WestEddy

Everybody's working to get up to speed and not get injured. Kelenic's average opponent was a AA pitcher. There's probably a small number of guys on the bubble for whom the coaching staff watches for vigor, elan, focus, etc. Rule 5 guys especially need a decision made by the end of spring training. The only things that really matter is how somebody's new 4-seamer looks. Did your OF lose a ton of bat speed? They watch the replacements so they have an idea who might be coming up during the season, but guys who have 1000 big league PAs aren't going to be judged on 50 ramp up PAs.

No, Pythagorean isn't exact. It's not like the 2025 White Sox were cheated out of 11 wins. Conversely, every run outburst didn't come on the back of a utility infielder pitching. Run differential does have its uses. Labeling a team as "bad" is pretty broad. Why were they "bad"? Every player didn't suck to a man. They put up runs; the bullpen couldn't hold leads. The run differential and Pythagorean starts the discussion that every part of the team wasn't "bad", there were just areas that needed shoring up. With a better bullpen, with better early season subs for injured players, maybe they make up those dozen wins.

While I'm a bit impatient with Colson, Teel and Meidroth not putting up explosive numbers, they all have starting spots on OD. The first 6-8 weeks of the season will tell the tale. It's important for each of these guys (and Acuña, Pereira, Baldwin, Vargas, Quero, Murakami) to not be sitting on a .420 OPS on April 23.

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

Isn't Pythagorean based on raw run totals? Like, if they tee off in some key games, that doesn't exactly translate to overturning those one-run losses, or even being able to put up offense against pitchers from the pitching side of the roster. That said, I think a big part of the problem was staring us right in the face - the bullpen.

Cub-fan tears evaporated and made the air thicker for their halves of innings.

Sox on 35th recap: White Sox 5, Cubs 1: Solo Homers Feul Win | Sox On 35th

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

Wade and Murray have gotten the most starts at 1B and 3B, respectively. C 1B 2B SS 3B 2/20/2026 Teel Murakami Antonacci Murray Mead 2/21/2026 Quero Wade Meidroth C. Montgomery Vargas 2/22/2026 Lee Murakami Sosa Murray Mead 2/23/2026 Teel Wade Meidroth Bergolla Vargas 2/24/2026 Quero Mead Antonacci Murray Sosa 2/25/2026 Lee Murakami Meidroth C. Montgomery Vargas 2/26/2026 Teel Galanie Sosa Murray Mead 2/27/2026 ss Teel Wade Antonacci C. Montgomery Vargas 2/27/2026 ss Quero Sosa Meidroth Murray Dunn 2/28/2026 Lee Wade Meidroth Bergolla Vargas 3/1/2026 Quero Sosa Gonzalez C. Montgomery Murray 3/2/2026 Lee Wade Meidroth Murray Vargas

Brett has kept the lights on at SouthSideSox since Jim Margalus vacated a few years ago. SBNation keeps jerking the money and rules around that causes periods of the site being a guy sitting in an empty store front reading his phone. Malachi Hayes proposes a series to look at unexpected cogs of the next competitive window. This is the first in a series. ** I may also use this string to post the odd player profiles from SoxMachine, the Times and Trib and so forth. ** The phenomenon known as Brooks Baldwin: Fringe to Foundational? A short series | South Side Sox

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.

SouthSideSox wrap: White Sox go deep. And again. And again. And again. And almost again. Whip Cubs, 5-1 | South Side Sox

I think the entire positional player side of the roster is mostly wrapped up. One of Lee, Mead or Pereira won't make the team. C - Teel, Quero IF - Murakami, Meidroth, C. Montgomery, Vargas, Sosa OF - Benintendi, Hays, Acuña, Baldwin There's 2 spots left. Lee, Mead and Pereira are all out of options. If Pereira is healthy and hitting, he most probably makes the team. So, 3 catchers, or a backup 2B? Tanner Murray would have to either force Meidroth to the minors, or another DFA/trade. Somebody previously mentioned Murray as a backup SS, and they already have Acuña, Meidroth and Baldwin who can back up short for a few innings.

I don't either. My reasoning has always been that if all of Acuña, Pereira, Hays and Kelenic are OPSing 2.500 at the end of camp that would be a situation where they could use Baldwin's option to sort out the roster into the season. Obviously, that fantasy scenario won't be happening. All of Acuña, Pereira and Benintendi have been injured in the first 11 games, and Kelenic hasn't hit the field like a man among boys, so I would think Baldwin has an OF spot that's his to lose.

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.

Lamond Pope profile of Fedde: Chicago White Sox: Erick Fedde competes for a rotation spot

I think he's hit as high as maybe 5th in one of his games? But yeah, he's a 7-9 guy until he's putting up numbers.

For a brief moment before games started, I thought that if Acuña, Pereira, Kelenic and Hays all started out gangbusters, a short trip to AAA for Baldwin could help sort through the embarrassment of riches early in the season. But Kelenic looks like just a guy, and Pereira could take weeks before he's playing in games, which puts Baldwin squarely on the roster.

James Fox had a tweet quoting Juiced Levine to that effect.

Bendix? or Kim Ng? Nim Ng took over a playoff team, then lost 90 games twice before squeaking into the playoffs, again in 2023. Peter Bendix took over a playoff team, then lost 100 in the first of two losing seasons. Surely you didn't think the White Sox team coming out of the debacle of a 2023 season were sitting on the precipice of glory. Bringing a playoff team down to 100 losses, then finishing 4 games under .500 seems like an incredibly low bar to be aiming for.

Merk's notes: Teel to say 'arrivederci' to White Sox and 'ciao' to Team Italy - Venable likes Teel - Newcomb likes Teel's elan - Teel likes Italy's chances

The game's on Marquee Network. SouthSideSox preview: Game Thread: White Sox (6-4) at Cubs (4-5) | South Side Sox Sox on 35th slow on the draw, today.