CHICAGO WHITE SOX NOTES:
WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE
The Chicago White Sox open the 2023 season tonight against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros … RHP Dylan Cease, who finished second in the 2022 American League Cy Young award voting, is scheduled to make his first career Opening Day start.
Cease will be followed in the rotation by RHPs Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Mike Clevinger … RHP Michael Kopech is scheduled to start Monday’s home opener vs. San Francisco.
Following this four-game series, the White Sox return to Chicago for a three-game, four-day homestand vs. the Giants (4/3, 4/5-6) before taking a six-game trip to Pittsburgh (4/7-9) and Minnesota (4/10-12).
The White Sox play just three games vs. American League Central teams in April (4/10-12 at the Twins) … from 4/14-30, the Sox play 16 straight games vs. AL/National League East clubs.
The Sox went 12-14-3 in Cactus League play, which ended on Tuesday with an 8-5 loss to the Cubs in Mesa, Ariz.
OPENING DAY STORYLINES
Pedro Grifol makes his White Sox managerial debut …Grifol and Eduardo Pérez, who is working tonight’s game for ESPN, were college roommates at Florida State.
Dylan Cease is 10-4 with a 1.76 ERA (17 ER/87.0 IP) and 112 strikeouts over his last 16 road starts dating back to 9/17/21.
Elvis Andrus makes his 15th consecutive Opening Day roster needing three hits for 2,000 career … Andrus will make his first MLB appearance at a position other than shortstop and become the 11th different second baseman in the last 11 years to start on Opening Day for the White Sox … he is one of 20 shortstops in MLB history to make 14-plus straight OD starts (2009-22).
Andrew Vaughn will be just the fifth Sox OD first baseman since 1991, joining José Abreu (2014-22), Paul Konerko (2001-13), Frank Thomas (1991-97, 1999-2000) and Greg Norton (1998).
The Sox are 62-60 on Opening Day and 33-35 when opening on the road … the White Sox have never opened against Houston.
AT THE HELM
Pedro Grifol was named the 42nd different manager in White Sox history on 11/3/22, replacing Hall-of-Famer Tony La Russa … Grifol joins the Sox after a 10-year stint in Kansas City (2013-22), including the last three as the Royals bench coach.
He becomes the fourth current Latino manager in MLB, joining Boston’s Alex Cora, St. Louis’ Oliver Marmol and Washington’s Dave Martinez.
Grifol has 23 years of professional baseball experience as a bench coach, hitting coach, winter ball and minor league manager, director of player development and scout … he has more than 600 career games of managerial experience.
CEASE AND DESTROY
Dylan Cease allowed one or zero runs 23 times in 2022, tied with Wilbur Wood (1972) for the most in White Sox history, and the most by a MLB starter (non opener) since Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell in 2018 (also 23).
Cease set a MLB record with 14 straight starts allowing one earned run or less from 5/29-8/11/22 (0.66 ERA; 6 ER/82.0 IP).
DYNAMIC DUO
Eloy Jiménez and Dylan Cease were acquired by the White Sox from the Cubs on 7/13/17 as part of a five-player deal.
Since making their debuts in 2019, Jiménez has homered in 12 of Cease’s starts (14 total HR) … the Sox are 11-1 in those games, including multi-homer eff orts from Jiménez on 9/3/19 at Cleveland and 8/8/21 at the Cubs (STATS).
Jiménez homered in six of Cease’s starts in 2022 (all in the second half), including three in a row from 7/24-8/5.
WHITE SOX ROSTER BREAKDOWN
The White Sox 26-man roster includes 13 pitchers (two LHP), two catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders.
LHP Jake Diekman (36) is the oldest player, INF Elvis Andrus (14.0000) has the most service time, and SS Tim Anderson (2016-) is the longest tenured.
RHP Gregory Santos and OF Oscar Colás are rookies … Colás has no MLB service time … Santos (23) is the youngest player … Colás, INF/OF Romy Gonzalez, RHP Jimmy Lambert, Santos and C Seby Zavala have made their first Opening Day roster.
LHP Garrett Crochet (Tommy John recovery) and RHPs Matt Foster (right flexor strain) and RHP Liam Hendriks (Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma treatment) are on the 15-day injured list.
INF Hanser Alberto, OF Andrew Benintendi, RHP Mike Clevinger and Santos are new to the organization.
WHITE SOX VS. HOUSTON ASTROS
The Astros won the 2022 season series, 4-3, taking two of three games in Houston from 6/17-19 and splitting a four-game set in Chicago from 8/15-18.
The White Sox batted .271/.340/.352 (64-236) with a 6.64 ERA (45 ER/61.0 IP) and were outscored, 46-28.
Including the postseason, the Sox have lost eight of their last nine games at Minute Maid Park and are 4-16 since 2017.
Houston defeated the White Sox in four games in the 2021 ALDS, while the Sox recorded a sweep in the 2005 World Series.
FAMILIAR FACE
1B José Abreu spent his first nine MLB seasons with the White Sox before signing with Houston in the off season.
Abreu batted .292/.354/.506 (1,445-4,954) with 303 doubles, 243 home runs, 863 RBI and 697 runs scored in 1,270 games with the Sox … he ranks third in franchise history in homers and fifth in RBI and extra-base hits (562).
Abreu was the 2014 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2020 AL Most Valuable Player.
SOUTHPAW SUCCESS
The White Sox batted .271/.337/.430 (329-1,212) vs. left-handed pitching in 2022 … the Sox led the American League in average and on-base percentage, ranked third in OPS (.767) and fourth in slugging percentage.
Since 2019, Tim Anderson owns a .350/.380/.560 (136-389) slash line vs. LHP, while Hanser Alberto is hitting .343/.362/.484 (169-492) … Luis Robert is a career .349/.403/.591 (65-186) hitter vs. lefties.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The White Sox went 44-37 (.543) on the road in 2022, tied with Seattle for the fourth-best winning percentage in the American League and their best mark since going 52-29 in 2005.
The Sox posted a 3.46 ERA away from home, the second-best mark in the AL and their best since 2005 (3.39).
CLOSING OUT CANCER
White Sox closer Liam Hendriks, who ranks second in MLB since 2020 with 89 saves, announced on 1/8/23 that he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Hendriks and his wife, Kristi, launched an ongoing campaign inviting fans to purchase specially designed “Close Out Cancer” T-Shirts, with proceeds benefiting the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) and its Patient Aid Grants.
Net proceeds from the T-Shirt sale benefit the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF).
BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY
RHP Lance Lynn (21 starts), All-Star SS Tim Anderson (79 games), 3B Yoán Moncada (104) and OFs Eloy Jiménez (84) and Luis Robert Jr. (98) all missed significant time in 2022.
The White Sox projected Opening Day lineup was together for just one game last season, a 3-2 loss on 8/4 at Texas.
MIAMI CONNECTION
Including manager Pedro Grifol, four members of the White Sox coaching staff are Cuban-Americans raised in Miami … other Miamians on staff are hitting coach José Castro, third base coach Eddie Rodríguez and field coordinator Mike Tosar.
Grifol, a catcher, and Tosar, a second baseman, were teammates at Christopher Columbus High School … Rodríguez, an infielder, played for Miami High School, and Castro, also an infielder, competed against him at Jackson High.
BY THE NUMBERS
The White Sox went 21-32 in the first game of a series in 2022 and 32-19 in the second game … 75 of Chicago’s 162 games (46.3 percent) were decided by one or two runs … the Sox went 27-16 in one-run games and 19-13 in games decided by two runs.
WHITE SOX AT THE WBC
Eight White Sox players competed at the World Baseball Classic: SS Tim Anderson and RHPs Kendall Graveman and Lance Lynn (USA), INF Yoán Moncada and OF Luis Robert Jr. (Cuba), OF Eloy Jiménez (Dominican Republic), RHP Nick Padilla (Puerto Rico) and RHP José Ruiz (Venezuela).
Anderson batted .333/.381/.500 (6-18) with a double, triple, five RBI and three runs scored in six games, and Lynn was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (3 ER/9.0 IP) and eight strikeouts in two starts.
Moncada was named to the All-Tournament Team after hitting .435/.519/.739 (10-23) with four doubles, one home run, five RBI and four runs scored in six games.
HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:
