Three up, three down: How key White Sox are performing in Cactus League
Avoiding injury is the biggest key for the White Sox this spring, and aside from catcher Yasmani Grandal's minor knee issue and some general soreness, camp has been a huge success so far.
As for individual showings, here are three Sox that are going good and three that are going bad:
Up
Lucas Giolito
The White Sox haven't announced their Opening Day starter yet, but Giolito is a near lock to take the ball against the Angels on April 1.
The right-hander has been overpowering this spring, including Friday's outing against the Rangers when had 5 strikeouts over 4 scoreless innings.
"When it comes time to get on that game mound to take the ball, I know what I need to do to be successful," Giolito said. "I've put in the preparation. I think that's the biggest thing."
Andrew Vaughn
He wasn't able to play last season due to COVID-19 and didn't advance past high Class A Winston-Salem in 2019, but Andrew Vaughn is positioned to be a key contributor for the Sox this year.
Trying to claim the vacant designated hitter job, Vaughn has been locked in all spring and is batting a team-high .364 with 1 home run and 4 RBI in 9 games.
Evan Marshall
Overlooked in a loaded White Sox bullpen that might emerge as the best in baseball, Marshall is showing he can hang with fellow relievers Liam Hendriks, Aaron Bummer, Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech.
In 3 Cactus League appearances, Marshall has pitched 3 perfect innings to go with 6 strikeouts.
Down
Reynaldo Lopez
Entering camp with a fighting chance to win one of the two open spots in the starting rotation, Lopez has not made a positive early impression.
The 27-year-old righty has dropped behind Dylan Cease and Carlos Rodon on the depth chart while allowing 5 runs on 6 hits (2 homers) and 1 walk in 5 innings over 2 starts.
Tony La Russa
He was hired to win games in the regular season and playoffs, but the new manager has actually been taking some heat for the Sox's slow start in the Cactus League.
They did hold off the Angels Saturday and a 6-5 win improved their record to 2-8.
The 76-year-old La Russa has been around long enough to know what matters and what doesn't, but he's been taking all of the spring losses hard.
"That's why they keep the score," La Russa said. "(When) we've been losers, it messes up the rest of the day and you try to draw some positives because you work on it and all that stuff. Just have to manage better. Managing. The guys are trying hard, so I'll manage better. Try to."
Jose Abreu
The reigning American League MVP was banging on his back leg during Saturday's exhibition game against the Angels, a clear sign his lower half mechanics are off.
Abreu was late arriving to camp after testing positive for COVID-19, and he's trying to find his timing at the plate.
Batting .150 and still looking for his first Cactus League home run, Abreu has plenty of time to get tuned up before play starts for real.