Final Prediction for Chicago White Sox's Key Spring Position Battles

With just over two weeks left in spring training, the Chicago White Sox are nearing decisions on the position battles being waged in camp.

To be sure, general manager Rick Hahn did a fine job setting the 25-man roster well before anyone stepped foot on the diamond in Glendale, Arizona. Fact is, this is the best unit the club has had (on paper) in some time, and there wasn’t much in the way of intrigue.

So let’s look at two positions that seem to be decided for one reason or another before briefly touching on a few that are still in process or were formalities at the start of spring training.

Fifth Starter Following Chris Sale’s Injury

When Chris Sale went down with an avulsion fracture in his right foot early on this spring, it opened the door for several pitchers to take his spot. Among them, Brad Penny, Scott Carroll and Carlos Rodon have stood out.

Let’s start with Rodon, who has pitched to mixed results. In his first outing, he was electric, striking out four in 2.1 innings. Unfortunately, his second and third starts showed that there is still some work to be done. In all, he's logged 5.1 innings, surrendering five earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts.

Couple the unevenness of his production to this point with the fact that the White Sox will gain an extra year of team control by sending him down to the minor leagues to start the season, and there is little chance he breaks camp with the club. That said, he will be on the short list should injury strike the rotation or one of the back-end guys struggle.

That leaves Penny and Carroll, who have both thrown the ball well.

John Locher/Associated Press

True, Penny has a .355 batting average against, which is not good, but he has pitched out of trouble for the most part, never allowing more than one earned run in any of his three starts, and he has only walked one batter in 7.2 innings of work. Flat out, Penny is pitching like the veteran he is.

Carroll, on the other hand, has less innings but was holding opponents to a .176 batting average against entering play on Wednesday. He has also only allowed four baserunners in his 4.2 innings of work.

Based on the results to this point, the edge has to go to Penny, but production won’t be the determining factor here. See, the time is rapidly approaching for the White Sox to give Penny a $100,000 bonus for staying on the minor league roster, cut him or add him to the major league roster based on the contract he signed this offseason.

The problem there is that if he is added to the big league roster, what do the White Sox do when Sale returns from his injury? Throw him in the bullpen? What does that then mean for the other right-handed relievers?

As it stands, Maikel Cleto (if he makes the team) and Javy Guerra (who’s a lock) are out of options. And there is little chance that Hahn would send Zach Putnam or Jake Petricka to the minor leagues to make room for Penny once Sale comes back. It’s a numbers game, no doubt, but Carroll will be the fifth starter to open the season.

Second Base

What started out as an open competition between Carlos Sanchez and Micah Johnson for the starting nod at second base has turned into a one-man race thanks to Johnson’s production.

Ben Margot/Associated Press

In 27 at-bats going into action Wednesday, the left-handed hitter has a .444 batting average with three extra-base hits, three walks and a stolen base, and he leads the club with a 1.167 on-base plus slugging percentage. He is using the whole field offensively and is making the most of his speed, taking extra bases on pitches in the dirt, moving from first to third on singles and using the bunt as a weapon. It’s impressive.

And let’s not forget that his defense is better than advertised. Via CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes, manager Robin Ventura said:

"

For all the question marks that are there, he has looked good. He looks relaxed enough, feels like he can handle it. He’s got a lot of confidence, which is really the first thing you want to have defensively. He’s had a nice camp. I think he came in focused for winning the job…

"

Strong words from the manager.

To be fair, Sanchez is playing well. He’s flashing solid leather and has compiled a .278/.350/.278 slash line over 18 at-bats. In any other spring training, his performance could have been enough.

Not this year, though. Johnson wins the job at second.

Odds and Ends

Catcher Geovany Soto has all but locked up the spot behind incumbent Tyler Flowers thanks to a .313/.450/.438 slash line and adequate work defensively.  J.B. Shuck leads the team with three stolen bases and has two walks to go with eight hits in 23 at-bats, ensuring that he will break camp as the final outfielder.

Neither man faced much competition. After all, it was assumed that given Soto's experience, he was the club's first choice after Flowers, and Shuck has had a clear path since Tony Campana went down with an ACL injury before camp started. Yes, they could have played their way out of their spots, but they've each done what's necessary to earn a nod on the White Sox Opening Day roster.

Finally, the bullpen is a topic for the future. There is too much in the air right now to make an informed decision.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Matt Albers (4 G, 5.0 IP, 0 R, 6 K) is making a case to open the season on the 25-man roster. And as first reported by the Chicago Sun Times’ Daryl Van Schouwen, Jesse Crain was scheduled to throw in a minor league game on Wednesday. He didn't end up making an appearance due to soreness, per a separate tweet from Hayes, but if things progress accordingly, he has an outside chance of being ready for Opening Day.

If one (or both) of them make the team, the relief corps’ composition will change drastically. Either way, it is going to be another week or so before the bullpen picture begins to come into focus.

Expect more to be revealed in the coming weeks, but with additional roster cuts looming, we will have a better idea of what the coaching staff has in mind.

Spring training statistics are courtesy of WhiteSox.com and are accurate as of game time Wednesday, March 18. Contract information courtesy of Cots Contracts. Transaction and injury information is courtesy of MLB.com.

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