It’s finally here: spring training has sprung

The grass is a gorgeous green and the weather is a warm 70°, as the White Sox pitchers and catchers get started with their first workout today at Camelback Ranch in sunny Glendale. Hope springs eternal, as they say, and it’s time for the South Siders to shake off the muck of a disastrous 2023 and set their sights on a much brighter future.

Spring training 2024 holds a different kind of energy for the Pale Hose. After a dreadful 101-loss season and facing low preseason projections — including a 0.2% chance at making the playoffs according to Baseball Prospectus’s annual PECOTA standings — their goal should be clear and straightforward: Play a better brand of baseball, and try not to lose another 100+ games.

With bargain-bin offseason acquisitions like John Brebbia and Paul DeJong added to the pitching staff and lineup, expectations for a quick turnaround seem highly unlikely. Realistically, we’ll be waiting on young talent like Colson Montgomery, Noah Schultz, and Bryan Ramos to develop in hopes that a competitive window returns to Chicago in the second half of the 2020s.

Position players will be strolling into camp over the next several days. The first full-squad workout is on Monday, February 19, followed by the Cactus League opener against the crosstown Chicago Cubs on February 23. With a full five weeks of training, the White Sox should have ample opportunities to refine their skills, build some team chemistry, and right the ship before the season opener at Guaranteed Rate Field against the Detroit Tigers on March 28.

Spring training will look distinctly different this year, with a myriad of new names and faces. The team announced last week they’ve invited the following non-roster players to camp:

While not many of the names on that list are overly exciting to me aside from Montgomery, Edgar Quero, and Nick Nastrini, there’s one player who I am eager to watch — and you should be, too. Tim Elko, one of the system’s best offensive minor league players in 2023, is a PLAYER. The 25-year-old smashed his way through three minor league teams last year, from Kannapolis to Winston-Salem to Birmingham. Across all levels, he combined to hit .295/.347/.527 with a .873 OPS, 28 bombs, and 38 walks. In September, he was named a Carolina League All-Star after hitting .297 with 17 HR and 57 RBIs for Kannapolis. In fact, he won the Carolina League home run title despite not playing for Kannapolis after June 25.

While there were several unfamiliar names on the backs of jerseys today, both on the mound and behind it, one well-recognized hurler was getting some work in with Brian Bannister, the new White Sox senior advisor to pitching.

While copious questions remain about health, overall consistency, and talent level, the White Sox 2024 spring training is not just about preparing for the upcoming season. It’s about rediscovering their identity and proving they have the capability to contend in the near future once again. Whether they have the right front office, management, and players to accomplish that remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: The journey starts now, and the highly annoyed and weary fan base is watching. We’re always watching.

Oh, AND judging.