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The Schaumburg 16

Three-quarters of the taxi squad are pitchers; Jonathan Stiever may have to play shortstop

By Year of the Hamster
Los Angeles Dodgers v Chicago White Sox
The gang’s all here: A year and five months later, Blake Rutherford, Luis Basabe and Luis González are likely to be reunited in the burbs.
Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The group will grow bigger once cuts are made from “big league camp” at Sox Park, but the initial 16 taxi squad players, rounding out White Sox who will be officially active in 2020, were announced on Tuesday.

Right-Handed Pitchers
Zack Burdi
Ryan Burr
Matt Foster
Brady Lail
Alex McRae
Bryan Mitchell
Jonathan Stiever

Left-Handed Pitchers
Garrett Crochet
Bernardo Flores Jr.
Jacob Lindgren
Adalberto Mejía
Bennett Sousa

Catchers
Seby Zavala

Outfielders
Micker Adolfo
Luis González
Blake Rutherford

With Michael Kopech opting out of the season, the White Sox still have one spot open at Sox Park/Boomers Stadium. Will another organizational player be added? A free agent? Left open and roll with 59?

Either way, workouts begin (per Chris Getz today, slowly, like the start of spring training) on Wednesday, and likely by Monday or even the weekend, things will be crackin’ in the burbs.

Random thoughts
The Crochet selection seemed a no-brainer from the jump, if not for actual MLB readiness, definitely as a glad-handing, you’re close, kid sort of gesture. Although Jared Kelley was even less likely to be a major-leaguer even in this bastardized 2020, it’s a little interesting that he’s not getting some of the same glad-handing. But if so, you’d have to extend invites to Andrew Dalquist and Matthew Thompson as well.

It’s a little surprising to see Bennett Sousa leapfrog Kodi Medeiros on the LHRP depth chart, and you know what, after an AFL season and continued success up the charts, I’d nab him as a dark horse to see a little time on the South Side; yeah, maybe even ahead of Lindgren.

Jonathan Stiever seems to fall into that Kelley/Thompson/Dahlquist in-Schaumburg-for-nuturing-and-reps, because he surely isn’t yet going to be pressed into relief duty and probably is here simply as the top arm below Triple-A.

No Gavin Sheets. Absolutely not good for his outlook in the system. If having José Abreu around another three seasons and Andrew Vaughn clocking homers in intrasquads leads anyone to believe there’s extra room at first base, well, there isn’t.

No Jake Burger. How about we let the kid get a few reps in before putting the pressure back on. He’s poised, fingers crossed, to make a nice impression in Glendale, 2021.

Probably plenty of other names I’ve missed, so feel free to continue the conversation in the comments, compadres.

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