Rotation Battle in Chicago's Southside

Pitching hasn't been a strength for the White Sox in years, especially the starting variety.  New GM Allston O'Wharly has taken this problem head-on, assembling a not-terrible rotation from the free agency scrap heap last season.  This year he was more aggressive, trading for a top of the rotation arm and getting bigger names in FA.

The combination of those moves, plus the natural improvements of arms already in the system, has created a logjam of talent.  The White Sox have 10-15 arms capable of starting in the big leagues, and now have to decide who to hand the ball to for their 5 man rotation.

With Spring Training done, we have some recent stats along with lifetime stats to compare the players by.  Let's take a look at the top competitors and the dark horses to see who might be taking the mound every 5 days for the PaleHose.

1. RHP Ramon Martinez (1-year, $5mil)
Career Stats: 170-138, 3.58 ERA
Spring stats: 0-1, 5.53 ERA

Martinez came over from the Padres for OF Jeff Abbott.  With name recognition, fan favorite status, and a big contract, Ramon is most likely to be atop the rotation.  The White Sox will probably try to flip him for prospects or draft picks, so getting good numbers out of him is important.  Even if he doesn't perform, given the contract, the White Sox will probably keep playing him.  The 4-time all star pitched 246 innings last season and has topped 200 innings for 9 straight seasons!

2. LHP Scott Baker (2-year, $300k)
Career Stats: 47-88, 4.85 ERA
Spring stats: 1-1, 2.70 ERA

The well-travelled lefty, now on his 5th team, has a drop dead curveball but struggles with command.  He still ate 200 innings at a 4.28 ERA last season for the Red Sox, and with his tremendous movement, he's the next likeliest to land a rotation spot for the season.

3. RHP Andy Benes (1 years, $300k)
Career Stats: 148-117, 3.86 ERA
Spring stats: 3-1, 4.03 ERA

Another elder statesman, Benes gives the White Sox another solid name and former All-Star, and he threw a decent 4.05 ERA last season despite battling injury.  He hasn't hit the 200 inning mark since '97, so another pitcher will likely take some of his starts during the long season.

4. LHP Glenn Dishman (1 year, $300k)
Career stats: 99-86, 4.22 ERA
Spring stats: 2-2, 3.60 ERA

Dishman did decently as a scrap heap pickup last season, tossing 176 innings of 4.49 ERA ball.  He is a fringy backend guy though, and being 31, second lefty in the rotation, he might be outperformed by someone early on and lose his spot.  In spring command was an issue, with 16 walks against 15 Ks.  Still scouts say he has improved his two-seamer and could lower his HR rate this season.

5. RHP Luis de los Santos (pre-arb contract)
Career stats: 10-14, 5.41 ERA
Spring stats: 3-0, 1.96 ERA

At 24, Luis de los Santos is the internal option that won the 5th starter job out of spring training.  Avoiding a loss and posting a sub-2.00 ERA will get management's attention.  Hitters managed just .210 against him.  Santos is a 5th round draftee from '95 and doesn't have much beyond his fastball, but if he puts it all together this season it will be fantastic.

6. LHP Darrell May (2-year, $300k)
Career stats: 71-72, 4.32 ERA
Spring stats: 2-1, 1.86 ERA

May is on his 4th team at age 29, not a good sign.  Last season he was terrible, to a 7.62 ERA in 7 starts (16 games).  He hasn't seen an ERA under 5 since '98 when he was shipped to the AL mid-season.  Still Spring results are impressive and he could fight his way into the rotation.

7. LHP Mike Myers (2-year $300k)
Career stats: 77-68, 3.86 ERA
Spring stats: 1-0, 4.21 ERA

Another 3-time All Star on the staff, Myers was a lifelong Marlin until struggling to a 4.91 ERA and being relegated to the bullpen last season.  He was fantastic in the 2000 playoffs, and he's just 32, so a resurgence is possible.

8. LHP Josh Stewart (pre-arb)
Career stats: 2-4, 6.87 ERA
Spring stats: 2-3, 3.86 ERA

Stewart just turned 23 and is looking to crack the rotation soon - he went 10-6 with a 3.62 ERA in triple-A last season.  A blistering 95mph fastball from a lefty is good, but Stewart's changeup features solid movement.  Scouts assume he will take over as CHW's ace in the very near future.

9. LHP Mark McLemore (pre-arb)
Career stats: 1-1, 3.07 ERA
Spring stats: 0-0, 4.38 ERA

McLemore is a reliever by trade, but filled in as an emergency starter in September last season, doing pretty well at it.  His mediocre fastball (91mph) will probably prevent him from true starting duty - he features a plus slider but an average changeup.  Still he is just 21, in just his first season above single-A.  To limit MLB batters to a .208 on-base turned a lot of heads.

10. RHP Ruddy Lugo (pre-arb)
Career stats: 1-1, 4.34 ERA
Spring stats: 2-0, 3.21 ERA

If Luis de los Santos hadn't had such a great spring, this 21-year-old might have cracked the rotation.  The former Rays prospect limited batters to a .226 average against him this spring, but will start his 3rd season of triple-A while he tries to improve his curve and control.  Lugo turns 22 in May and features an incredible 50% groundball rate, marking him as a backend arm of the future.

11. LHP Nate Robertson (pre-arb)
Career stats: 5-10, 5.04 ERA
Spring stats: 0-0, 5.10 ERA (6 starts)

How the mighty have fallen.  1st round pick of 1995 (26th overall), Robertson was once the lefty ace of the future.  Last season in triple-A he went 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA, but once he came up he was worse (1-5, 4.97 ERA).  He may still factor in - he's just 24 after all and has a good GB rate - but CHW would have to deal about 5 arms in order for him to see MLB roster time at this point.

12. RHP Brandon Duckworth (pre-arb)
Career stats: none
Spring stats: 3-0, 2.56 ERA

Signed out of the independent leagues last season, Duckworth is 26 and a longshot to crack the bigs.  He did impress this spring however, and is a decent depth righty to have in the system.

13: RHP Chad Ogea (1 year, $300k)
Career stats: 68-79, 4.90 ERA
Spring stats: 1-0, 2.89 ERA

Ogea had a good spring too, but his ERA has been ballooning over the years - 5.05 in '99, 6.34 in '00, and a nasty 7.45 in 19.1 innings last season.  Chicago doesn't want much more of that, but if a lot of trades happen and catastrophic injuries too, Ogea might be in a long man spot again.

14. LHP Eude Brito (pre-arb)
Career stats: none
Spring stats: 1-2, 5.68 ERA

Brito will turn 24 in August and hasn't yet made the jump to AAA.  He still has upside though, and is another lefty in the deep lefty stack of Chicago's pitching depth.  He can hit 94mph and has a solid sinker with good movement.  Brito might put it all together at 26 and become a dominant force, time will tell.

15. LHP Brandon Claussen (pre-arb)
Career stats: none
Spring stats: 1-3, 4.30 ERA

2nd round pick in 1997 might've garnered more hope, but Claussen is just another lefty on the CHW stack.  Good slider, good all-around but not excelling enough to grab attention, Claussen is trying desperately to make double-A and keep his career going.  A thinner system might already be trying him out on the majors.

Honorable mentions:
Kason Gabbard (19, single-A)
Darrell Rasner (21, single-A)
Bobby Livingston (19, A-ball)

White Sox Rise from the Dead

It's been a steady downhill trot for the White Sox, who peaked back in 1994 by winning the ALDS during a 102-win season. Since that time, fortune has eaten away at them:

1994 103-60, ALDS winner
1995 84-78, 2nd place 
1996 80-82, 3rd place
1997 78-84, 4th place
1998 81-81, 4th place
1999 67-95, 5th place
2000 63-99, 5th place

Not a lot for fans to root for nowadays as they had seen their playoff contender club melt away slowly into a perennial bottom-feeder. 

Well, 2001 has changed things. New management took over, and during the offseason, flipped a ton of MLB talent - and payroll - away for prospects.

Heading out of CHW:
3B Aaron Boone
2B Ray Durham
C Mark Johnson
C Javy Lopez

Coming to CHW:
C Cody Clark (65/80)
CF Jonathan Van Every (67/83)
LF Gary Johnson (88)
C Tom Gregorio (67/81)
1B Craig Brazell (58/79)
1B Bryan LaHair (59/90
LF Carlos Quentin (61/91)

A good MLB bat in Gary Johnson, but the rest are prospects - some blue chip, others more lottery tickets and necessary depth. In dealing the four vets, Chicago cleared about $10mil of salary. The White Sox begin the season with the lowest payroll in the AL at $22.6M - only the Astros and Reds field a more frugal roster. 

The White Sox ownership was also active on the free agency front, signing 8 players to full MLB deals:
SP Andy Benes
SP Glenn Dishman
SP Joe Nathan
RP Dustin Hermanson
RP Brandon Knight
RP Rob Stanifer
SS Ricky Gutierrez
SS Jose Offerman

Seeing a path to playing time was clearly a factor, as every pitcher that was extended an offer took it, and the White Sox released some of their poorer-performing veteran arms at the end of spring training:
RP Matt Dunbar
RP Dan Reichert

The squad still looked like a decently competitive team, despite trading away 4 stars - the White Sox probably weren't going to crack .500, but they were looking at 70 wins and respectability during a rebuild phase. 

Well now it is May 1st, and a month of 2001 baseball is in the books. The White Sox are .500, with a 13-13 record, and possess the lowest rotation ERA in the major leagues. They have the 5th best ERA overall. They aren't being powered by their offense (4.42 runs scored/game), but somehow the pitchers are keeping them in games. What's odd is that it's the backend of the rotation - ace Al Levine has a 3.48 ERA and a 1-1 record, and #2 Andy Benes has suffered through injury with a poor 4.64 ERA and 1-1 record as well. 

Behind them, a combination of free agents and old names have posted better results:
Joe Nathan - 1-1, 2.49 ERA
Mike Sirotka - 3-2, 2.25 ERA
Glenn Dishman - 3-1, 2.39 ERA

Last year these guys weren't this good - Nathan was used entirely in relief for the Reds. Sirotka spent only 6 games on the MLB squad, making 22 starts for double-A, not even triple-A. Only Glenn Dishman was a regular MLB starter, going 10-11 with a disappointing 5.33 ERA for the Padres. Dishman has the best pedigree, with 94 career wins and a No Hitter to his credit (back in 1997), but he's in the 5th starter slot.

So will this mean a middle of the road .500 finish is possible? Or simply that Chicago's arms are hitting their stride early and building up trade value? Only time will tell. 

On the hitting side, there's not much to crow about, but new outfielder Gary Johnson is hitting well, with a .371 average and a .450 on-base percentage. He started the season red hot, as he's cooled off to the tune of a .275 line his last 10 games. Johnson is still making league minimum this season and might be a deadline trade target.