Surprise Left-Hander Made Strong Case For White Sox Roster Spot This Spring

The White Sox still have 22 pitchers in camp. Eleven of those pitchers are relievers who pitched in the final three games of spring training. One of those 11, Touki Toussaint was already DFA'd. More cuts will have to be made in the coming days. The starting rotation is nearly finalized, meaning the toughest decisions will be filling out the eight open spots in the bullpen. 

White Sox manager Pedro Grifol doesn’t see the competition as a bad thing.

“We’re still sorting through that. There are guys who are on already and then there are other guys that are competing. We have arms, we have position players and options. We have to look and see who is going to help us to win,” Grifol told reporters last Thursday.

When talking about the bullpen one name that has flown under the radar this spring is Tanner Banks. Banks has been excellent during Cactus League play. In six games, Banks owns a 0.93 ERA, with 16 strikeouts and a 0.83 WHIP in 9.2 innings.

His 16 strikeouts were the second most of any pitcher in camp behind Michael Soroka. In Banks' first 7 1/3 innings this spring he posted a 1.17 ERA with 12 strikeouts, which matched the same number of strikeouts Garrett Crochet posted in nine innings. In his final outing against the Angels, he tossed two perfect innings and struck out four of the six batters he faced.

Banks' performance this spring has earned him another chance to pitch in the bullpen. For a White Sox team devoid of many quality left-handers, he gives Grifol more flexibility when trying to work the best matchups late midway through games. Banks also has a lot of the qualities Chris Getz is looking for in a team that is built to play better defense. 

What Banks lacks in quality stuff he makes up for in control. Last season his 6.3% walk rate ranked in the 80th percentile of the MLB. He also allowed a hard-hit percentage that was lower than the MLB average. If Banks continues to throw strikes and the White Sox perceived defensive upgrades translate to the field, fans could see a much more effective version of Banks. He does not have wipeout stuff.

That is not to say that he is going to turn into a shutdown reliever anytime soon but he has proved to be more than serviceable for the White Sox.  The 32-year-old southpaw has a career 3.79 ERA in 114 innings. In 2022 he limited right-handers to a .199/.267./.265 slash line. 

At 32 years old he doesn't figure to be in the White Sox long-term plans. However, relievers tend to fluctuate from year to year. Last season Gregory Santos and Keynan Middleton went from virtual unknowns to trade candidates at the deadline. Teams are always looking for pitching depth at the trade deadline and left-handers tend to be a hot commodity. 

If Banks numbers translate over from the spring then he could potentially be someone that Getz looks to flip at the deadline. Look for him to be left on the White Sox Opening Day roster once the final wave of cuts is decided.