White Sox Vice President and General Manager Chris Getz raised eyebrows earlier this week when he announced that top pitching prospect Grant Taylor is transitioning from a starting pitcher to a reliever with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. This unexpected news has generated substantial discussion on social media regarding whether or not it is the right decision for Taylor's development moving forward. After all, he has pitched primarily as a starting pitcher and has dominated in that role. Such an abrupt change midseason is unusual, to say the least.
White Sox History Of Aggressive Pitching Prospect Development
Using unconventional approaches to develop their top pitching prospects is not a new concept for the White Sox. In 2010, they drafted Chris Sale and fast-tracked him through the system, having him debut in the MLB bullpen that same season. They called up Carlos Rodón in 2015, less than a year after drafting him, and operated similarly with Carson Fulmer a year later. In 2020, they drafted Garrett Crochet and had him skip the minor leagues entirely, instead putting him in the MLB bullpen. While the previous front office regime was responsible for these aggressive developmental moves, there is an organizational precedent for getting their top pitching prospects to the big leagues as fast as possible.
Taylor's Pristine Minor League Stats
The White Sox #7 prospect per MLB.com, Taylor is a former second-round pick who has dominated the minor leagues in a small sample. In 13 minor league games, he has a sparkling 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 13.0 K/9 in 38.2 innings. Improved competition hasn't fazed him either, as Taylor boasts a 1.40 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 in 19.1 innings with the Double-A Birmingham Barons this season. He is also about to turn 23, around the age in which many other top pitching prospects make their MLB debuts.
Potential "Alpha Arm"
Getting Taylor a taste of the big leagues this season would reward him for his work in the minors so far and allow him to compete against the best hitters in the world. While the jump from minors to MLB is stark, giving Taylor a chance to prove himself would allow him to refine his game this offseason based on how his MLB stint plays out and potentially increase his confidence if he succeeds against big league hitters.
If the goal is to put the best possible team on the field in Chicago, there is a valid argument that Taylor already belongs in Chicago. Getz has raved about his ability, going as far as describing him as a potential "alpha arm" in the bullpen to James Fegan of SoxMachine. Even with his inexperience, Taylor would likely be one of the best pitchers in the White Sox bullpen right now.
Loss Of Starting Pitcher Upside
However, there are also cons to making Taylor a reliever this early in his career. For one, he was succeeding as a starter in the minors. Typically, moving a pitcher to the bullpen only happens after said pitcher cannot successfully be a starter. Former White Sox pitchers Liam Hendriks, Reynaldo López, and Michael Kopech are all examples of this. They were only made relievers after not cutting it as a starting pitcher. Moving Taylor to the bullpen permanently this early would severely cap his upside moving forward. He would have more value to the team moving forward if he is a quality starting pitcher than a quality reliever. Even with inning limits being a consideration in Taylor's case, he could still pitch in shorter stints as a starter without being moved to the bullpen. Fellow top pitching prospect Noah Schultz did the same last year.
Service Time Considerations
Jerry Reinsdorf's spending habits and service time considerations are also factors. While a potential ownership change to the Ishbia family has recently been the subject of rumors, nothing is set in stone yet. And if there is anything we know for sure about Reinsdorf, it is that he does not spend money for premium pitching on the free agent market. Developing pitching from within and keeping those pitchers under team control for as long as possible is pivotal under current ownership.
Converting Taylor to a reliever suggests he could make his big league debut later this season, which would start his service time clock now. Waiting until next year to call Taylor up would secure another year of his services, which could be worth considering given his status as a top prospect. If he ends up being as good as people think, the extra year of control is a no-brainer.
Taylor's Inexperience
Taylor is also very inexperienced. Despite being drafted back in 2023, he has pitched in just 13 career minor league games because of Tommy John recovery and a lat issue. While development at the MLB level exists, there is less margin for error. Taylor would be thrown into the fire and be forced to adapt without much minor league experience. He may be talented enough to overcome it, but it is worth noting that calling him up this season is aggressive to say the least.
White Sox Are Not Competing Right Now
One notable difference exists between those four previous examples and Taylor's current situation. For better or worse, the organization was looking to compete at the MLB level when they aggressively promoted Sale, Rodón, Fulmer, and Crochet. The thought was calling up those pitchers would challenge them against the best competition while helping the big league team win games. The White Sox are in a completely different timeline right now as one of the worst teams in MLB. In fact, it is in their best interests to lose as many games as possible this season, as they are once again eligible to land the #1 pick in the 2026 draft. As such, there should be no need to rush prospects like Taylor to the majors.
White Sox Have A Good Problem
How the White Sox should proceed with Grant Taylor is a matter of opinion. There are pros and cons to both sides, both in terms of moving him to the bullpen and whether or not they should call him up later this season. As of now, the organization is keeping an open mind. While he is pitching as a reliever for now, the front office has not ruled out his returning to a starting pitcher down the line. Whatever the organization decides, Taylor will likely have a significant role on the next good White Sox team. The fact that he has performed well enough to make this a discussion in the first place is a good thing.
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