Season-one of rebuilding the Chicago White Sox is winding down. The South Siders have tanked their way to the second worst record in Major League Baseball behind the downtrodden Philadelphia Phillies.
But there have been reasons to celebrate amidst a depressing season. Several elite prospects made their south-side debut to healthy fanfare. Yoan Moncada’s promotion alone boosted ticket sales creating a frenzy of merchandise hoarding on an unparalleled scale. Lucas Giolito notched his first big-league win on Sunday and owns a 2.77 earned run average over two starts in the show. Reynaldo Lopez also dazzled The Rate crowd before suffering what appears to be an innocuous back injury.
Still, there were other less brilliant appearances by other prospects. Carson Fulmer was lit up like a Christmas tree in his only start in the majors and promptly returned to Triple-A with a host of unanswered questions about his future with the White Sox. In the minors, heralded prospect Zack Collins developed well behind the plate but tipped the scales in the wrong direction with the bat.
Collins erupted early in his second tour at High-A collecting three hits in his first game with two doubles and posting a .333 batting average over the first week of the season. A tremendous dry spell followed and Collins closed his season at Winston-Salem with a .223 batting average.
Despite his dip in batting average, the slugger demonstrated his offensive production with a patient approach and improved his skills as a backstop by hosing 68 percent of base runners.
There were other less notable debuts as Jacob May failed to return early dividends, yet Adam Engel has been a ray of sunshine and appears to have claimed the center field duties for the foreseeable future. Nicky Delmonico has etched himself in the White Sox record books with early success and the list goes on.
With the September roster expansion on the horizon and a teaming farm system, there are several promotions and lineup changes that should be made in the next few weeks.
Expand The Rotation
Derek Holland has not become the lottery ticket many expected him to be. In fact, the only positive he has brought to the White Sox roster is starting every fifth day. And in that role, he hasn’t even consumed innings at the rate the White Sox needed him to. Mike Pelfrey has done a better job of absorbing innings and relieving the pressure on the bullpen. This is a deficiency Holland has recognized and should be applauded for accepting accountability.
His last start notwithstanding, he has been atrocious. He is a free agent at the end of the season and cannot be moved after Aug. 31. After consecutive appalling seasons as a starter, it appears Holland’s remaining value is in the bullpen. He has kept lefties at bay with a .232 batting average and could extend his career in a matchup role. Why not send him to the bullpen and give him a shot to audition for teams next season?
Doing so would open a rotation spot for Fulmer to sink or swim as a starter in the major leagues while extending the rotation to a sixth man would give Tyler Danish another whack at the show. Both pitchers are already on the 40-man roster and are likely to join the White Sox in September anyway.
Infield In
The infield is crowded with role players and prospects. Yolmer Sanchez and Tyler Saladino have served the organization well and deserve a fair shake at earning a starting position. Sanchez has a regular spot in the lineup but Saladino might have to ride the pine since Delmonico, Moncada and Matt Davidson appear to be the future.
While Moncada is on the D.L. – which could end up being the rest of the season – Saladino will get playing time, but Delmonico will rejoin the White Sox soon and Davidson is already back at the hot corner. Saladino’s value will manifest in platooning around the infield to rest regulars like Tim Anderson.
Danny Hayes seemed to be the likeliest candidate to earn a September call-up but he has chilled in the fall breeze batting .229 the last three months with only seven home runs. Casey Gillaspie is two years younger and despite a sluggish debut with Charlotte after getting caught in the Dan Jennings trade with Tampa Bay, he is batting .265 with two home runs over the last 10 games.
D.J. Peterson, a waiver claim from Seattle in early August, is already on the 40-man roster and will likely join the big-league squad as part of the late season shift, but the infield is already saturated and it doesn’t seem likely that many infielders will be raised from the minors to supplement as a designated hitter. Yet, the White Sox 40-man roster is approximately three players short and offers flexibility in the next few days.
Shifting The Outfield
Given the strength and age of the active roster, the White Sox will promote sluggers from Triple-A. May is already on the 40-man roster and likely to receive a call-up but the slew of other potential outfielders are a hodgepodge of vacillating value.
Cody Asche was demoted to the minors early in the season but has since batted .303 with 11 long balls. Asche is a free agent at the end of the season and doesn’t seem to fit the profile of who the White Sox want to promote.
Rymer Liriano, claimed off waivers from the Brewers in the offseason, should earn a promotion given his set of skills and his return from a horrific facial injury similar to the one Giancarlo Stanton suffered a few seasons back. Liriano only batted .255 this season but he has been a steady force since June batting .269 with 14 bombs.
The rest of the batch of outfielders in Triple-A does not serve the interests of the club to call up. But with the remaining roster spots, there could be a dark horse promotion from Double-A, Eloy Jimenez.
Birmingham has been eliminated from the postseason and will put a bow on 2017 on Sept. 4. If the White Sox give the slugger a major-league promotion on the fifth and keep him up through the end of the season, Jimenez will only spend 27 days of big-league service time.
It is a big leap for a 20-year-old player to make, but Jimenez is batting .347 in 13 games at Double-A with three home runs. He has three multi-hit games and posted back-to-back three hit affairs in his last two games. Jimenez is six for his last nine with two home runs.
This is an unlikely promotion considering Jimenez has only played 13 games above High-A and an altogether separate approach from what the Red Sox did with Moncada last season. Moncada had spent most the 2016 campaign in Double-A and was scheduled to begin 2017 in Triple-A.
Still, players occasionally make the jump to the majors from Double-A. It is an easier leap for pitchers than hitters, but Ryan Zimmerman made the jump in 2005 after only 63 games at Double-A in his first professional season.
It can be done. If Jimenez finds himself in a big-league clubhouse next week he won’t be there to watch. He is certain to play, albeit in a D.H. role, most likely.
