald The day the White Sox took a chance on Bo Jackson Rhiannon Walker, The Undefeated Tigers, White Sox give it another go (Apr 06, 2017) Associated Press Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito adjust to new franchise after offseason of change Dan Sostek, The Sporting News After seven year journey, White Sox's Dylan Covey major-league debut awaits Bob Nightengale, USA Today Sports Q&A: Hahn talks White Sox rebuild GM discusses offseason trades, Renteria's leadership, Moncada's promise By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com @feinsand April 5th, 2017 Rick Hahn knows what it's like to end a lengthy drought in Chicago the way the Cubs did last fall, having helped the White Sox win their first World Series title in 2005 after an 88-year stretch without a championship. Now the general manager is in the midst of a rebuilding project with those same White Sox, having dealt away Chris Sale and Adam Eaton this winter to bolster the farm system as the organization looks to the future. General manager Q&As MLB.com caught up with Hahn at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., during the final days of Spring Training to discuss his beginnings as an agent, how the Cubs' title impacts the White Sox, and why Rick Renteria was the right man to manage his team. MLB.com: How did you land your first job in baseball? Rick Hahn: I was lucky. I actually started looking for a job with a club in about 1993, and ultimately I started working with Leigh Steinberg and Jeff Moorad as a player agent in '98. So it took me five years to land a job even in sports, and then I wound up with the White Sox after the 2000 season. Basically it took me about seven years to get in. MLB.com: Not many guys on the team side start out as agents. What did those two years add to your knowledge base that has helped you working on the other side? Hahn: I would like to think it created some level of empathy, at least with how a player's mind works and some of the stresses on their side of the game. Certainly from the agent's side, in negotiation and the pressures you feel from wanting to serve your clients and the greater good of the player cause from the union standpoint. So I'd like to think that it created some level of empathy when we're sitting across the table from a player and his representative. At the same time, it gave me a chance to hone some negotiation skills and the understanding of the CBA and those issues.
MLB.com: You've worked with Kenny Williams for a long time. What have you learned most from him? Hahn: It's a great opportunity for me, because if you look at us on paper, we're awfully different. He came up as a professional athlete, former football player, former scout and player development; I didn't have those kinds of talents. I flamed out in high school and spent most of my time in school, while he was doing these great athletic accomplishments and building up his scouting eye and his player development acumen. From the start, we were a nice complement to each other in how we went about approaching solving problems. When all things are equal, he likes to go to the videotape and trust his gut on things, what he sees with his scouting eye and his background. Me, I tend to be a little bit more on the analytical side. We've both learned from each other the benefit of that other point of view. I always said, had I ever left and gone to another club, one of my first hires would have been someone who approaches the game the way Kenny does. None of us are blessed with the ability to handle every element of analysis or every element that goes into this job. You need to know the areas where you need those complementary strengths and get the right people around you. Kenny and I have the kind of relationship where we complement each other in that way. MLB.com: Now that Statcast has brought a lot of analytics to the public, do you think it's changing the way that fans are looking at the game? Hahn: I think so -- and it's neat. It provides an opportunity not only for them to see behind the curtain and understand a little bit of the analysis that is going on in a club's front office, but it also provides ample opportunity for independent research, which is how a lot of this stuff initially got started back in the day. We certainly don't shy away from exploring some of the sites that are out there and some of the research that is published independently. From time to time, you find something that you haven't been looking at or a different way of looking at things that answers some questions for you. MLB.com: I know you're on the other side of town, so I'm not sure if you heard that the Cubs broke this little drought last year of 108 years. Hahn: I was at the Fall League, so I'm not aware. [Laughs.] MLB.com: Meanwhile, the White Sox broke a pretty lengthy drought of their own back in 2005. How satisfying was it to help bring a championship to the South Side? Hahn: It was wild. Unfortunately, the whole thing was a blur. Part of it was that my younger son had just been born in July, so I already had sleep deprivation going through the whole experience. The two things that stick with me most to this day are, first, the parade from the ballpark down to Wacker Drive after we had won the championship. Just seeing rows upon rows of White Sox fans lining the streets for the entire length of the bus ride, just how special that feeling was, to see the breadth of how far this had reached and how much it meant to people. And then when they hung up the banner, knowing that thing was going to fly forever and that you could always feel like you played a small role in getting that thing up there -- that's going to stand the test of time. But it pretty quickly switched to, 'Man, that was a lot of fun. We have to do that again.' We came close at least in the first half of '06 and then we ran out of gas. It's still that great carrot for you out there; you get a little taste of it, you just want to do it more. MLB.com: Does the Cubs' success on the other side of town impact the pressure on you guys to win again? Hahn: I don't think it does. I don't think it changes the amount of pressure that we feel because we already felt a great amount. It sort of presumes that there's an additional level that we could have gone to that we would be driven to by their success. The fact is that we were maxed out in terms of trying to get Jerry [Reinsdorf] another championship and exploit the opportunities we had with the guys at the top end of our roster. From an emotional standpoint, from a fans' standpoint, from my kids being surrounded by Cubs fans at school standpoint, absolutely you feel it. From how we go about our baseball operations decisions, we can't let that influence it. We've got to remain focused on putting ourselves in the best position for the long-term, which given the process we started in rebuilding this offseason, as opposed to emotionally or viscerally react to the fact that they're having success on the other side of town. MLB.com: Rebuilding is never an easy process, but how much easier does it get when you can start with the types of packages you received for Chris Sale and Adam Eaton, adding three of the top 20 prospects in the game to your system? Hahn: It's a nice start. We realize that we're closer to the start of this process than we are to the end. But we are approaching it a little bit differently and we're starting from a little different spot than a lot of the clubs that have had
success going through this. We had premium talent available to trade. We still have some premium talent on this roster, and had we been able to convert on similar such trades as we did for Chris and Adam, we likely would have done them. We realize that we have to get these trades right. We aren't in the position as some other rebuilding clubs were, where their Major League rosters were essentially barren of talent and this was going to be done through the Draft, and to a lesser extent via trade. While the Draft and international [market] are certainly going to be important to us over the next couple of years, we also have this nice, unique opportunity to do trades like we did for Chris and Adam and really jumpstart this whole process. It's imperative that we do it right and we're certainly pleased with those first two major moves, how they played out and helped advance the cause. We know we have more work to do on that. MLB.com: Jose Quintana and David Robertson are frequently the subject of trade rumors. Do you expect there will be more trades between now and the end of July? Hahn: I think there are [opportunities]. Markets change in that there's probably going to be a different pool of teams involved or at least a different motivation level of certain clubs involved as we get closer to the deadline. Needs change, whether it's due to injury or underperformance. Frankly, your evaluation of prospects alters as you get more information on them and how they perform or don't perform at different levels. Just because something hasn't happened here in the last few months or since the Winter Meetings doesn't mean it's not going to still happen. We do have a unique year going on here; we do have a fair amount of talent -- and veteran talent -- on this roster. [Manager Rick Renteria] and his coaching staff have created this great environment where they're really grinding out each and every day and fighting. Given the talent on the roster, there is going to be the opportunity for the club to perform decently, which is a little different from some rebuilds. Some people look at a rebuild and think you've got to bottom out. If that doesn't happen here, it's going to likely be because the potentially tradable veteran talent is performing well and therefore increasing their value and leading to opportunities to augment the system a different way. MLB.com: Why was Rick Renteria the right choice to be your manager? Hahn: A lot of different reasons, ranging from his energy and communication skills to, at the other extreme, his background as a teacher. When we made Ricky the manager, we promoted Nick Capra, our farm director, to third-base coach, and Curt Hasler, our Minor League pitching coordinator, to bullpen coach. We then had a staff, starting with Ricky, all of whom had deep roots in player development. We knew this [rebuilding] process was coming and that we were likely going to have a younger roster as a portion of this process and that, frankly, there was going to continue to need to be teaching and development at the big league level. We wanted to have a staff that was used to setting priorities for an organization, articulating those priorities to players and holding them accountable for meeting those standards. Ricky not only has a background in that and a history of doing that, but has the right personality to help create that new culture and environment around here. It's early and I'm guessing all 30 clubs feel pretty good about where they sit today, but as we judge this upcoming season, we're going to have to be disciplined. In professional sports, the easiest way to judge you is at the big league level. That's what we're most used to - - wins and losses at the big league level. But we have a lot of other things going on here that are going to be more important over the long haul of making this rebuild process work, be right and be sustainable, than how many games we win in 2017. The coaching staff, the players, they're going to fight every night for every W they can get. But at the end of the 2017 season, our success as an organization, as much if not more so, should be judged upon whether that coaching staff has created the right environment, has been able to implement the right preparation and way of playing the game, utilizing the scouting reports, executing on the field, teaching players and holding them accountable for when they can't. A lot of that's not sexy, it's not easy to quantify, it's certainly tough for a fan to see on a daily basis. It's tough to put in the season video, but those are really fundamental, important changes that have started here and that we're going to continue to build on over the next couple of years. MLB.com: There was a lot of buzz in Arizona about Yoan Moncada this spring. What encouraged you most after getting a chance to see him up close and personal for an extended period of time? Hahn: The athleticism and the skills jump out at you. Anyone who watches one of our games and gets to see him sees that immediately: the bat speed, the athleticism, the ability to run and the hit tool. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that he's 22 years old and has like 200 plate appearances above A-ball at this point. There was a very strong work ethic and a very strong desire to be great. A lot of these young kids who have come over and get a fair amount of cash, there's an initial acclimation process to all of sudden having more money than they can possibly imagine. While there's sometimes the spending that comes along with it and the largesse that comes along with
it, the key is them becoming refocused or maintaining that focus on what they're trying to accomplish on the field. What we saw from Yoan this spring in terms of his focus and work ethic was fantastic. Very encouraging for his future. Knights among most stacked rosters in the Minors By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com April 5th, 2017 The Minor League season begins today, with 59 games scheduled to be played across the four full-season levels. Of course there's talent spread throughout the Minor Leagues, but certain teams stand out more than others. With that in mind, MLBPipeline.com has compiled a ranking of the Top 10 Minor League teams for fans to follow on Opening Day and throughout the season. 1. Triple-A Charlotte Knights (White Sox) No team made a bigger jump in MLBPipeline.com's Top 10 farm system rankings for 2017 than the Chicago White Sox, going from a consensus bottom-third system to No. 3 thanks to an offseason rebuild that saw general manager Rick Hahn trade cornerstones Chris Sale and Adam Eaton to acquire four Top 100 Prospects in Yoan Moncada (No. 2), Lucas Giolito (No. 10), Michael Kopech (No. 15) and Reynaldo Lopez (No. 44). While Kopech is ticketed for Double-A Birmingham, Giolito and Lopez will headline a deep Knights rotation that also includes right-hander Carson Fulmer (No. 69 overall), the White Sox first-round Draft pick in 2015. All three hurlers received a taste of the Majors last season, with Lopez fairing the best of the bunch. Charlotte also will have an elite relief/closer prospect in right-hander Zack Burdi, who ascended to Triple-A last summer in his professional debut after the White Sox selected him in the first round. At the plate, the Knights boast a dynamic top-of-the-order pairing in Moncada and outfielder Adam Engel. Together, the speedsters combined to scored 187 runs and steal 90 bases in 2017, swiping 45 bags apiece. The Knights have the most loaded roster in the Minors and are one of two teams with four Top 100 prospects on their roster, and, in total, there are seven members of the White Sox Top 30 starting the year with Triple-A Charlotte. 2. Triple-A Durham Bulls (Rays) The Bulls' roster features 10 of the Rays' Top 30 prospects, including six players ranked in the Top 10. The group includes four of the club's five Top 100 prospects in Willy Adames (No. 20), offseason acquisition Jose De Leon (No. 31), spring standout Jake Bauers (No. 73) and Casey Gillaspie (No. 100), as well as a host of potential 2017 contributors on the mound such as right-handers Chih-Wei Hu, Jacob Faria, Jaime Schultz, Ryne Stanek and Taylor Guerrieri. 3. Double-A Trenton Thunder (Yankees) As the owners of MLBPipeline's No. 2-ranked farm system, the Yankees have talent spread throughout their system. No Yankees affiliate boasts more star power than the Eastern League's Trenton Thunder, who'll begin the season with Gleyber Torres, the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball, at shortstop and Miguel Andujar at the hot corner, as well as a starting rotation comprised of left-hander Justus Sheffield (No. 76 overall) and right-handers Chance Adams and Chad Green. 4. Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) New Hampshire will open the season with four Top 100 prospects and 10 of Toronto's Top 30 prospects on its roster. Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (No. 62 overall) headlines a talented Fisher Cats' rotation that includes fellow righties Conner Greene, Jon Harris and Francisco Rios. Offensively, they have a trio of dynamic up-the-middle players in center fielder Anthony Alford (No. 68), shortstop Richard Urena (No. 91) and catcher Reese McGuire. 5. Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers (Dodgers) Oklahoma City might have as much prospect depth as some of the other teams on this list, but the club's offense surely will be something to behold. The Dodgers feature three of the organization's top four prospects -- all Top 100 prospects, too -- in youngsters Cody Bellinger (No. 11 overall; age 21), Alex Verdugo (No. 59; 20) and Willie Calhoun (No. 79; 22), who combined to slug 66 homers in 2016. 6. Double-A Mississippi Braves (Braves) Much like Oklahoma City, Mississippi stands out for its high-end prospects, specifically on one side of the ball. The Braves have aggressively double-jumped a number of the arms that helped Rome win the South Atlantic League in 2016, with Kolby Allard (No. 51 overall), Mike Soroka (No. 75) and Max Fried all leaping up to the Double-A Southern League. Righthander Patrick Weigel, arguably the Braves' top breakout prospect last season, provides the M-Braves' rotation with another power arm, while second baseman Travis Demeritte is sure to provide plenty of power at the dish. 7. Class A Advanced Carolina Mudcats (Brewers)
The Carolina Mudcats' roster features nine of the Brewers' Top 30 prospects -- a group highlighted by a wave of talented young hitters in Isan Diaz (No. 63 overall prospect), Trent Clark and Lucas Erceg. First-rounder (2016) Corey Ray (No. 28 overall) is likely to head there as well once he completes his rehab in extended spring camp. The Mudcats are equally deep on the mound, with a rotation that could include Marcos Diplan, Cody Ponce, Kodi Medeiros, Freddy Peralta and Corbin Burnes. 8. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies) Many of the players that made Double-A Reading's offense such a force last season are ticketed for Lehigh Valley. That includes a pair of Top 100 prospects in shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 5 overall) and catcher Jorge Alfaro (No. 70), outfielders Nick Williams and Roman Quinn and bash brothers Dylan Cozens and Rhys Hoskins. Overall, 11 of the organization's Top 30 prospects will open the year with the IronPigs. 9. Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) Top 100 prospects Lewis Brinson (No. 17) and Josh Hader (No. 36) may be nearly ready for the Major Leagues, but for now they'll both begin the season back in the Pacific Coast League. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers' Minor League pitcher of the year in 2016, will follow Hader in the rotation, while Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell, along with Brinson, will comprise an ultra-athletic and rangy Sky Sox outfield. 10. Triple-A Nashville Sounds (Athletics) Triple-A Nashville's roster should house more than one-third of the A's Top 30 prospects once fully healthy. Top 100 prospects Franklin Barreto (No. 50 overall) and Matt Chapman (No. 97) are slated for shortstop and third base, respectively, giving the Sounds what could be one of the better left sides of the infield in the Minors. Meanwhile, Matt Olson, Bruce Maxwell, Renato Nunez and Chad Pinder all will return to Nashville after debuting with Oakland late last season. Honorable Mentions: Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (Twins) There are nine Top 30 prospects -- and six of the Top 10 overall -- slated to begin the year with the Lookouts in the Southern League. That includes the Twins' top two prospects, Nick Gordon (No. 48) and Stephen Gonsalves (No. 89), as well as promising hurlers Fernando Romero, Tyler Jay, Kohl Stewart and Felix Jorge. Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) Lake Elsinore may have one of the best starting rotations in the Minors to begin the season in Anderson Espinoza (No. 24 overall prospect), Cal Quantrill (No. 94) and Eric Lauer, and it's only a matter of time until Adrian Morejon and Jacob Nix join them. At the plate, Michael Gettys and Josh Naylor are set to lead the Storm's offense. Others Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies (Astros) Class A Advanced Florida Fire Frogs (Braves) Double-A Akron RubberDucks (Indians) No defense: Davidson, Asche adjust to DH By Scott Merkin / MLB.com @scottmerkin April 5th, 2017 CHICAGO -- The combination of Matt Davidson and Cody Asche had a total of two plate appearances at designated hitter coming into the 2017 season. Davidson, 26, and Asche, 26, figure to get a solid amount of chances early on for the White Sox in this role, a lineup spot not easy for even the most experienced of players. Ask Avisail Garcia, who didn't exactly thrive in his move to DH at age 24, or Adam Dunn, an accomplished slugger with 462 home runs who admitted to not nailing down the perfect DH process by his fourth season doing the job. But both Davidson and Asche seem to be embracing the bigger picture. "As long as my name is on that lineup card, I'm happy," Asche said. "I won't complain." "You have to learn how to do it," Davidson said. "The biggest key is to be excited about it. I'm excited to play, even with the DH in there. You get to play in the big leagues." Asche started at DH in Tuesday's makeup contest of Monday's postponed regular-season opener against the Tigers. The left-handed hitter, who broke camp with the White Sox after entering Spring Training as a non-roster invite, struck out three times, was hit by a pitch and scored a run during a 6-3 loss.
Those three strikeouts had far more to do with facing Justin Verlander than adjusting to the DH role. The right-handedhitting Davidson should get the call on Thursday, with left-hander Matthew Boyd taking the mound in the finale of this rainshortened series. "It's a little bit easier here because they have the cage right behind the dugout," Davidson said. "You can run in between a little bit. I try to always be standing as if I was playing defense, trying not to sit in between innings. The benefit is having the cage down there and being able to do that: staying in the game." "Don't hit more because you are DHing. Just do your normal thing, and go out and compete when it's your turn to go up to bat," Asche said. "I just treat it like I'm on the field. That's what I did during Spring Training." Manager Rick Renteria has stated that the DH role won't be filled by just one player, at least not at the season's outset. There will be days where Jose Abreu moves from first to DH, or Todd Frazier moves from third to first and Davidson gets to play his natural defensive spot at third. If Melky Cabrera starts at DH, Asche -- who has the ability to handle all four corners around the diamond -- could play left field. The opportunity stands as the main thing for these young players, who don't want to overthink their big league chance, regardless of the new responsibilities. White Sox reportedly sign righty Pelfrey By Oliver Macklin / MLB.com April 5th, 2017 The White Sox and right-handed pitcher Mike Pelfrey have agreed on a Minor League contract, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday. The club has not confirmed the deal. Per Heyman, Pelfrey will begin his White Sox career pitching for Triple-A Charlotte. Pelfrey, 33, was released by the Tigers on March 30. He went 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA in 119 innings for Detroit in 2016. Shields remains on track to start after rainout By Jason Beck / MLB.com @beckjason April 5th, 2017 CHICAGO -- James Shields will begin his attempt at a rebound season a day later than previously scheduled, thanks to Wednesday's rainout. By contrast, Matthew Boyd's push for a potential breakout season will begin a couple days earlier than expected. The Tigers and White Sox were rained out Wednesday, turning their season-opening series into a two-game set at Guaranteed Rate Field. But while the veteran Shields stayed on assignment, the Tigers moved up Boyd from his originally scheduled start Saturday to Thursday, unleashing their promising young lefty against a free-swinging White Sox lineup that struck out 10 times on Opening Day against Justin Verlander. It's a surprise move, but Boyd has been surprising for a while now. Boyd entered Spring Training trying to prove he deserved a spot in Detroit's rotation. He ended up posting arguably the best pitching performance of Tigers camp, from a 23-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio -- and the walk didn't come until his final outing -- to a lone run allowed over his final 18 innings. Boyd didn't allow a home run in 25 2/3 spring innings. "Mentally, I have more confidence in my whole game," Boyd said last week, "working on it with [catchers] Alex [Avila] and James [McCann] and [pitching coach Rich] Dubee, using all my pitches with the mechanics that I learned at the end of the year last year. Just going out there and believing, knowing you belong, and going out there and attacking, being the one that throws the first punch." For that, the Tigers made the call to Boyd and put veteran Anibal Sanchez, under contract for $16.8 million, in the bullpen. It marked the first time Boyd made an Opening Day roster. "I'm very grateful to be in this rotation," Boyd said. "It's something you dream about, to be able to jog out on Opening Day and they announce your name." While Boyd begins his third season in the Majors, Shields beings the third year of the four-year, $75 million deal he signed with San Diego. The Padres traded him last June to the White Sox, who were hoping he could shore up their rotation for a playoff run. Instead, he went 4-12 with a 6.77 ERA with Chicago, surrendering 31 home runs over 114 1/3 innings. Opponents lifted the ball more often against him after the trade to Chicago, with an average launch angle of 14.1 degrees compared to 10.1 degrees while with San Diego, according to Statcast. Shields had two quality starts and two stinkers against Detroit last year, compiling an 0-2 record and a 6.55 ERA in 22 innings.
Things to watch for in the game Keep an eye on who bats second in the Tigers' batting order, in front of Miguel Cabrera. While Ausmus has committed to batting Nicholas Castellanos there against left-handed starters, he has been noncommittal against righties. Castellanos is 1-for-16 with six strikeouts for his career against Shields, but he crushed two balls at an exit velocity of 107.9 mph off Jose Quintana in Tuesday's season opener. Tigers left fielder Justin Upton is day to day with a left knee contusion suffered in Tuesday's season opener. He got a day off thanks to Wednesday's rainout. Left-hander Blaine Hardy is joining the Tigers' bullpen to fill in for fellow lefty Kyle Ryan, who has been placed on the paternity leave list for the next few days. One big reason from Statcast for the damage off Shields last year: Opponents hit.361 (56-for-155) with 12 home runs off his cutter, a higher homer total than he allowed off his fastball (11). White Sox Q&A: Yoan Moncada s clock, #TankForBeer and the rotating DH Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 5, 2017 White Sox baseball is back in full swing, or at least it will be once the rain in Chicago finally clears up. As we wait for that to happen, here are a few questions in the Sox mailbag. What do you think the Sox will do if (James) Shields and (Derek) Holland don't produce, but prospects aren't ready yet? Who are possible "bridge" starters? @RivalsMikeW Both James Shields and Derek Holland are hoping this will be a comeback season for themselves. If for whatever reason it s not, the Sox don t seem likely to dump either right away before the prospects are ready, especially not Shields, who is under control for the next two seasons, with the Sox paying $10 million of his $21 million salary each year. However, the Sox did sign veteran right-hander Mike Pelfrey to a minor-league deal, and he could be an option if needed. That s the thing with rebuilding seasons, and something general manager Rick Hahn continues to warn fans about. The Sox will endure such bumps instead of pushing their prospects before they re ready. It would be a different story if any of the starting pitchers were injured, like Carlos Rodon is. In that case, the Sox need someone to fill in. Dylan Covey and Anthony Swarzak are two on the 25-man roster who could start. Pelfrey is available. And when the Rodon injury was announced, Hahn also mentioned minor-leaguers like Tyler Danish and David Holmberg as possibilities to fill in. Sox manager Rick Renteria isn t committing to one player at designated hitter, saying he plans to use the spot to give starting position players like Jose Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Avisail Garcia and Todd Frazier a rest. But when the Sox field their regular lineup, I would expect left-handed-hitting Cody Asche and right-handed Matt Davidson to split time at the position. The Sox will need to see how the duo adjusts to such a role as neither has spent much time at the position before. The Cubs drafted Kris Bryant No. 2 overall and Kyle Schwarber No. 4 overall. Why would Rick Hahn not try to tank and get future cornerstone players such as Seth Beer and Luken Baker? Adam The Sox rebuild is unique in that they were able to start it by trading valuable players such as Chris Sale and Adam Eaton and have even more major-league talent to deal, such as Jose Quintana, David Robertson, Cabrera and Frazier. So that makes this rebuild different than some others. The Sox certainly consider their next couple of drafts important, and there s no doubt they would love to acquire impact players similar to the ones you mentioned. Who doesn t love the #TankForBeer Twitter campaign? Clemson's Seth Beer bats during the third inning of the NCAA baseball tournament in 2016. (Katie McLean / AP)
But Hahn has stressed that he wants to get the right return for their players in a trade, and so that s why they are entering this season with perhaps more talent than they should if they want a high draft pick. And as Hahn said, if some of those players perform well to start the year, it only enhances their value. It s a sort of balancing act to maximize both avenues of potential improvement. Will we see (Yoan) Moncada by May 1st? @TeamAvengers17 The Sox never cite service-time concerns, but holding Moncada at Triple-A Charlotte until mid-may would benefit them in that aspect. My sheer speculation is that if he jumps off to a good start at Charlotte, he could join the team sometime in late May or June. Whenever he arrives, Moncada certainly could be a draw for fans to Guaranteed Rate Field, and it might benefit him to get major-league experience without the pressures of a team that s expected to do anything this year. But the Sox also are not going to rush him if they think he needs more minor-league at-bats or work on his defense. That could mean his Sox debut comes a little later in the season, but it s a safe bet it s sometime this year. That s all for this week. Check back next week for answers to more of the questions you sent. White Sox sign veteran pitcher Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 5, 2017 The White Sox have signed veteran right-hander Mike Pelfrey to a minor-league deal, a major-league source confirmed Wednesday. Pelfrey, 33, has spent 11 seasons in the majors with the Mets, Twins and Tigers, notching a career 4.57 ERA. He was 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA in 119 innings over 24 appearances, including 22 starts, with the Tigers in 2016. The Tigers released him at the end of spring training and are responsible for his $8 million salary in the final season of a two-year, $16 million contract. Pelfrey will report to Triple-A Charlotte and provides a possible backup plan for the Sox while left-hander Carlos Rodon recovers from bursitis in his left shoulder. Rodon could be out as long as six weeks, and the Sox s main options to fill in for him were Dylan Covey and Anthony Swarzak. Sox manager Rick Renteria pointed to Covey as the likely fifth starter to begin the season, though the team has yet to announce when that slot will come up because of two rainouts in the first three days of the season. Covey, the team s Rule 5 draft pick from the Athletics this year, hasn t pitched above Double A in his career. Offseason adjustments made, James Shields ready to bounce back Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune April 5, 2017 James Shields said during spring training that one of the best attributes for a baseball player is to have amnesia. The White Sox right-hander is more than ready to forget his first half-season on the South Side as he takes the mound for his 2017 debut Thursday against the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. His first start was pushed from Wednesday when the Sox postponed the game due to rain, and he will face Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd. I have more to prove to myself than the fans, Shields said. Obviously I want the fans to understand who I am and what I m all about and the kind of pitcher I am. So hopefully this year we have a good season and we ll keep going. At age 35, Shields is the oldest player on the Sox roster, and so he knows there will be peaks and valleys in a career. But the 2016 season was particularly challenging after the Sox acquired him from the Padres in June. He went 4-12 with a 6.77 ERA in 22 starts with the Sox and finished with a career-worst 5.85 ERA in 181 2/3 innings in his 11th major-league season. It was the first time since 2007 he hadn t pitched at least 200 innings. Shields said in the spring his delivery was out of whack, his ball was flat and he was pitching up in the zone, but he said Monday he has taken steps to address his issues.
Every season is different, Shields said. That s one thing about this game no matter how long you play you have to make adjustments. I feel like I ve made pretty good adjustments this offseason, and I m looking forward to the season. Even though the Sox are in a rebuilding phase, Shields doesn t see why the team can t have a good season, especially with some of the young talent in the organization. A bounce-back year from Shields would help make the wait for some of that talent more palatable. At the end of the day, I think we ve created a good culture in spring training, Shields said. Guys have bought into what Ricky (Renteria) is doing around here, and I m looking forward to seeing what we re all about this year. After brief stint in majors, what top pitching prospect hopes to gain with Charlotte Knights By Pat James / Charlotte Observer April 5, 2017 Charlotte Knights right-hander Lucas Giolito never caught the acting bug like the majority of his family. He occasionally read lines with his mom, Lindsay Frost, who appeared in 49 movies and TV shows, including Lost and Boston Legal. His father, Rick Giolito, is a producer and played in TV series such as Who s the Boss? and As The World Turns. Perhaps the biggest Hollywood star of the family is Giolito s grandfather, Warren Frost, who famously appeared in five episodes of Seinfeld as the father of George Costanza s fiancee. Giolito, 22, never shared their common interest in cinema. His only acting experience came in elementary school, where he appeared in the mandatory school plays. However, after entering last season as baseball s consensus top pitching prospect and struggling mightily in the majors before being traded by the Washington Nationals in the offseason, Giolito hopes to write his own script as one of the key pieces in the Chicago White Sox s rebuild. It s obviously not good to struggle or not be successful, said Giolito about last season. But at the same time, I learned a lot from going up to the big leagues and getting hit around a lot, learning what it takes to be an elite starting pitcher at that level and be able to stay there. Before last season, Giolito appeared to have all the makings of a future All-Star. The Nationals selected him No. 16 overall in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft out of Los Angeles Harvard-Westlake School. He underwent Tommy John surgery shortly afterward. However, he quickly ascended through the system and was named baseball s No. 3 prospect entering last season. Giolito made his MLB debut on June 28 against the New York Mets. He surrendered one hit in four innings in a rainshortened 5-0 win. Yet, an unexpected storm was brewing. The stellar numbers a 2.97 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 115 1/3 innings he posted across three different minor-league levels last season turned into a 6.75 ERA and a 11:12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in six appearances (four starts) with the Nationals. By season s end, he d been promoted and demoted four times. Every time I got called up, I thought, I have to go and (pitch well) today or I m going to get sent down, said Giolito, who is 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds. I d say I put too much pressure on myself in that sense instead of just going out and being like, Hey, I m a big leaguer. Let s go have some fun. Then came the trade to the White Sox. Giolito sensed he might be dealt when the Winter Meetings began. His name often appeared in rumors involving Chicago ace Chris Sale, who was ultimately sent to the Boston Red Sox. He tried not to pay attention. But a day after the Sale trade, Giolito was watching TV when he learned the news via Twitter. The Nationals had traded him along with fellow pitchers Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez (the Knights starter for Thursday night s home opener against Norfolk ) to the White Sox in exchange for outfielder Adam Eaton.
The first thought in my mind, Giolito recalled, was, This is a fresh start, a new organization. I m just going to be able to go there and not feel the same pressure I felt last year and just relax. Chicago has stressed the club won t rush its new prospects to the majors. Thus, Giolito won t bounce up and down as often as he did with Washington last season. Instead, he ll be given a chance to refine the mechanical and command issues that have plagued him under the guidance of Charlotte pitching coach Steve McCatty, who held the same position with the Nationals from 2009-15. I certainly don t have all of the answers, McCatty said. I might have a lot of different ideas, but none of us should say we have all of the answers. But the big thing is just working on commanding his stuff, building his confidence, learning about what he can do and what he can t do. And more just being who Lucas Giolito is going to be. White Sox, Tim Anderson ready to get something right Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times April 5, 2017 It s early, but very little has gone well for the White Sox this first week of the season. Opening Day at Guaranteed Rate Field was rained out after the opening ceremonies Monday, then a small crowd watched Jose Quintana get tagged for three home runs in the Tigers 6-3 triumph in the delayed opener Tuesday. On Wednesday, they were rained out for the second time in three days. The game will be made up May 26, a Friday, as part of a doubleheader beginning at 4:10 p.m. Shortstop Tim Anderson, still basking in the glow of a $25 million contract extension and already enjoying it he bought his mom a new car last week, and it was hard to tell who was more thrilled, mother or son was brought back to earth, too, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Tigers Justin Verlander and Bruce Rondon. Anderson was eager to get back to the park Wednesday to put that one behind him he left four runners on base and was standing in the on-deck circle as the potential tying run when Tyler Saladino made the final out but had to wait another day, and probably for a colder, windy one at that with Thursday-morning temperatures expected to be in the 30s. Tim Anderson tries unsuccessfully to backhand a ball in the hole in the second inning against the Tigers before the opening day game at Guaranteed Rate Field Tuesday. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) A guy like [Verlander], he s going to be dominant; he s been dominant for many years, Anderson said. We gotta keep fighting and keep going. And learning. A good fastball hitter, he struck out on elevated fastballs each time. I couldn t quite find my zone, he said. The Sox view Anderson as a building block at a premium position, and his progress is a key part of their rebuild. He s a bit of a free swinger, and some would like to see him raise his on-base percentage with more walks. Manager Rick Renteria isn t going to push that because he thinks it will evolve naturally. Everybody talks about walks, Renteria said. He swings the bat and puts the bat on the ball pretty well, and he ends up getting pretty good results. For the most part, experience and time will help him recognize pitches. He s young. At 23, as he works at that in the majors, everybody has to understand [pitchers will] adapt to him, Renteria said, and he s going to have to continue to work through that process to give himself a chance to have good at-bats and swing at strikes. That process resumes Thursday. The best thing about it is I get to come back out tomorrow and compete again, Anderson said. NOTES: Tickets for Wednesday s postponed game are now a gift certificate, the Sox announced, and fans should exchange those game tickets and parking coupons for tickets of equal or lesser value to any future regular-season home
game. All exchanges must be done at the Guaranteed Rate Field box office or by mail. Tickets for Wednesday can t be used for entry May 26. Fans with tickets for the 7:10 p.m. game May 26 may attend both games of the doubleheader. The Tigers will skip right-hander Jordan Zimmermann on Thursday and start lefty Matt Boyd against James Shields. White Sox sign Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times April 5, 2017 The White Sox agreed to a minor-league deal with right-hander Mike Pelfrey, 33, a club source confirmed. Pelfrey will report to Class AAA Charlotte. Pelfrey was released last week by the Tigers, who signed him to a two-year, $16 million contract before the 2016 season. He disappointed with a 4-10 record and 5.07 ERA in 119 innings in 2016. The Tigers will be responsible for all of Pelfrey s salary in 2017, minus the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for time he would spend with the Sox. Pelfrey owns a 65-91 record with a 4.57 ERA over an 11-year career with the Mets, Twins and Tigers. While Carlos Rodon is sidelined by bursitis in his left biceps, the 6-7 Pelfrey could add some protection as a serviceable option at the back of a rotation that is thin with Rule 5 righty Dylan Covey manning the fifth spot behind Jose Quintana, James Shields, Derek Holland and Miguel Gonzalez. Rodon isn t expected back in the rotation until May. Mike Pelfrey pitches for the Tigers against the Astros last July 31. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) General manager Rick Hahn has made it clear that Class AAA prospects Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer, who have limited major-league experience, won t be rushed back early in the season. Covey was stretched out to 75 pitches Sunday in Arizona. The Sox might go with four starters the first time through the rotation, bringing Quintana, their Opening Day starter, back on four days of rest to face the Twins on Sunday. Shields is scheduled Thursday against the Tigers, followed by Holland against the Twins on Friday and Gonzalez on Saturday. REPORT: White Sox sign pitcher Mike Pelfrey to minor-league deal By CSN Staff April 5, 2017 The White Sox added some depth to their rotation in Triple-A Charlotte. According to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, the White Sox will sign veteran starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey to a minor-league deal. After signing a two-year, $16 million deal with the Detroit Tigers during the 2015-16 offseason, Pelfrey was released by the team last week. The White Sox become the third AL Central organization that Pelfrey has been a member of after he spent three seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2013-15) and one with the Tigers (2016). Pelfrey, 33, has a career record of 65-91 with a 4.57 ERA across 11 MLB seasons. Pelfrey broke into the majors in 2006 with the New York Mets a year after he was selected in the first round (9th overall) by the team in 2005. Rick Renteria committed to creating winning culture during White Sox rebuild By Paul Roumeliotis / CSN Chicago April 5, 2017 The White Sox were the talk of the offseason after they shook up the baseball world by trading ace Chris Sale and Adam Eaton for a pool of prospects. Rumors of a potential Jose Quintana trade also swirled, but the White Sox opted to hang on to their 2016 All-Star as they entered the 2017 season. The moves indicated a clear sense of direction by Rick Hahn & Co. that a rebuild on the South Side is officially underway. But players and coaches in the White Sox clubhouse aren't viewing it that way.
"I think we're just looking to go out there and play good baseball," said manager Rick Renteria. "I think for us if you want to talk about rebuild for us it's just simply trying to focus on doing things that we're supposed to do in terms of what the game is asking us to do. That's how I look at rebuild." On Tuesday, the White Sox showed off their revamped, young team, which featured a new manager and six different starters from last year's Opening Day lineup Tim Anderson, Cody Asche, Jacob May, Omar Narvaez, Quintana and Tyler Saladino. But a rare off day for Quintana who allowed six earned runs off three homers and a red-hot Justin Verlander who struck out 10 batters made things difficult for the White Sox, resulting in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field. "Today was one of those days where you saw a veteran pitcher kind of exploit some things, but I think we can walk away from that with a little bit more knowledge, a little bit more experience," Renteria said. "I think guys are excited to start the season, so I would just chalk it up to a guy who did his job very well today and we weren't able to kind of recover until toward the end when we started to get into their bullpen a little bit." But it's only one game, and Todd Frazier half-jokingly mentioned that there have been a number of teams who have won a World Series opening the season with a loss. "So we have an opportunity so we'll see," he said smiling. While a rebuild signals tanking, Renteria reiterated that the White Sox are committed to creating a winning culture. "As we've mentioned before, there's no one that comes out to a ballgame on a daily basis thinking about losing," Renteria said. "I think everybody thinks about rebuilding in those terms that you re going to end up dropping X amount of games. "We're focusing on playing the game of baseball. Where those numbers end up falling, they fall. I think these guys are putting in the time to execute and to do what they need to do to give us a chance every single day to win and compete." White Sox sign veteran starter Pelfrey to minor-league contract Scot Gregor / Daily Herald April 5, 2017 The Class AAA Charlotte starting rotation got a little more interesting on Wednesday. The Sox signed veteran major-leaguer Mike Pelfrey to a minor-league contract and assigned the 6-foot-7 righty to their top farm club. Signed by the Tigers to a two-year, $16 million contract before the 2016 season, Pelfrey was 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA with Detroit last year. Released by the Tigers a week ago, Pelfrey will join top prospects Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer in Charlotte's rotation. The Knights open their season Thursday, and Lopez makes the first start against Norfolk. With Carlos Rodon on the disabled list and Jose Quintana on the trade block, Pelfrey gives the White Sox a veteran arm if they need one in the major-league rotation. The Sox's current starting five is Quintana, James Shields, Derek Holland, Miguel Gonzalez and Rule 5 pickup Dylan Covey. Pelfrey had a rough spring for Detroit, posting a 7.94 ERA in 17 Grapefruit League innings with a.343 batting average against. Washed out: Wednesday's game between the White Sox and Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field was postponed due to rain. The Sox and Tigers were also washed out in Monday afternoon's scheduled season opener. The game was made up Tuesday and the Sox lost to the Tigers 6-3.
Wednesday's rainout will be made up on May 26 as part of a straight doubleheader, with Game 1 starting at 4:10 p.m. According to the White Sox, tickets for Wednesday's postponed game are now gift certificates and fans should exchange those game tickets and parking coupons for tickets of equal or lesser value to any future regular season home game. All exchanges must be made at the Guaranteed Rate Field box office during regular business hours or by mail. Fans with tickets for Wednesday's game cannot use those tickets for entry on May 26. Fans with tickets for the 7:10 p.m. game on May 26 may attend both games of the doubleheader. The Sox and Detroit are scheduled to play this afternoon, with James Shields starting against Tigers left-hander Matthew Boyd. Will Anderson eventually thrive as White Sox's No. 2 hitter? Scot Gregor / Daily Herald April 5, 2017 Nothing in baseball comes easy, and that is doubly true with hitting second in the lineup. In the No. 2 hole, making consistent contact is critical, whether it's hitting the ball the other way, pulling a mistake pitch or laying down a bunt. Taking pitches is also key, especially when the leadoff hitter is on base and the game situation calls for a stolen base. Most good No. 2 hitters are veterans with thousands of plate appearances under their belts. Tim Anderson, who is batting second for the White Sox to start this season, has 435 through Tuesday's season opener against Detroit. The Sox-Tigers game scheduled for Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field was rained out. Down the road, Anderson should be equipped to thrive at the top of the Sox's lineup, either at No. 2 or out of the leadoff spot. But even with a new six-year, $25 million contract extension, the 23-year-old shortstop is still very raw as a hitter. Anderson did slash.283/.306/.432 in 99 games while finishing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting last season, but he struck out in almost 30 percent of his plate appearances while walking just 3 percent of the time. Against Justin Verlander and Detroit Tuesday, Anderson was 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. "(Verlander) had good stuff today," Anderson after going 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts against the Tigers' ace. "It was definitely hard to lay off. But it's one of those things where you've got to come out and keep competing and keep getting after it." Anderson never got down when he was striking out in bunches last season, and his willingness to keep working should eventually pay off as the Sox's No. 2 hitter. "One of the things that everybody's talked about with him is his on-base (percentage)," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "Everybody talks about walks. This guy swings the bat and puts the bat on the ball pretty well and he ends up getting pretty good results. I think for the most part, experience and time will help him continue to cultivate recognizing pitches. "He's young. A lot of us in many instances back in the day would play winter ball to go see a lot more breaking balls and sliders and changeups and you'd go through a time frame where that would kind of speed up your process. As they're trying to do it at the major-league level, everybody has to understand that they're going to see pitches and they're going to start to adapt. He's going to have to continue to work through that process to give himself a chance to have good at-bats and swing at strikes." The day the White Sox took a chance on Bo Jackson Chicago signed injured two-sport star to a one-year deal after others passed on him By Rhiannon Walker / The Undefeated April 5, 2017