The White Sox currently have a ton of guys in Spring Training. By the end of March, they will have to trim down almost 40 guys to get to their 26 man roster to open up the season. Most years there are a few spots open on the team for a non-roster guy to make it, however, this year is a bit different.
At this point, there seems to be an infinite number of combinations that the White Sox could open the season with, as they could prioritize the younger players earlier in the season, they could have a combination between young players and veterans, or they could lean on the veterans to start, giving themselves an opportunity to be traded at the deadline.
While ensuring the development of the younger players is the most important task for the White Sox this year, it doesn't necessarily have to come in the major leagues. If a young guy is not going to start or get consistent at-bats in the majors, it is better that he doesn't make the team so he can get those at-bats in AAA. A last off the bench bat may be better suited for a veteran if their playing time will be sparse. It is significantly harder to develop if you aren't getting playing time, so that needs to be the priority for the White Sox in making their roster decisions.
Earlier we took a look at what the rotation could look if they prioritized the young arms. Now, let's take a look at what an Opening Day lineup could look like for the White Sox if they decide to prioritize youth over the veterans.
The White Sox have a few guys that make the roster at catcher, as they have Matt Thais, Omar Narvaez, Korey Lee, Kyle Teel, and Edgar Quero. However, if they wanted to go young, they could bring up one or both of their top-100 prospects. At this point since Teel is a few years older than Quero it is more likely that he would make the roster, while Korey Lee could back him up. This would be a nice tandem and it would allow Lee to prove he can stick around for the future.
The infield is where it gets the most complicated. They have plenty of younger players like Brooks Baldwin, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Bryan Ramos, Miguel Vargas, Tim Elko, and Lenyn Sosa. Additionally, they have plenty of veterans like Josh Rojas, Brandon Drury, Andrew Vaughn, Joey Gallo, Bobby Dalbec, Nick Maton, and a few others. The infield completion looks to be the most competitive on the roster.
However, if the White Sox wanted to prioritize the younger bats, they could trot out an infield of Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Andrew Vaughn, with Bryan Ramos as the DH. They could also have Lenyn Sosa and Josh Rojas be the utility players to fill in on off days. However, Ramos is currently dealing with an injury so his status for Opening Day could be in doubt.
In the outfield, there isn't much youth to rely on. They have Andrew Benintendi, Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, and Michael A. Taylor all on major league deals. The two younger players, Zach Deloach and Dominic Fletcher won't really get an opportunity to get any consistent at-bats in the majors unless there is a trade.
So, to recap, the thirteen position players the White Sox could trot out if they wanted to prioritize the young bats would be:
Catcher (2)- Kyle Teel, Korey Lee.
Infield (6)- Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, Andrew Vaughn, Lenyn Sosa, Josh Rojas.
Outfield (5)- Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi, Mike Tauchman, Austin Slater, Michael A. Taylor.
This would be a solid foundation for the younger guys to get a chance to show what they can do. Plus, after the trade deadline, the rest of the younger guys could get a chance when roster spots open up due to trades.
