How the Chicago White Sox Lost Leadership but Gained a Little Back

By now fans have heard that the Chicago White Sox let Mike Moustakas, a jack of all trades in the infield, loose. They did the same to outfielder Kevin Pillar but brought him back into the mix.

The cutting of Moustakas, who didn’t have a “great” spring training, leaves a gap in leadership on the team for the Sox. Moustakas, as outlined in past articles was an ideal leader for the Sox. Now he’s gone.

Who can fill his spot as a leader, and will they be able to handle a leadership role on the team?

Well, Pillar might be just the guy that the White Sox need to help lead the team and he’s going to be part of it, at least for the short term. Pillar was let loose last week but brought back to help in the outfield where the White Sox need some help.

Pillar, who has been in the league since 2013, has the experience and the ability to lead this squad and keep them going. At least in the outfield. We would hope that, in the outfield, Luis Robert Jr. would take over and lead but two leaders in the outfield isn’t a bad thing.

This has been discussed time and again, but leadership is important on any team in any sport. The White Sox need leadership at every level of the team from the outfield to the infield, at the mound, and in the bullpen. This team was lacking leadership in 2023 and we see where that got them.

The White Sox might not have a stellar season this year, but they have opportunities to improve progress further in their rebuild. The leadership on this team will help keep this new group aligned and moving in the right direction we hope. Sure, they may not win a lot of games, but they will at least try and the leaders on this team will hold others accountable to try. That’s important.

It’s tough to see Moustakas leave. He would have been an excellent leader on this team. But you never know, he could make his way back to the Sox and be an asset. At least they did bring back Pillar showing their commitment to keeping leadership in the club.

Granted, a player must play well to be on the team and Moustakas just wasn’t cutting it. He could have been all the leader he wanted to be but if he wasn’t showing up at the plate, the White Sox couldn’t afford to keep him. They need players, guys that can get out on the field and make plays or get up to the plate and hit the ball. Moustakas wasn’t doing that so now he’s gone.

The White Sox still don’t have their roster figured out as of this writing. They have mere days before they need to settle in on a final roster. Let’s hope that this roster is filled with guys who can be a leader for the team and help them through the good and the bad that’s coming.

Hopefully, we see better than bad in 2024.