If only the White Sox had a way to improve an outfield whose three Sunday starters have combined to hit 17 home runs.
Or boost a rotation with starters producing these ERAs: 6.26, 5.40, 4.57, 4.53 and 3.24.
If only the Sox had prospects crushing it in Triple A.
You know, an outfielder putting up Mike Trout-like numbers. Or a pitcher with a Noah Syndergaard-like arm who has walked a total of two batters in his last three starts while fanning 24.
If only ...
Oh, wait. They do.
Eloy Jimenez and Michael Kopech continue to punch the clock for Triple-A Charlotte. Perhaps this is helping the Knights stave off elimination in the International League South race, but I doubt it's doing much for the Sox, other than to confound a battered fan base that has watched its team stumble to 31 games under .500.
At the risk of venturing into the White Sox's business, I ask: Are Sox officials thinking this through? Or are they overthinking it?
General manager Rick Hahn, to his credit, has sat in the Sox dugout on several occasions this season and answered what has essentially become a one-word question: When?
In mid-June Hahn said it would be "based strictly upon their development and when they are ready for the next challenges presented by the big-league level."
OK, so the Sox are above trying to sell tickets, even with the Royals (32-73) in town, which started Tuesday.
Last week, Hahn said: "The most important thing is that they're in a position to have long-term success for us, that they're in a position to succeed, not just survive.
"You can look at a box score and say, 'This guy looks like he's doing well, looks like he's ready,' (but) the checklist we want these guys to answer is a little more lengthy. And not until they've answered all those questions will we promote them."
The truth is, no one has any earthly idea whether they'll succeed after getting a call-up.
At 21, Albert Pujols essentially came up from Class A and never left. Trout got sent down after his rookie season.
It happens. And it begs the question: What, if anything, is Hahn not telling us? Are the Sox reluctant to start the clock on their service time? Are they tanking to try to get a better draft pick?
The only explanation that makes sense is that they're waiting for Tuesday's 3 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline. If you're looking to move, say, starter James Shields and outfielder Avisail Garcia, then it makes no sense to fawn over Kopech and Jimenez and lose whatever leverage you have.
Hahn would not say what's on the checklist: "They know what's on the list. I'm not going to sit here and tell you things our players can't do."
Understandable. As was his decision Monday to decline to elaborate on his comments from last week.
Tougher to understand is why the Sox feel that their top two prospects can better develop their skills against minor-league players.
Sure, injuries have limited Jimenez to 78 games this season. And that even though he rates his defense a "6 or 7" out of 10, it might be more accurate to give Burger King a Michelin star.
He also has 19 hits, including four homers, in his last 34 at-bats. He's batting .383 in Charlotte with a .691 slugging percentage.
On that day in mid-June when Hahn talked about Jimenez and Kopech, he said: "Eventually they will tend to force that issue."
Eventually has arrived. When will Kopech and Jimenez?
