Patience with the White Sox’ rebuild is starting to wear thin as the season concludes in one week. And manager Rick Renteria has a message he wants to send to the team.
“It’s about performance,” Renteria said. “The direction we are going as an organization, it’s on [the players] to start showing us they should be here ... because we are not going to be in perpetuity just developing, no.”
In the midst of the Sox’ seventh consecutive losing season, Renteria has every right to be frustrated. The Sox are 68-87 with seven games remaining in the next seven days. That’s only six more wins than last season’s record.
Some players — like Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez — have shown signs of progress this season. Anderson is the leading contender for this year’s batting title; Moncada has improved his overall game; and Jimenez became the third Sox player to hit 30 homers in their rookie season.
But there’s been plenty of disappointments this season especially on the injury front.
At some point the Sox need to start turning the corner, and Renteria has his sights set on 2020.
“It’s time for us to start taking the next phase and step to winning,” he said.
But Renteria acknowledged that might not happen if the Sox don’t make some necessary moves this offseason.
The Sox have had a litany of players who have been sidelined with injuries this season.
Just last week, the Sox announced they were shutting down right-hander Lucas Giolito due to a mild lat strain, which general manager Rick Hahn deemed not a long-term concern. Anderson and Jimenez have also spent time on the injured list, and left-hander Carlos Rodon had season-ending Tommy John surgery in May.
On the surface, the Sox seem to have quality depth thanks to the pool of highly regarded prospects they’ve acquired over the last few seasons. However, some are still in the early stages of development or have suffered setbacks due to injuries.
Top pitching prospect Michael Kopech spent this season recovering from Tommy John surgery. And outfield prospect Micker Adolfo and former first-round picks Jake Burger and Zack Burdi have also been slowed by injuries.
While injuries are unavoidable, some players simply haven’t met expectations, like struggling right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, who called his overall performance in 2019 “bad,” and right fielder Daniel Palka, who, after hitting 27 homers in 2018, is a dismal 5-for-71 this season.
Renteria said it’s time that the Sox start looking outside for help.
“As we continue to move forward ... we’re going to continue to look to improve our depth which will allow us to be able to sustain an injury here or there,” he said. “The organization now is pretty much arming itself for the next phase. And I think this winter is going to be an important winter for us as an organization.
“We do have depth in the minor leagues in terms of these young men that continue to move up and get better but certainly I’m sure for us to be able to have a chance to win, we need to go out and get some guys.”
Changes are coming. What that will look like is yet to be said. But Renteria’s highest areas of concern are pitching and veteran hitting.
“I think that coupled with the guys that are showing what they’re capable of doing now with us, I’m very confident that we’re expecting to be on the other side of where we’re at,” Renteria said.
