There were several stars for the Chicago White Sox this in their last series. Tim Anderson, Andrew Vaughn, and Eloy Jimenez are ones that we think about when it comes to batting. We saw Dylan Cease and Kendall Graveman come through in the clutch and help the Sox pitch well.
However, there was one guy that no one really knew about until this weekend that came through and helped the White Sox to victory. That guy is Tanner Banks. Banks grew up in Utah and went to college at the University of Utah.
Banks isn’t exactly a young prospect. He’s essentially a 30-year-old rookie. He was drafted by the White Sox in the 18th round of the 2014 draft. Following a college baseball career, Banks has spent his entire minor league career at different levels of the White Sox system. He started 115 games in the minors in seven years.
The White Sox finally decided to bring him on board thanks to the injuries that hit the pitching staff. It also helped that the rosters are expanded early in the season.
Tanner Banks has the potential to be great for the Chicago White Sox in 2022.
Banks made his first go of it against the Detroit Tigers this past Sunday and did an excellent job. He pitched in two innings to close out the game walking two while striking out four batters. That’s quite a debut for a guy who hasn’t pitched much against big-league batters.
After such a great performance, it can be assured that manager Tony LaRussa is going to utilize him much more often out of the bullpen. As long as Banks doesn’t lose games for the Sox, they are sure to keep him on the roster.
Perhaps it’s even possible that he could end up being a starting pitcher on the staff. With injuries to Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn, the White Sox are likely to use several different pitchers to start and try to win games. Could Banks be one of those that start?
Perhaps this will end up being a fairy-tale season for Banks. Maybe he will turn out to be a hero, win a lot of games, and help put the White Sox in a prime position to make the playoffs. We can only hope that Banks has such a season and gives us the feel-good story for the year.