The Sox appropriately finished 14-14 for the spring in the games that actually counted toward the spring standings, which I had to look up. The Angels went 9-20 and the Reds went 13-20. I’m sure they’re flipping out.

This spring…

• Nearly every lineup fixture cleaned up on the less-than-on-the-level pitching they faced, so much that Alexei Ramirez hitting .279/.323/.377  constitutes struggling. As if Alexei returning to a life of on-base percentages above .300 would not be worth a small, but fervent parade.
• Despite persistently denying that his wrist feeling better is relevant, Paul Konerko hit better with a repaired wrist. His teammates noticed and said it probably had to do with his wrist. Hmm…wrist.
• Tyler Flowers, Alex Rios, Jesse Crain and even Alexei Ramirez all accumulated injuries that caused them to miss spring training games, but cleared up in time for the season to start and might never be thought of again.
• Gavin Floyd flashed top-notch breaking stuff, had an excellent strike0ut-to-walk ratio and was completely hammered. He was Gavin Floyd, and people are frustrated about it.
• John Danks dispelled all notions of an accelerated and conveniently timed recovery from major shoulder surgery, and will either spend the next several weeks working his way back to 91 mph or start learning how to invite some real Mark Buehrle comparisons.
• Chris Sale allowed an alarming number of home runs, but he along with the rest of the pitching staff more or less demonstrated physical readiness for a season where they will asked to be dominant. Addison Reed even threw a few sliders.
• Alejandro De Aza beat Alex Rios in the World Baseball Classic
• Management used Rule 5 picks, trades and free agency to kill every single position battle in its tracks.

The only element of our thinking about the White Sox that was significantly altered by this session was the idea of  John Danks sliding in gracefully to some sort of super-rotation. But the hopelessness of that endeavor and the ease to which the White Sox have slid into their auxiliary options made it questionable how realistic that dream ever was. With it, went an easy angle to argue why the White Sox will be exceptional, but what remains is a team that promises…competence.

There was no excited buzz of dream team getting its first taste of playing together, nor were there scouts predicting 100-loss seasons nor early hints of manager-GM tire fire. These are all good things. It’s good that management is not demonstrably unhinged, Spring should never be the basis for a decision as important and data-heavy as a position battle, and time spent self-congratulating in March is wasted. Even at it’s best, job training is not supposed to be fun nor eventful and this reliably uneventful process is still supposed to the breath of fresh air a Ventura administration provides.

Still, thank goodness this longest of spring training is over. This unfinishable extra-large tub filled with the empty calories of fake baseball seemed like a passable solution to starvation at the time, but I can’t even bear to look at it anymore.

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First, just a cursory glance at say, the average age of the projected Opening Day lineups across the AL (that has just as little certainty as you’d expect)…

…reveals that Sox hitters are old, but not crazy old. Also, the Yankees are only listed as this young because 38 year-old Derek Jeter, 37 year-old Alex Rodriguez, and 32 year-olds Mark Teixiera and Curtis Granderson are already hurt and out for the season opener. We’re here worried about sore backs and groins while bones are breaking and hips are degenerating in New York.

Secondly, older lineups tend to be prevalent around win now teams. A lineup full of cost-controlled stars in their prime is the ideal but rarely the reality.

Of course, what a shame it then is to have an offense that’s both old and bad. The White Sox were average in their production last year once you get past the runners in scoring position spike (which packed its bags and skipped town in early September). Of their under-30 players, they have nice center fielder in his late-20′s (De Aza, 28), two premium defenders they would love to see hit for just average (Beckham, 26; Flowers, 27) and Dayan Viciedo (24). It’s all on you, Dayan*.

*I did not forget about Conor Gillaspie, the charm of his hot first week of spring is gone and the memory that the Giants traded him just to avoid DFA’ing him remains.

Anyways, what I’ve done here is show where my rambling thoughts went, without ever mentioning what set them off on their merry way! It had to do with this news item concerning 32 year-old Alex Rios. 

ICYMI, Alex Rios is out for a 3rd straight game w/ stiff back. Had MRI but isn’t concerned. Will update later. bit.ly/14jOcMT

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 25, 2013

As I’ve mentioned, I sometimes struggle to know exactly how to weigh what an athlete means by “normal stiffness,” as Rios puts it. An MRI taking place puts it more in the territory of normal stiffness for high-intensity professional sports, as opposed to “I need an extra pillow to fall asleep.”

Rios claimed to have felt his back stiffen up lifting weights and keeps typifying the problem as “normal,” but even Robin Ventura is only giving him until Wednesday before he starts getting worried about that whole season that’s supposed to get kicked off next week.

Herm’s on the case and everything, but last season was replete with soreness and bruises and obliques that took a day or two longer than initially projected. Part of that can just be applied to a new managerial regime with a different, more reserved manner of projecting injury recoveries, but part of that could be the realities of an older roster. In that light, a Wednesday projection seems optimistic and Rios getting into a fake game or two before the real ones start is the hope I’ll hold out.

Meanwhile, Jesse Crain had his return to game action Monday and was completely hammered before he could even finish an inning. Luckily… 

Jesse Crain was 93-94 mph on the radar gun per a scout. #WhiteSox

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) March 25, 2013

Not that velocity is everything in regards to being ready for the season. It certainly is not, because good lord was Crain victimized out there, but it was his primary complain last week, and now it’s more or less been overcome, even if his command is back at square one.

John Danks is still in the shop.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan

RV tabs Angel Sanchez as utility infielder. So, only roster spot left is Crain or another reliever

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) March 24, 2013

Angel Sanchez was brought in with a Rule 5 draft pick. That meant that beyond the lack of another plus-fielding shortstop near the majors, his candidacy was aided by the White Sox needing to not just think Steve Tolleson was better than him, but superior to the point that it was worth it to cede all claims to Sanchez. Not to mention that, hey, it’s high time the White Sox got something in return from the Astros.

Tolleson outhit Sanchez over their respective collection of scant spring plate appearances, but never sufficiently outplayed him in terms of the true function of the roster spot–play up the middle defense and hit ninth, ideally in less than 40 games.

Other bench slots had similar contract-issue influences.

The White Sox felt the need to be proactive in securing Dewayne Wise‘s services with a guaranteed contract, which left Jordan Danks and Blake Tekotte pressing for a role that didn’t exist. And when third basemen Conor Gillaspie arrived via trade fresh out of minor league options, Brent Morel suddenly had to not only prove he was healthy, but prove he was  better than the level of play most often associated with Brent Morel.

That’s no good at all for Tolleson, Morel and Danks, who are getting kicked into Quad-A existence with no tangible reward for strong springs, but good in practice, because it removed the historically dubious results of spring training competition from the equation of determining roster spots. None of these guys have proven very valuable yet, so it might be prudent to stockpile them.

Even Hector Gimenez went more or less unchallenged. The only competition the White Sox lined up for him was a non-roster invitee that received less than half of the plate appearances Gimenez received, even with Tyler Flowers missing time.

So…

Catchers

• Tyler Flowers
• Hector Gimenez

Infield

• 1B – Paul Konerko
• 1B – Adam Dunn
• 2B – Gordon Beckham
• SS – Alexei Ramirez
• UTIL – Angel Sanchez
• 3B/IF – Jeff Keppinger
• 3B – Conor Gillaspie

Outfield

• Alejandro De Aza
• Alex Rios
• Dayan Viciedo
• Dewayne Wise

Pitchers

• SP – Chris Sale
• SP – Jake Peavy
• SP – Gavin Floyd
• SP – Jose Quintana
• SP – Dylan Axelrod
• RP – Addison Reed
• RP – Matt Thornton
• RP – Jesse Crain? (Brian Omogrosso/Ramon Troncoso)
• RP – Nate Jones
• RP – Matt Lindstrom
• RP – Donnie Veal
• RP – Hector Santiago

Disabled List

• John Danks

A decent group, you might say.

Follow James Fegan on Twitter @JRFegan