Lineups tend to get way too much attention during the regular season.
Parsing through a lineup for an exhibition game seems a little silly.
But a baseball-starved fan base is nothing if not a little giddy about seeing actual White Sox baseball — you know, the kind they don’t play against themselves — for the first time in months.
Click to download the MyTeams App for the latest White Sox news and analysis.
So let’s get a little nuts and pretend Rick Renteria is trying to tell us all something with his lineup for Sunday night’s exhibition bout with the Crosstown-rival Cubs.
Here’s how it looked:
1. Tim Anderson, SS
2. Eloy Jiménez, LF
3. José Abreu, 1B
4. Yasmani Grandal, C
5. Edwin Encarnación, DH
6. Luis Robert, CF
7. Leury García, 2B
8. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B
9. Adam Engel, RF
So, onto the freak out.
Who’s missing?
Obviously, some starters are missing from this Starting 9.
Yoán Moncada, despite the continued positive reports we’re hearing on his progress from Renteria, was not in the lineup Sunday night, just three days after he returned to the team. He missed the first two weeks of “Summer Camp” after testing positive for COVID-19, and it’s a question whether or not he’ll be ready for the season-opener Friday night.
Renteria said Saturday it “wouldn’t be a stretch” to see Moncada play in any of the team’s three exhibition bouts. But it seems it was still a little too soon to see him Sunday. Renteria said Sunday that Moncada could be in his lineup Monday against the Cubs or Wednesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. We’ll be on Moncada Watch again tomorrow.
Also absent is right fielder Nomar Mazara, who also wasn’t a part of Saturday night’s intrasquad game on the South Side. According to Renteria, Mazara is “under the weather.” You should absolutely not read anything into that when it comes to COVID-19, an important clue being that White Sox brass was completely silent when it came to the reasons for the absences of Moncada and relief pitcher José Ruiz during the first two weeks of camp. Acknowledging anything about Mazara’s absence is something worth noting.
Where’s Nick Madrigal?
Does the fact that García was Renteria’s starting second baseman Sunday night instead of Nick Madrigal reveal anything about Madrigal’s fate when it comes to whether or not he’ll be included on the White Sox roster for Opening Day? Maybe.
Dating back to spring training, it seemed García was the one ticketed to start the season as the team’s starting second baseman while Madrigal worked a few things out in the minor leagues. But baseball’s long layoff changed several of those variables. First, there no longer are any minor league games for Madrigal to play in. Second, the 60-game sprint of a season means every game matters and the White Sox would be best served to have their best players on the field. Third, Madrigal has earned rave reviews for the improvements he’s made since the spring.
Still, none of it might matter.
As much as Madrigal professes his desire to be on the Opening Day roster, service time is still a thing, even in this shortened season, and Madrigal might have to wait a week before making his major league debut. Considering the White Sox are so focused on extending their contention window for as long as possible, that seems like the most logical outcome.
It’s important to note that the team has never said that service time plays a factor in their decision-making process. But the realities of baseball are what they are.
Even still, Lucas Giolito, announced as the team’s Opening Day starter Sunday, made his pitch for why Madrigal should be with the team from the jump.
“He doesn't really strike out. He doesn't swing and miss. I don't know if I've seen a single swing and miss out of him from this ‘Summer Camp,’” Giolito marveled. “His numbers against me this 'Summer Camp' are probably hitting above .700, .800, pretty much barreling up every fastball I'm throwing. That's impressive to me.
“I think he's the type of player who can have an impact on our club right now, so we'll see what happens.”
RELATED: Nick Madrigal badly wants spot on White Sox roster for Opening Day
Eloy second? Robert sixth?
Jiménez batting second is something no one expected to see when they woke up Sunday morning. But I’m not really sure what it means other than “Moncada’s not playing.”
That No. 2 spot in the lineup belongs to Moncada, and if he’s all set come the season-opener, expect to see him there between leadoff man Anderson and No. 3 hitter Abreu. Grandal and Encarnación seem good bets to be in those cleanup and fifth spots, respectively, too.
Renteria will obviously shuffle things up as the season moves along. But Jiménez might find his normal spot at No. 6, with Robert a spot below him at No. 7. But there’s been no doubt that, between the two, Robert has had more jaw-dropping moments during “Summer Camp.” His power-hitting spectacle in Saturday night’s intrasquad game showed he can swing a middle-of-the-order bat if needed.
But Renteria had been batting Robert in the No. 2 spot during intrasquad season as a sub for Moncada. Why the swap Sunday? Maybe the idea is to just get Jiménez going a bit more, as he hasn’t been as dazzling the last two weeks, even though, come on, it’s “Summer Camp.” Or maybe the idea is to get the red-hot Robert into more of an RBI spot?
Goodness gracious, it’s an exhibition game. The runs don’t count.
Two more things
A couple more points, the first regarding Cuthbert. Renteria has used him a fair deal with the “A” team during intrasquad games, and here he is — rather than, say, Danny Mendick — as the starting third baseman with Moncada not playing. Perhaps that’s a decent indication (at least as good of one as we’re going to get) that Cuthbert could have a leg up in the race for one of the final roster spots. He is a veteran who knows the AL Central from his days with the Kansas City Royals. It’s not outlandish to suggest he’ll grab a spot, even if it scuttles my four-catcher idea.
Second, Engel in right field with Robert in center might be an answer to another question. Perhaps I’m uniquely fixated on what the White Sox outfield alignment could be late in games. But with Engel boasting such a strong glove in center field the last couple seasons, I wondered if he would be subbed in to take over in center or a corner spot. Robert’s obviously known as a strong defender, too, but how does Renteria rank the two of them? Who would be more effective in center in late-game situations, moving the other to either left field or right field?
Maybe there’s no answer here tonight, as Robert is expected to start in center every time out. Considering he hasn’t even played a big league game yet, getting him used to starting a game in center in a big league ballpark makes plenty of sense.
But these are overreactions, remember? So Engel to a corner spot it is!
SUBSCRIBE TO THE WHITE SOX TALK PODCAST FOR FREE.
"about" - Google News
July 20, 2020 at 06:23AM
https://ift.tt/2CwamoH
What Sox lineup vs. Cubs reveals about regular-season plans - NBC Sports Chicago
"about" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MjBJUT
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What Sox lineup vs. Cubs reveals about regular-season plans - NBC Sports Chicago"
Post a Comment