The start of the 2025 regular season has been far from perfect for the Chicago White Sox. In fact, the Sox are sitting at 12-29, which is the exact same record they had through 41 games in 2024.
On paper, not much progress is being made. But there are at least a handful of players on the White Sox roster that are starting off strong and giving Sox fans a reason to be excited.
Some of them, like Shane Smith’s dominant start on the mound and Tim Elko’s power bat, have been well-documented and talked about at length.
Then there are the Sox players who are flying under the radar. These are the guys that are quietly having a good season and not getting enough recognition for it.
Matt Thaiss
Matt Thaiss has just been stable all season long.
Admittedly, I was one of the people who was not super interested in watching Thaiss get big league at-bats. With Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel knocking on the door to start the year, Chicago rolling with Thaiss and Korey Lee at catcher was a big disappointment for me.
But almost every night, Thaiss seems to exceed my expectations and prove me wrong. He has been above average at the plate, with a .719 OPS (110 OPS+) in 67 at-bats.
Defensively, he has already thrown out six baserunners attempting to steal.
Thaiss is second on the White Sox in fWAR this season with 0.7. Not only is that a career-high, but according to FanGraphs, that makes him the team’s most valuable position player. You wouldn’t know it by how little he is talked about.
Mike Vasil
Just a few days before Opening Day, the White Sox claimed RHP Mike Vasil off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays and added him to the 26-man roster.
Vasil, a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher, was all over the place this offseason.
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Vasil during the MLB Rule 5 Draft after the New York Mets opted to leave him unprotected. The Phillies turned around and traded Vasil to the Tampa Bay Rays, where he went through Spring Training but came up short of making the active roster.
The Sox identified something they liked in Vasil’s profile despite a 6.04 ERA as a starting pitcher in Triple-A last season. Chicago moved him to the Major League bullpen, where he has thrived in 2025 as a multi-inning reliever.
Vasil is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings this season.
After trading Tanner Banks at the 2024 deadline, the White Sox have needed somebody to step up and fill that long relief role out of the pen. Vasil has been that guy and now looks like he’ll be a long-term piece of Chicago’s pitching staff.
Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson was acquired by the White Sox from the San Diego Padres as the only major league asset in the return package for Dylan Cease.
Prior to the trade, Wilson had made 102 appearances out of the bullpen for the Padres and carried a career ERA of 3.48.
2024 was a huge disappointment. On June 15th of last year, Wilson had an impressive 2.66 ERA in 23 appearances. From June 16th on, Wilson got shelled to the tune of a 10.05 ERA.
The White Sox designated Wilson for assignment on February 7th and outrighted him to Triple-A Charlotte when he was not claimed on waivers. Wilson made five appearances in the minor leagues before being recalled by Chicago on April 16.
Since then, he has appeared in 10 major league games and allowed only two runs in 11 innings (1.64 ERA). Opposing hitters are batting just .086 against Wilson this season.
If he’s able to refine his stuff and become a high leverage arm, it would be incredibly valuable for Chicago. While Wilson is already 30 years old, a late start to his career keeps him under club control through the 2027 season. By then, the White Sox might be ready to win some games and if not, he could be a decent trade piece.