Chicago White Sox Opening Day Roster Projection
The hope is the team does not lose 100 games this year.
The Chicago White Sox are projected to win more games than they did last season but not by much. Fangraphs projects the Sox will win 67 games in 2024. That is only a six-win improvement from last season.
So much for things turning around quickly on the Southside.
One reason for that is the White Sox players' total projected fWAR is the third-worst in the majors. Another reason is the White Sox starting rotation (we will get to that shortly) lacks a true ace now that Dylan Cease has been traded. Heck, the starting rotation lacks a true No. 3 pitcher right now. Garrett Crochet, who has never started a game in his major-league career, is slated to be the Opening Day starter.
Let's not also forget the spring training roster is crawling with former Kansas City Royals. Hey, the team is going through another rebuild whether ownership refuses to accept it or not and you need players to plug the holes in the roster until the prospects are ready. It just would be nice if they did not come from an organization that consistently finishes worse than the Sox.
Just because the season is going to be bad, it does not mean there are reasons you should not watch. If spring training is any indication of how things will go on the field, do not expect a ton of winning. A roster that is not very talented is the biggest reason this team will not be competing for a playoff spot despite being in the weak AL Central.
As spring training wraps up, here is how the initial 26-man roster could look on Opening Day...
Catcher: Martin Maldonado (starter) and Max Stassi
The Sox were weak defensively at catcher with Yasmani Grandal behind the plate. Now that he is gone, general manager Chris Getz focused on bringing in catchers who can do more than frame a pitch.
Maldonado and Stassi were both added in the offseason to provide better defense behind the plate and work better with the pitching staff.
The downside is that neither is going to hit much.
Maldonado's projected slash line according to Fangraphs is .184/.258/.348 with just nine home runs and wRC+ of 66. He is currently hitting below .100 in spring training.
Stassi's projected slash line is .209/.293/.355 with eight home runs and wRC+ of 79. He is currently batting below .200 in spring training.
Both are placeholders until prospects Korey Lee and Edgar Quero are ready to take over. Lee was terrible during his brief time with the Sox last season. He is hitting above .300 in spring training and still has potential to at least be a competent backup catcher.
Quero is the Sox's fifth-best prospect and is expected to be the future starter.
It would not be surprising to see Lee up at some point if Maldonado or Stassi being automatic outs leads to needing a bit more offense from that position.
Starting Infielders: Andrew Vaughn (1B), Nicky Lopez (2B), Paul DeJong (SS), and Yoan Moncada (3B)
The goal in the offseason was to upgrade the defense. Gone is the former face of the franchise, Tim Anderson. One reason he has been replaced by DeJong is Anderson was inconsistent in fielding the ball. He would make amazing plays but then boot the ball on a routine grounder.
DeJong has struggled to hit for average, but he does have some pop in his bat with 116 career home runs over seven seasons. He is more known for his defense as he was a 9.8 defensive fWAR player last season.
Lopez has tailed off since his career season in 2021 when he hit .300 and was a 6.0 fWAR player. He too plays solid defense as he was an 8.9 fWAR defensive player in 2023.
Vaughn had a decent season in his first go around as the unquestioned starting first baseman. He hit 21 home runs but the rest of his numbers were replacement-level last year. That is not good enough when the last two players to man first base are franchise icons in Paul Konerko and Jose Abreu. Vaughn is projected to have a .263/.325/.453 slash line this season.
Moncada is capable of winning a Gold Glove at third base. The problem for him is he is rarely healthy. He played in 92 games last season and 104 in 2022. If he can stay healthy and recapture the hitting production in 2019 when he was 31.5 offensive fWAR player, the Sox do have a chance to be in some games this year.
Both Vaughn and Moncada are playing great in Cactus League play. DeJong has three home runs and 13 RBI. Hopefully, the production carries over into the regular season.
Starting Outfielders: Andrew Benintendi (LF), Luis Robert Jr. (CF), and Dominic Fletcher (RF)
Benintendi was given the richest free-agent contract in team history last year. He battled a wrist injury and was nowhere near the hit-for-average hitter he has been in his career.
Fangraphs does not project Benintendi to hit .300 like he did in 2022, but he is forecasted to be better than 2023. With Anderson gone, he will move into the leadoff spot.
Robert Jr. would have won the AL MVP last year had the Sox not lost 101 games and Shohei Ohtani not played in the American League. Ohtani is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers so Robert Jr. has a shot if he can replicate his amazing 2023 season. He is one of the few players the White Sox have that is worth watching this season.
The Sox brought in a lot of competition to find a starting right fielder. This position has been a hole in the lineup for this organization ever since Jermaine Dye retired in 2009. Oscar Colas was supposed to be the long-term answer, but he was a bust last season. He only lasted a few weeks in spring training before he was demoted to minor league camp.
Dominic Fletcher seems to have won the job with how much playing time he is getting in spring training. He was acquired in an offseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is an older prospect who is on the cusp of being a big-league player. Gavin Sheets (we will address him shortly) is having the better spring training, but Fletcher is a much better fielder, and the Sox are going to need Sheets' bat off the bench but we will address that shortly.
Designated Hitter: Eloy Jimenez
This is the year Jimenez has to stay healthy and live up to his immense potential. This is the final season of the guaranteed years in the six-year, $43 million contract he signed in 2019. He has a $16.5 million club option for next season and an $18.5 million team option for 2026. That is $35 million on the line for Eloy who has never played more than 122 games.
He hit a career-high 31 home runs in 2019 but has not hit over 20 since. He is raking in spring training. If the Sox get that to carry over into this season, and he plays regularly, the team will have a valuable trade piece or a player they can use for two more seasons if they can get competitive by 2025.
Also, Eloy showed he can play right field in a pinch although he should stay at DH.
Utility Players: Kevin Pillar (OF), Gavin Sheets (1B/OF), and Zach Remillard (INF)
The Sox could decide to go young with their fourth outfielder in Zach DeLoach. Veteran Brett Philips is a non-roster invitee who plays great defense, but he is all glove and no bat.
The veteran Pillar gets the nod over these two as he is having the better spring at the plate. That is not saying much as he has a .231 batting average.
He is a veteran who provides a good clubhouse presence, and the team wants to upgrade in that area. Sheets is having a great spring training and can play right and first. Veteran Mike Moustakas is in camp as a non-roster invite, but he is struggling this spring. He still might get consideration since he can play first, third, and second base in a pinch.
Both hit from the left side of the plate. Sheets is playing better and younger, so that is why he gets the nod.
Braden Shewmake would have made the Opening Day roster as the utility infielder had he not sprained his ankle. He looks to be out for two to four weeks, so he is slated to start the season on the IL.
In that case, Remillard should get the nod over Danny Mendick as Remillard is having the better spring at the plate.
Starting Rotation: Garrett Crochet, Erick Fedde, Michael Soroka, Chris Flexin, and Nick Nastrini
There is not much drama here as the White Sox do not have any other options on the roster to be a starter.
Jared Shuster was sent to minor league camp after he struggled. Touki Toussaint has gotten shelled. Brad Keller has done nothing to overtake Nastrini. Plus, it is better to give a young prospect a shot to be the fifth starter rather than Keller who has never been very good as a starting pitcher.
Bullpen: Michael Kopech, Jordan Leasure, Steven Wilson, Tanner Banks, Deivi Garcia, Tim Hill, John Brebbia, Jake Cousins
Kopech has been moved to the bullpen permanently. He could be the closer to start the season with his stuff. Brebbia could also close as he is back on the mound after missing most of camp with an injury.
Young pitchers like Leasure and Garcia have earned a spot in the bullpen. Wilson was slated to be one of the San Diego Padres setup pitchers before he was included in the Dylan Cease trade. He will probably be put into that role with the Sox.
Hill has been solid this spring and can be the lefty out of the pen. Banks is also a southpaw, but he will be needed for long relief. Toussaint can also make the roster in this role.
Cousins is having a good spring and can throw some gas out of the pen. He is a castoff from the Milwaukee Brewers who still has good stuff. Dominic Leone could just as easily be put on the roster instead of Cousins. Veteran Jesse Chavez is still in camp too although his numbers have not been very good.
The bullpen has a chance to be the strength of this time even though most of these guys you have never heard of, are castoffs, or are way past their prime.
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