Getting ready for turnaround
Things to watch for in ’19 as Sox try to rebound from 100-loss season
Expect some more victories: This not a bold prediction. The Sox lost 100 games last season for the first time since 1970 and just the second time since 1948, so they’re due for more success. Or, more accurately, less failure.
PECOTA projects 70 victories. Most online betting sites have the over/under at 74.5 wins. That would be quite an improvement considering how little the Sox did in the offseason to enhance their roster.
They did add starters in Ivan Nova, Ervin Santana and Manny Banuelos. But it’s not as if any will make Sox fans forget about Chris Sale. Nova will fill the innings-eater role vacated by James Shields, who actually was decent — 4.53 ERA over 204-plus innings — last season.
That leaves Santana and Banuelos to duel with Dylan Covey to earn reps as the fifth starter. The Sox might not actually need a fifth starter until April 13 because of days off. Or more likely April 8 if they want to spread the workload.
The Sox have a marquee attraction of their own: The stunning agreement that transformed Eloy Jimenez from frustrated prospect to big-league millionaire means Sox fans might not have to wait long to see him in the flesh. The Sox guaranteed Jimenez $43 million for his first six seasons and retained two club option years, ending the service-time shenani- gans that kept him in Triple-A Charlotte all of last season.
Jimenez is a wondrous hitting talent that Michael Kopech calls “the Babe Ruth of our generation.” (Jimenez responded by calling Kopech “the Nolan Ryan” of our time.)
Jimenez already had a million-dollar smile and the native of the Dominican Republic had impressed onlookers with his commitment to conduct interviews in English.
Although he has scuffled at the plate this spring, the enthusiasm for his arrival to the South Side has not waned.
“He’s going to be a superstar,” shortstop Tim Anderson said. “People are scared to pitch to him. I can’t wait to be in the same lineup with him.”
The outfielders have something to prove: The Sox seemingly are so flush with outfield prospects, bigleague returnees Nicky Delmonico, Adam Engel and Daniel Palka don’t get much attention.
With Jimenez in the mix, all three will be fighting for playing time and to prove they should be part of the Sox’s future.
Palka cranked a teambest 27 homers in 417 atbats last season, besting Jose Abreu’s .473 slugging percentage by 11 points. Palka needs to show he’s a legitimate defender or he risks falling into a DH/ pinch-hitter role.
Delmonico posted a robust .855 OPS in 2017, but that crashed to .669 last season as he battled back from a broken bone in his right hand, the result of getting plunked by the Rangers’ Matt Moore.
Engel earned “SportsCenter” fame by turning three home runs into outs in the span of a week. Any team would love that glove and leaping ability. But his bat produced an OPS of just .614, more than 100 points below the AL average.
Who’s next?: Prized righthander Dylan Cease will start at Triple-A Charlotte. His transition last season from Class A WinstonSalem to Double A could not have gone more smoothly. He started 10 games for the Birmingham Barons, going 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA, a sub-1.00 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 521⁄ in
3 nings.
Sox fans hope they will one day debate whether Cease or Kopech is the true ace of the team. (And if you really want to dream, which one is a better Cy Young candidate.)
Kopech is stuck in rehab hell after Tommy John surgery in September. The chiseled 22-year-old has no chance to pitch this season, so he can take his time, refine his mechanics, build up his shoulder strength and add to his physique (if possible).
Zack Collins, whom the Sox hope is their catcher of the future, will also start in Charlotte. Collins’ stick is more advanced than his glove, but he continues to work on his receiving and throwing skills.
Further down on the farm: The players ticketed for Birmingham include outfielders Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzalez and Luis Basabe, once he recovers from a broken bone in his left hand.
Two of the Sox’s five best prospects figure to start in Winston-Salem.
Hyper-athletic outfielder Luis Robert showed flashes last year at Winston-Salem but struck out 37 times in 32 games and did not hit a home run.
Second baseman Nick Madrigal has the polish that you’d expect from a threeyear Pac-12 (Oregon State) stud. Will he reach the South Side this season? It’s a big leap from A ball, and yet no one would be surprised if he makes it.
It takes a village: Manager Rick Renteria will not use a single closer. He plans to tap Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, Nate Jones or Jace Fry for what he calls “hot” situations in the late innings.
All the relievers want to close, perhaps because it’s the sexiest and potentially most lucrative role, but none seems bothered by the merry-go-round.
Last year’s Sox bullpen posted a 4.49 ERA, 11th in the AL.