Pitchers and catchers reported for the White Sox today, meaning Spring Training is officially underway!
While we wait for the full team to report in a few days, here are some early headlines from Dylan Cease, Pedro Grifol, Garrett Crochet, and others to get you started for the year!
Dylan Cease talks trade rumors, ramp up
The ace of the current White Sox staff, Dylan Cease did not shy away from discussions on the rumors surrounding his name all offseason. While he would love to play for a contender, Cease appears to be in a “good spot” for the upcoming year and was quite complimentary about Chicago as a city.
He also mentioned there have been no extension talks with the White Sox to this point.
Garrett Crochet to continue to work as a starter
The White Sox’s usage of Garrett Crochet hasn’t been consistent with where he was drafted. As an 11th overall pick, the club has yet to give him much of an opportunity as a starter – though, his injury history hasn’t helped that.
At current, however, Crochet is still being considered a starter coming out of camp and is “ecstatic” about the opportunity to prove that is where he belongs after several years in the bullpen:
“I feel like it’s the most value I can bring to the team. And I feel like that’s kind of the prized pony of major-league baseball. Everybody wants to be able to start, not everyone can do it. I have a lot of self-belief I can do it, so I wanted a chance to prove that.”
– Garrett Crochet (via LaMond Pope)
PECOTA projections “motivating” for Pedro Grifol
In case you missed it, Baseball Prospectus’s PECOTA projections were released last week, and let’s just say they weren’t bullish on the White Sox’s chances this year. Pedro Grifol has chosen to embrace this as a motivation for a team with a lot to prove.
Other News and Notes
More must-reads: