Pitchers and catchers report to Glendale, Arizona in less than two weeks. While that leaves plenty of time for Rick Hahn and the front office to make any final moves (trading Quintana, Frazier, Robertson, or all three), the roster as it stands now will present plenty of opportunities for competition. Before any players show up in Arizona, here are my predictions for who will make the cut, and who will have to spend some time in the minors before coming up to The Show.
Catcher: Giovany Soto
First Base: Jose Abreu
Second Base: Brett Lawrie
Third Base: Todd Frazier
Shortstop: Tim Anderson
Left Field: Melky Cabrera
Center Field: Charlie Tilson
Right Field: Avisail Garcia
DH: Peter Bourjos
SP1: Jose Quintana
SP2: Carlos Rodon
SP3: James Shields
SP4: Greg Holland
SP5: Miguel Gonzalez
Closer: David Roberston
Right Handed Relief Pitchers: Nate Jones, Zach Putnam, Michael Ynoa, and Jake Petricka.
Left Handed Relief Pitchers: Dan Jennings and Matt Purke
Backup Catcher: Omar Narvaez
Utility Infielders: Tyler Saladino, Carlos Sanchez.
Backup Outfielder: Rymer Liriano
The White Sox might look for another left handed option out of the bullpen once Spring Training starts up as Purke did not have a strong year in 2016. Dan Jennings will be the primary lefty specialist, same as he was last year. The rotation is set unless Quintana gets traded, in which case look for Lucas Giolito to start the year with the major league club. The hardest choice came down to right field and designated hitter. The White Sox have said before that they prefer Garcia in the outfield because his offense improves when he has a chance to play in the outfield. Some hitters just cannot focus on only hitting and Garcia seems to fit the bill. That slots newly acquired Peter Bourjos into the DH role.
Lineup Order:
Charlie Tilson
Tim Anderson
Jose Abreu
Todd Frazier
Melky Cabrera
Brett Lawrie
Peter Bourjos
Giovany Soto
Avisail Garcia
This lineup won’t strike fear into the hearts of any team, but watching the 1-2 combo of Tilson and Anderson will be fun for Sox fans as both hit for average and have above average speed. Expect 15 stolen bases from each player this year, at least. Slotting Garcia is a better hitter than Soto, but he also has more speed. Slotting Garcia at the 9 spot puts more speed at the “top” of the order with Tilson and Anderson following him.
If you have any suggestions of players you think I left out, please comment and let me know!
