5 questions facing White Sox for '21 season
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CHICAGO -- The White Sox might not be the clear-cut American League Central favorite entering the 2021 season, but they find themselves in a great position to build off of last year’s 35-25 effort punctuated by a playoff appearance. And general manager Rick Hahn’s work is not yet done in putting this group together.
Here’s a look at five questions facing the White Sox as the new year begins with great optimism.
Will the White Sox add a closer?
Let’s add a question within the question: Will Liam Hendriks become that closer? The White Sox have definite interest in the right-hander, who had nothing but praise for the talented young crew from Chicago after his Oakland team knocked the White Sox from the 2020 playoffs. There certainly are other teams interested in Hendriks, so ultimately it might come down to what the White Sox are willing to offer.
Alex Colomé gave the White Sox two outstanding seasons, converting 22 of his 24 save opportunities at Guaranteed Rate Field since 2019 and posting a 1.13 ERA and .138 opponents' average at home. Colomé is a free agent, and while the White Sox have a plethora of late-inning possibilities in Aaron Bummer, Codi Heuer, Garrett Crochet, Jace Fry, Matt Foster and Evan Marshall, a true contender is in a better spot with a set closer.
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“What you see over the years is that as the bullpens have been used more, the deeper the bullpen, the better your chances,” said White Sox manager Tony La Russa during a Dec. 21 conference call. “That's one of the things that stands out about the 2021 White Sox going forward.
“We have legitimate starters in [Lance] Lynn and Lucas [Giolito] and Dallas [Keuchel] and we've got some outstanding young talent, [Dylan] Cease, [Michael] Kopech, it goes on and on. But what you end up doing is you do the best you can to identify that late-inning closer.”
La Russa added the front office was “working hard” to add a closer.
“But we're also really excited based on what we saw last year, that these young guys are pitching late in the game like they had a number of years’ experience,” La Russa said. “They have no fear, and they have great talent. So I think we're going to have a very deep and reliable bullpen.”
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Is Crochet a big league reliever?
Suggest Crochet, the team’s top pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, would be better served as a '21 bullpen component as opposed to starting in the Minors, and it’s sure to rile up a portion of the knowledgeable White Sox fan base. The concern is understandable.
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Crochet was viewed as a starter when selected 11th overall, and that focus hasn’t changed even after his short-term dominance as a White Sox reliever last season. Chris Sale, who arguably is one of the best starters in franchise history, pitched his first two seasons out of the bullpen and made a seamless transition to the rotation, but Sale also accrued 239 college and Minor League innings compared to 132 for Crochet.
But if the White Sox are in it to win it all in 2021, then having a high-powered option in relief such as Crochet and his 100+ mph fastball makes sense. Crochet could learn from pitchers such as Giolito, Keuchel and Lynn, not to mention learning from pitching coach Ethan Katz. Maybe Crochet ultimately ends up being an elite late-inning force, which certainly would help the White Sox short term and long term.
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How will Michael Kopech fit in?
There’s no denying Kopech’s immense talent on the mound. But the right-hander also hasn’t pitched in a big league game since striking out six but allowing four home runs during a home loss to Detroit on Sept. 5, 2018. Kopech underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter.
The addition of Lynn and possibly another veteran starter, not to mention the continued development of Cease and Reynaldo López, allow the White Sox to ease Kopech back into action. He might start 2021 in the Minors but should be a featured contributor to the team’s success.
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Will Andrew Vaughn be the answer at designated hitter?
A number of candidates are still available for the White Sox to add at designated hitter. Actually, a number of candidates are still available on the open market at pretty much every position. But whenever talk arose on continued enhancements offensively, Hahn quickly spoke of help from within. Vaughn, the team’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 13 prospect overall, per MLB Pipeline, resides at the top of that list.
Vaughn, 22, looked Major League ready at the plate during Spring Training, and he continued to impress through his work at the team’s alternate training facility in Schaumburg. His highest level of competition is represented by 107 at-bats for Class A Winston-Salem in 2019, but his chance to help the White Sox figures to come sooner than later.
What can be expected from Yoán Moncada?
Moncada tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020 intake process and told reporters he didn’t feel quite the same until the end of an abbreviated 60-game season. A healthy Moncada should be the talent-laden Moncada on display in ’19, and the switch-hitting third baseman is a crucial part of this team’s ultimate success.