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Robert hit 14 HRs each of the last 2 seasons and put up a wRC+ of 84. Austin Hays just hit 15 HRs last season and had a wRC+ of 105.

What side of the plate?

I'm almost certain you accused me of "gaslighting" last season for saying spring training win/loss wasn't a predictive measure... Anyway, webcast with ESPN radio is available for this game for those interested: https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/video/spring-training-cws-sf-194612

Sir this is a Jeep forum. Have you taken a test drive in the new 2027 Jeep Grand Cherokee? Should check one out at South Oak Jeep Dodge Ram & Chrysler!

Being the largest market in a small market division and acting like the smallest market in a small market division has become a curse for fans. We do our best to overhype eveything.

With the Sox luck, they would get Bronny James, instead.

Even though it doesn't count it's always nice to beat the Cubs.

This is probably the deepest dive I've read on how Chris Getz has revamped the organization with an analysis of the various foci. What is Chris Getz's vision for the White Sox? - Sox Machine

He certainly fits the type yea?

Emerson is my guy for our pick so I appreciate this.

Cubs pitching getting absolutely LIT UP by the Reds today. 15-6 so far. Boy I hope the Cubs end up the third best team in that division.

You aren't already? Gotta catch up man!

Hoo, boy. I'm not sure I'm prepared to start fantasizing about what Acuña could be.

Easy breezy 7 pitch inning for Taylor. 5 fastballs (averaging 100.1 lol) and 2 sliders to get two easy fly balls and a K. Acuna solo shot (104mph 419ft) adds on for the Sox, 5-3.

Acuna and Kelenic having a great game nice to see

Nice to see Kelenic get a hard hit against a LHP.

Eisert retired 3 straight RHH with 2 Ks on the changeup. He's having a great spring. Wade BB, Sosa double, Murray sac fly ties the game at 3-3. Kelenic RBI double (110.6 EV 👀) scores Sosa for the lead. Sox still batting

Sox get a couple back on a Kelenic single and SB, Lee RBI double and advance on a flyout, and Acuna RBI single. 106.6 off the bat for Acuna. 3-2 Giants after 3, Eisert in for Martin

Spring results aren't predictive, but metrics can matter. You want your pitchers to hit their velo/shape targets even if the lack of "real" gameplanning means they give up hits in the process. EVs, whiff rates, etc. matter for hitters. Antonacci flashing higher EVs is meaningful (and still would be even if they were all finding gloves and his surface stats were worse as a result).

Josh Nelson does a full profile of Grady Emerson over at SoxMachine: 2026 MLB Draft: Firsthand look at the impressive Grady Emerson - Sox Machine

They have Sosa. He led the team in home runs last year, but so many people here seem to ignore him or forget about him. I don’t think he’ll lead the Sox in HRs this year, but if he gets enough at bats, I feel confident he’s good for 25 to 30. That’s why I think he should be the main person at 2nd over Meidroth. That power goes a long way. With Quero and Benitendi, there are not enough DH at bats to take advantage of Sosa’s power. A example of my point about people forgetting about Sosa is that I was listening to a podcast saying that Sam A, with his EVs, should replace Meidroth because he is good for 12 to 15 homers a years, clearly more than Chase can hit. I listened to that realizing that Sosa could double that amount.

I don't put much stock into pythagorean records. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is what bad teams do. This is just saying "Hey, then only won 60 games but if they weren't such a bad team they could have won 71". Well, they were a bad team.

One of the podcasts discussed this phenomenon with college pitching versus pro pitching. College pitchers mostly live on the outside corner due to lack of velocity so college hitter naturally gravitate to the inside out swing because it more effective. This also leads them to be jammed more with the pop ups when the pitchers do go inside. The key is does the player have the ability to adjust to the velocity and swing change needed to hit pro pitching.

The White Sox started the last two spring seasons 3-8 and 3-9. It's also nice to see a way that this team could improve this season.

FWIW, the Sox underperformed their BaseRuns record by 7 wins as well. Both of these are reasonably good ways of removing luck from your results. Teams rarely show any repeatable ability to win close games, etc. I think it's more than fair to say that last year's team was better than its record suggests. More likely than not, they will play closer to whatever their record ends up being this year. Part of that means they could stay about the same and win 70 games. FWIW, bad bullpen is already accounted for in pythagorean and related statistics *unless* you pre-suppose that the Sox used their worst pitchers at the most important times, which I don't think was the case. I recall some very bad luck with their best relievers on the mound...Grant Taylor suffered from some serious seeing-eye singles in a few key moments, for instance.

I love that camera. It’s like a gothic romance novel

James Fox was saying something like that on last week's FutureSox podcast. WST may have dropped the ball by not taking Acuña's prospect seriously, and pretending it was only a salary dump. They'd wanted Acuña for over a year.

Cannon's perfect 3IP last time out was with a very 4-seam heavy mix. He got hit a little in his first inning tonight tinkering with his other offerings (only threw 2 4S), although one hit was an unlucky grounder that clipped off his foot into LF. Went back to throwing more 4S for a clean second inning, then gave up a solo shot on a high one to lead off his third inning. His changeup had been effective in his previous outings, but he didn't throw any until his final few pitches today. Statcast is having a hard time distinguishing his slider and sweeper live, curious to see what his pitch mix ends up looking like once that's corrected.

After the endless mocking of Getz for referring to Acuna as a switch hitter, that trade might end up being one of the best moves he has made. Some fans thought the Sox should never have re-signed Luis Robert, but Getz got that contract covered plus Acuna, who could end up as an excellent player.

I’ve never heard that term before and I’ve decided I don’t like it. I love it!

Rich man's Leury Garcia would be fine.

Just swap it for the fantasizing we've been doing about what Robert could have been the last several years.

Dont forget about recruiting more Sox fans and selling Kool-Aid.

cannon still sucks

I would definitely be spending my weekends selling flowers and prayer beads at the airport for Chris Getz.

Feels like there's lots of good choices for the last LHP in the pen (which I agree is the main/most interesting battle). Assuming it comes down to roster machinations unless someone really separates themselves one way or another. Eisert, Gilbert, Borucki have all looked good, but Eisert is the only one with options remaining.

Ha live a little.

Vargas and Wade follow up the Acuna solo HR with singles. Sosa fielders choice on a DP ball to the right side. Bad throw to 2nd still got the force out but no chance to get Sosa at 1st. Tanner Murray pop up ends inning.

Effectively it is believed to be literally 5%, so barely breaking above zero. https://packetstorm.com/the-myth-of-spring-training-records-do-they-predict-mlb-regular-season-success/

We are in spring training threads, no more talk about how it don't matter. This is life and death baby.

Spring training means nothing. You really don’t know a lot about a player just from his spring training results. Everyone knows and understands this. Except, when spring training is added on to other things, then we start to think that, maybe, spring training is telling us something. It has been understood that Meidroth is a big part of the core, and he’s gonna be the starting 2nd baseman, even to the point that he has a bobble head this summer. But Antonicci has killed the ball this spring. Add that to his minors performance last year, and add on his AFL results. Hmmmm. Sosa led the team in home runs last year. He seems to be pounding the ball this spring. Hummmm. Again spring training means nothing, but there are starting to be discussions. I think it would help Meidroth to get a couple hits today, maybe one for extra bases.

DVS notes in Times: White Sox' catching corps off to strong start in camp - Chicago Sun-Times - Catchers lauded; Lee not mentioned - WBC players gone - Benintendi won't play til midweek - Sox lead league in hits and doubles - mini-recap Meghan Montemurro Sox/Cubs notes in Trib: Cactus League: Cubs' Alex Bregman slugs first spring home run - mini-piece on Meidroth's off-season - Braden discusses HR off Imanaga SoxMachine PodCast: Podcast: Watching Roch - Sox Machine - Fegan thinks Lee will eventually end up on waivers - Pereira still days away

Hill and Kelenic also getting nice, long looks. LF CF RF DH P 2/20/2026 Hays Hill Peters Lee Cannon 2/21/2026 Kelenic Acuña Baldwin Benintendi Murphy 2/22/2026 Hays Hill B. Montgomery Teel Vasil 2/23/2026 Benintendi Acuña Kelenic Murakami S. Smith 2/24/2026 Hays Hill Baldwin Wade Kay 2/25/2026 Benintendi Acuña Peters Kelenic Martin 2/26/2026 Hays Hill B. Montgomery Quero Newcomb 2/27/2026 ss Darren Baker Baldwin Hays Harris Fedde 2/27/2026 ss B. Montgomery Peters Kelenic Lee Burke 2/28/2026 Kelenic Hill Baker Antonacci S. Smith 3/1/2026 Benintendi Baldwin B. Montgomery Hays Kay 3/2/2026 Kelenic Acuña Hill Sosa Martin

I like the idea of Teel leading off (seems weird at first because he’s a catcher and that looks weird haha) and Meidroth hitting 9th. Vargas 2, Colson 3, Murakami 4. Stack your best towards the top.

Robert didn’t spend a lot of time in the middle of the order last season.

The Pythagorean for the 2025 Sox was 71-91, there’s a chance the 2026 Sox come close to 80 wins, I think 75 wins is about right but I really think we got a nucleus of guys who really think they can win, they just might really surprise everybody this year.

Murakami just struck out his first AB against Orix in Osaka at the Kyocera Dome. Hitting fourth ahead of Yoshida and Sato. Y.Kikuchi roughed up for three bottom of first, two earned. Almost gave up a bomb to CF warning track or it would be a rout. 3-0 Orix P Teranishi very impressive so far. Low 90s but stuff has good life/movement. Don't love the Murakami bat wrap...you have to have incredible forearm and wrist strength but maybe he's a unicorn like Julio Franco. Samurai defense just played a single into a double. Slowly so far...just had a wild throw from SS to first allowing a run. Mune just made a good diving play on yet another wild wide throw to first. Quite solid over there. 9 up 9 down...for Jpn top of order k.Kondoh Ohtani SSuzuki no okamoto Ohtani k'd against lhp first 11 retired Orix into pen Yoshida towering Homer to RF upper tank 3-1 Orix top 5 Murakami pulled a sharp grounder to 2B on a low outside sinker Mune Suzuki Ohtani always together in dugout Kikuchi through 4 2 er pulled could start Sat versus Korea top 7 Ohtani popped up to of Murakami towering ball to LF warning track both 0/3 Yoshida 2/3 Suzuki also singled inf Shugo Maki doubled off the lf wall 3rd run scored but tying run cut down at the plate on a nice play by the infielder taking the short hop throw (on artificial turf, much easier) 4-3 Orix Japan 3-2 in exhibitions so far One more against Hanshin, then real WBC games Fri against Taipei and Sat against Korea

His hands are busy, and he’s long through the ball. But he sure seems to be able to hit. Hitting velocity is the only question.

I wish they used wood bats in college