SURPRISE, Ariz. — Grant Taylor didn’t realize his second pitch was clocked at 101.2 mph Sunday until a White Sox pitching coach informed him after throwing a scoreless fifth inning, two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
“He asked me if I was taking it easy,” said Taylor, the Sox’s second-round pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU. “I thought he was being serious. I didn’t think I threw it that hard. But he was joking with me.”
Taylor has thrown only 19 1/3 innings in his professional career, but his rebuilt arm adds hope to the Sox’ restocked system of power arms. Five of his pitches were clocked at 97.8 or faster, and Taylor said this was the first time his fastball was clocked faster than 100 mph.
After falling behind 2-0, Taylor recovered quickly to strike out Michael Massey on an 85.6 mph curve and pitched a clean inning against the Royals.
“The main focus of early this year is to make sure I get on a good routine and continue to be healthy so I can do everything I want to do this year and still be throwing come September,” Taylor said.
At the same time, Taylor wants to polish his secondary pitches, such as his curve.
“You see a lot of guys in the game nowadays throwing 100,” Taylor said. “
I feel like the more options I have, the more I can gain my confidence throwing pitches, it’s only going to be to my benefit.
“If I throw [100 mph] 60 percent of the time, it starts to not look like 100 quite so much.”
Closing OK with Clevinger
After establishing his career as a starting pitcher, Mike Clevinger sees no problem adjusting to a late-inning role with the White Sox.
“Sounds fun,” Clevinger said. “In junior college [Seminole State College of Florida], I played third base every day and closed. I think it will be fun, an interesting new challenge.”
Clevinger, who signed a minor league contract last week after missing nearly all of 2024 due to a bulging disc, believes he can adjust his preparation after making 142 major league starts.
“I’m pretty routine oriented as is,” Clevinger said. “It’s going to be finding the flow of things, when I’m getting ready, the throwing before the game, and just really ironing out those details is going to be the biggest challenge. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Clevinger threw a bullpen session Sunday and believes he can be ready to pitch in games after throwing two live batting practice sessions.
Injury update
Pitcher Prelander Berroa was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right elbow strain, and rest was prescribed.
Infielder Bryan Ramos (right elbow soreness) could make his spring training debut by the end of the week as a designated hitter. Venable is hopeful Ramos can resume throwing by the end of spring training.
Prospect watch
Top pitching prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith will make their 2025 spring training debuts Wednesday against the Padres in Glendale. Schultz, ranked as the 10th top overall prospect by Baseball America, is scheduled to follow Sean Burke and Bryse Wilson. Smith, ranked 40th, is scheduled to follow Schultz.
Royals 4, White Sox 3
The White Sox blew a two-run lead as the Royals rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to seize a 4-3 win before a crowd of 5,567 at Surprise Stadium. The Sox took the lead in the top of the seventh on a two-run home run by Corey Julks.
• Corey Lee has one of the quickest pop times in the majors, and he displayed his quick release with a strong throw to nail Michael Massey on a steal attempt in the second inning.
• Lenyn Sosa showed impressive plate discipline by poking a pitch to right field off left-hander Kris Bubic for a two-out single to score Josh Rojas in the second. Rojas was credited with a double on a fly that was lost in the sun by outfielders Jonathan India and Kyle Isbel.
• Tyler Gilbert, whose claim to fame was throwing a no-hitter for the Diamondbacks in his first major league start in 2021, pitched two scoreless innings and was pleased with his pitch efficiency.
• On deck: Rangers at Sox, 2:05 p.m. Monday, Glendale, CHSN, 1000-AM, TBA vs. Shane Smith.