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Which returning player will take the next step? 3 questions as full squad workouts begin for the Chicago White Sox.

lamond pope, chicago tribune
·5 min read

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Manager Pedro Grifol felt the Chicago White Sox were able to execute what they felt was necessary during their first five days of camp with pitchers and catchers.

“We’re in a good spot for these position players to come in and integrate into our practices,” Grifol said Sunday at Camelback Ranch.

The position players are added to the equation Monday with the first full squad workout.

“The plan was to get the pitchers ready to go, all the intros with our fundamentals, and then have one intro (Monday) with the position players and then ramp them up for the next four days (ahead of Friday’s Cactus League opener),” Grifol said. “And then we’ll slow it down and get really technical.

“But for the next four days, we’ll be going at a high energy level.”

Many of the position players have already made appearances at Camelback Ranch.

As the Sox enter the next phase in configuring their 26-man roster for opening day, here are three questions facing the team.

Which returning player will take the next step?

Luis Robert Jr. elevated his game in 2023, reaching career highs in several categories while earning his first All-Star selection.

Which player could potentially make a leap in 2024?

First baseman Andrew Vaughn set career highs in several offensive categories in 2023, including home runs (21) and RBIs (80).

During last week’s spring training preview Zoom call, general manager Chris Getz said Vaughn “expects to take a step forward.”

The 2019 season has served as an example of third baseman Yoán Moncada’s potential when he hit .315 with 25 home runs and 79 RBIs. He hit .260 with 11 home runs and 40 RBIs in 92 games during a 2023 season that was interrupted on a couple of occasions by back issues.

Eloy Jiménez played in 120 games last season, just shy of his career-best of 122 during his rookie campaign of 2019. He had 18 home runs and 64 RBIs, his best numbers since hitting 31 home runs and driving in 79 in 2019.

“(Moncada is) determined to go out there and have a solid year for us,” Getz said. “Things have to play out and we have to get through spring training and the early part of the season, and Eloy Jiménez is someone else. Offensively, we’ve seen the potential he has. When he’s on the field he’s very productive. Last year, other than the appendectomy, he had taken care of a lot of the issues he had in the past from a health standpoint. I feel like he’s well positioned to be productive on a regular basis, as well.”

How will the new-look middle of the infield perform?

Elvis Andrus and Tim Anderson started at second base and shortstop, respectively, for the Sox in the 2023 season opener at Houston.

Both are free agents, meaning the Sox will have a new look at those two spots this season.

They acquired infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake in November from the Atlanta Braves in the Aaron Bummer trade. They signed shortstop Paul DeJong to a one-year deal later that month.

Lopez and DeJong played for multiple teams last season.

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Lopez combined to slash .231/.326/.307 with eight doubles, one home run, 25 RBIs and 32 runs in 94 games between the Braves and Kansas City Royals in 2023. DeJong combined to hit .207 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 38 RBIs in 112 games between the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants last season.

Primarily, the additions were made first with defense in mind.

“What stood out about Nicky and Paul was their defensive ability,” Getz said earlier this month. “Obviously moving on from (Anderson), opened up an opportunity up the middle. They have solid reputations, performed well defensively, both have had success offensively so feel pretty good about where we’re at in the middle infield.”

And down the line, the team’s top prospect is shortstop Colson Montgomery.

“When it comes to Colson, I don’t think there’s a player in perhaps minor league baseball that doesn’t have the arrow pointed in the direction that he has at the current moment,” Getz said last week when asked of Montgomery’s spring checklist. “Just to continue that momentum. Players like that let you know when they’re ready to be at the major-league level.”

Who will be the starting right fielder?

The Sox have players like 11-year veteran Kevin Pillar in camp. There’s also the likes of Dominic Fletcher, who made his major-league debut last season.

Those two are among the potential options in right field.

The Sox acquired Fletcher, who appeared in 28 games last season, in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Feb. 3. They also traded for outfielder Zach DeLoach as part of a deal with the Seattle Mariners the same day.

Pillar, who hit .228 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 81 games with the Braves in 2023, signed a minor-league deal and is a non-roster invitee.

“We have the right field position, DeLoach, (returning player) Gavin Sheets, Fletcher, and we’ve got Kevin Pillar that’s in camp, we feel like right field was an area which certainly needed to take a jump forward,” Getz said last week. “We’ve got personnel that if they play to their capabilities, they can do that.”