This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
GLENDALE, Ariz. – The White Sox claimed a 7-2 victory over the Dodgers last Saturday at Camelback Ranch, with Los Angeles’ starting lineup featuring five regulars.
In the trio of crosstown contests since Feb. 20 against the Cubs, the White Sox finished with a 3-0 record. These numbers aren’t meant to sound an alarm of worry for the two-time defending World Series champions or the National League Central favorites.
Not when the games count only on the Cactus League standings. Not when jersey numbers 92 and 89 receive almost as many valuable at-bats as the team’s starting second baseman or left fielder. But winning in Arizona could and should matter to the White Sox.
It’s a franchise with three consecutive regular seasons of 100-plus losses. It’s also a team with a solid young core learning to win and holding higher hopes than others outside the organization might project.
“Whenever you can keep winning and kind of get that feeling, it’s big,” left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. “It’s hard to just turn it on. Especially with a young team.
“You want to experience wins in spring and let that roll right into the season. I’ve been part of teams that haven’t done well in spring. So, you can’t just flip the switch and it’s like, ‘OK, now we are going to start trying to win.’ It comes from Spring Training wins, knowing how to get the job done.”
Following Monday night's 3-2 loss to the Rangers in Surprise, the White Sox hold a 13-11 mark. That puts them fourth in the Cactus League, behind Texas, the Giants and those recently-vanquished Dodgers. It stands as the best ledger for any squad within the American League Central.
Don’t go changing those division predictions quite yet. Many top teams have experienced player loss due to the World Baseball Classic, while others in contention simply are looking to get ready for the 2026 campaign and not worried about setting any sort of tone.
“Obviously you will have a team like the Dodgers,” Benintendi said. “Let’s say they don’t win a Spring Training game. I think they are going to be fine in the regular season.”
So, let’s dispense with Cactus League numbers, which never sent a player to the Hall of Fame or a team to a title celebration. Instead, let’s look at the word ‘identity’ and how the White Sox are going about success.
Manager Will Venable established this identity through his first season at the helm in 2025. It was then run by his players to form a cohesive unit.
This group plays hard and takes the extra base whenever possible, while trying to prevent the extra base defensively. There’s a collegiate feel to the group, which isn’t meant to take away anything from their overall talent.
But there’s no superstar-level Bobby Witt Jr. leading the White Sox hoped-for turnaround, at least not yet. It’s important for the White Sox to have that collective focus and trust in each other.
Venable also has a better feel for what he wants and what he needs to do to set that tone, by his own admissions, during his second year as manager.
“I feel like that’s what really good managers do,” shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “They set the tone early. That’s what he did. He talked to us individually about what he expects from us, and I feel like that’s really good as a coach, being able to communicate that with your players.
“It gives us a better vision of what he expects of us every single day. It’s not like a thing where we are searching for what he wants us to do or be. He set the tone early and everyone is going into their role. I think that’s proven why we’ve had a pretty good Spring Training so far as a team.”
Good Spring Trainings don’t always translate to good regular seasons, on an individual or team level. With the White Sox, it’s another step toward developing success.
“Last year a lot of guys were getting experience and kind of happy to be here and things like that,” Benintendi said. “I feel like this year, it’s ‘I’m here. Let’s figure out a way to start winning games.’
“It’s less of the ‘I’m in the big leagues now’ sort of feeling. It’s more ‘What can I do to help the team win?’ So, it’s definitely been a big step in that regard.”