GLENDALE, Ariz. – Good luck forgetting about last season.
Especially when it leaves a mark like 121 losses, a modern-day record.
The beauty of spring training, though, is the fresh start, which no team in baseball needs more than the White Sox. The first day for pitchers and catchers to report was a good place to begin.
“Overall, the vibe is good,’’ said Jonathan Cannon, one of the Sox’ top returning starting pitchers and a candidate to make the Opening Day start. “Everyone is excited to turn the page after last season.”
Somewhat lost in the mess of 2024 was a 5-1 finish against the Angels and Tigers, which Cannon said the Sox can build on. The players were digging in hard against setting the record, which came against the Tigers on the third to last day, perhaps more than they let on publicly.
“We were all aware of it,” Cannon said, “and everyone knew. Obviously that wasn’t a number we wanted to get to and it’s unfortunate but we’ve all taken the offseason to reflect and move into this year.”
The Sox have too many young players trying to establish careers or veterans trying to hang on for another contract to be overwhelmed by 2024.
“We have a ton of young guys and new guys and everybody has done a good job of wiping that,” right-hander Sean Burke said. “We have a ton of guys looking forward to taking the next step in development.”
Taylor signs, among early birds to camp
Position players early to camp include Michael A. Taylor, Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos, Josh Rojas, Oscar Colas, Bobby Dalbec, Chase Meidroth, Corey Julks, Brooks Baldwin, Jacob Gonzalez, Tim Elko and Cal Mitchell.
Taylor’s one-year, 1.95 million contract, which was reported Tuesday, was made official Wednesday. Right-hander Jesse Scholtens was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster.
Venable touted the defensive versatility of Taylor, a former Gold Glove winner, and his career numbers against lefties (.250/.305/.427 hitting line and .732 OPS).
“He gives us an opportunity to match some guys up and late in games give us some real good defense to end games,” Venable said.
Taylor allows Venable to spell Luis Robert Jr. in center field as the Sox look for ways to use Robert in various ways, perhaps at designated hitter or corner outfield spots, to keep his legs fresh and maintain his health.
“What exactly that looks like will take shape as we get going and certainly into the season as well,” Venable said. “That’s part of it. Michael can play all three positions out there. As we shape what camp is going to look like for Luis and then this season, I think we’ll expect to see Michael out there at times too.”
The Sox’ outfield defense, aside from Robert, was one of several negatives last season and before. Venable said the addition of veterans Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater and now Taylor is “really exciting.”
Wall together now
Whether it’s by coincidence or not, the five locker spots on one section of a wall in the clubhouse are occupied by Cannon, Martin Perez, Drew Thorpe, Davis Martin and Jairo Iriarte, who would have shaped up as a potential starting rotation to open the season if not for Thorpe’s sore elbow that has him behind at camp.
Any open spot could be filled by Burke, who posted a 1.42 ERA in four games in September, including three starts.
“Having success, even at Triple-A, was big for my confidence,” said Burke, who is working on a new two-seam fastball this spring.