Predicting White Sox outfield race as surprise candidate surges onto roster bubble

With a little over a month remaining until MLB’s Opening Day, all 30 teams have begun the process of narrowing down their 26-man roster. While no official cuts have been made, the auditions for roster spots have begun. For the White Sox, the outfield mix is among several intriguing roster battles, and one early offseason acquisition may be earning a leg up on the competition. 

OF Everson Periera, who the White Sox acquired in a trade with the Rays back in November, was noted by manager Will Venable as a player who’s been off to a strong start in camp. 

“Seeing him run around in the outfield a little bit,” Venable said. “Certainly like how he goes about it from his pre-pitch setup and first-step stuff. He’s a guy who is really thoughtful about the way he moves out there. Just at the plate, a really sound approach. Not a lot going on with his moves, really simple, and he’s getting the barrel to the ball a lot”. 

Pereira's strong spring could land him firmly in White Sox outfield mix

The White Sox outfield mix consists of veterans Andrew Benintendi, Austin Hays, and Derek Hill. Benintendi and Hays, at least, are locks for the roster. The group also features young players like Luisangel Acuna, Brooks Baldwin, and Everson Pereira, as well as non-roster invitees Jarred Kelenic and Dustin Harris. Acuna and Baldwin both offer positional flexibility that the White Sox could value. Acuna, who expressed his comfort in center field earlier this week, could be the betting favorite to start in center on Opening Day with Baldwin serving in a utility role. That leaves one more outfield spot for the group of Hill, Pereira, Kelenic, and Harris. 

Of the non-roster invitees, it feels like Kelenic has the best chance at earning a role. The White Sox hosted a zoom call to introduce Kelenic, which is not typical of minor league signings, and the organization has spoken about how excited they are to have him on board. But the fact that Kelenic is on a minor league deal could inhibit his chances. Both Derek Hill and Everson Pereira are out of minor league options, so they cannot be sent down without clearing waivers, and the risk is there that they’d be claimed by another team. Sending Kelenic down could be the simplest solution and he can always be added to the roster later if he gets off to a strong start. 

If the battle is between Pereira and Hill, I’d give the advantage to Pereira. He’s a former top-100 prospect who’s still just 24 years-old and has shown legitimate power potential. Pereira’s ability to play all three outfield spots combined with his offensive upside certainly provides more intrigue than the profile of a 31 year-old journeyman who has proven to be a defense-first player. The team may be able to pass Hill through waivers and keep him in the organization. 

Pereira's strong start is a great development, and he will be worth keeping an eye on as Cactus League games begin. He’s played in just 50 games at the big league level and hasn’t gotten a ton of opportunities for regular at bats, so the White Sox could offer him more consistent playing time to see if they can unlock the potential that made him a top 100 prospect with the Yankees. 

While it’s far from proven, the White Sox outfield has an interesting mix of upside and veterans that should provide fans with a storyline to follow as we head into the season.