GLENDALE, Ariz. — Thousands of ground balls, hundreds of pitchers fielding practices, numerous daily meetings and 29 Cactus League games later, the White Sox are done with spring training, ready to embark on year three of the organization’s rebuild.
Exhibition games against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field Monday night and Tuesday afternoon need to be checked off before Opening Day Thursday in Kansas City.
But spring training is over, to which every player shouts “hurrah!”
Here’s what’s worth shouting about, both good and bad, about spring training 2019 for manager Rick Renteria’s Sox.
What was bad
1. Manny Machado signed with the Padres Feb. 21. After a buildup which began in November, stoked by the organization’s public pursuit of the player, the Sox swung and missed at a golden opportunity to kick their long-term plan into high gear. But their unwillingness to commit to 10 guaranteed years and $300 million spelled defeat in the Machado sweepstakes while raising skepticism about their desire to spend what it takes to convert on top tier free agents in the future.
2. Dane Dunning underwent Tommy John surgery last Monday, following behind top pitching prospect Michael Kopech (who would have been one of the big stories of the spring) on the surgeon’s table in the latest of a long line of major injuries to top prospects. A year ago, the 80th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline was trending toward a spot in the 2019 rotation, somewhere behind Kopech.
3. Prospects Luis Basabe (broken hamate), Luis Robert (thumb) and Seby Zavala (quad) had much less serious health issues but setbacks nonetheless. On the major league side, outfielders Daniel Palka (hamstring) and Jon Jay (hip) and right-hander Ian Hamilton (shoulder) missed significant chunks of time with injuries. The team’s home run leader in 2018, Palka batted .152 with no homers and missed needed playing time in the outfield, where he needs work.
4. Right-handers Lucas Giolito and Nate Jones got lit up. The No. 4 starter in the rotation, Giolito (8.84 spring ERA) came to camp with an new arm swing but followed a year of leading the American League in walks and earned runs with even worse results, giving up 27 hits and eight walks over 18 1/3 innings. Jones hasn’t pitched on consecutive days and needed a scoreless inning (with hard contact) against the Angels in his last outing to lower his spring ERA to 12.71. The 33-year-old allowed 12 hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings of relief.
5. Their record. Wins and losses don’t mean too much in the spring, but Renteria made winning a point of emphasis in the aftermath of 95- and 100-loss seasons, and the team posted a 10-17-2 mark, the second worst in the Cactus League.
What was good
1. Super prospect Eloy Jimenez signed a $43 million, six-year contract Saturday, the most money awarded a player with no major league experience. It demonstrated once again the Sox’ plan to lock up young players for the long term, and Jimenez celebrated record deal by going 5-for-7 with a walk and homer in his next two games.
2. While transitioning from second base to third base without incident, Yoan Moncada’s extra offseason work at the plate seemed to pay off with a .354 average (17-for-48 with three homers, four doubles, a triple and 11 walks) and 1.117 OPS. What’s more, he hit well from both sides of the plate.
3. Tim Anderson (.294), Jose Abreu (.317, four homers, 17 RBI), James McCann (.333) and Leury Garcia (.440, 1.115 OPS) all posted good offensive numbers. Yonder Alonso hit .215 but ranked among Cactus leaders with five homers, three to the opposite field.
4. Danny Mendick, the infielder with the ‘Hey mom, I played against Mike Trout today!’ quote, was that under the radar minor leaguer who made a name for himself. He led Sox with 23 games played and returns to minors with .333/.452/.636, two homers, four doubles, 10 RBI in his pocket. Only Abreu and Alonso (13) had more RBI.
5. Prized 21-year-old center field prospect Luis Robert went 5-for-13 with two triples, a double and a game-winning homer in the ninth inning, then hurt his troublesome thumb on a slide in a minor league game the next day. In minor league camp, he continued to impress after recovering. Other prospects who stood out. On the pitching side, right-hander Jimmy Lambert looked like the one who could fill the void left by Dunning.
