Going out of order: With young pitchers waiting, Sox should consider bypassing bullpen

Bullpens have been a problem on both sides of town so far in this baseball season.

For the White Sox, maybe the best option is to eliminate relievers, so to speak.

The Tampa Bay Rays are often credited for creating the concept of a starter-less pitching staff, using a mix of openers and four-inning stints. Detroit had success with that plan in 2024.

It would be perfect for the White Sox this year, especially as they call up their touted pitching prospects. The rookies could focus on throwing four solid innings, less would be expected from some of the struggling starters, while the underperforming relievers could be scratched, demoted or whatever.

The White Sox have called up rookie pitchers two days in a row. First it was reliever Tyler Schweitzer, who made his MLB debut Wednesday against the Orioles. Then he was sent down Thursday while Duncan Davitt got the call. Neither of those guys have had a ton of success in the minors.

Davitt, from Indianola, Iowa, was already renowned for working as a sports writer for his local newspaper, which is owned by his parents. He actually penned a story about his impending MLB call-up. Look for it in the Indianola Independent Advocate, along with ideally a first-person recap of his initial outing.

At the same time, the Sox top pitching prospect, Noah Schultz, has been outstanding. In his first three appearances for Triple-A Charlotte, the 6-foot-10 left-hander has a 1.29 ERA, a 0.43 WHIP, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19-2.

Schultz is going to join the White Sox soon. The Oswego native has pitched so well, he's inviting comparison to 2024 when the Pirates kept Paul Skenes at Triple-A for seven games before he made his major-league debut against the Cubs.

In his final stint in the minors, Skenes posted a 0.99 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, along with 14.8 strikeouts per 9 innings. Did Skenes really need all seven Triple-A starts to succeed in the majors? Probably not.

Who knows what the Sox are waiting for? Maybe Schultz will make his next start on the South Side. But he certainly looks like the best pitcher anywhere in the organization right now.

The Sox probably should be more patient with Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith, but they could be weeks away from reaching the majors. Schultz, Smith and McDougal are the Sox' Nos. 2, 4 and 6 prospects, respectively, by MLB Pipeline.

What teams like the Tigers and Rays have done in the past is keep a couple of traditional starters, who will try to get through the sixth or seventh innings. Then have a group of pitchers who can throw in four-inning chunks, with the idea of staying fresh and never having to face opposing batters for a third time.

So far this season, Davis Martin has been the best Sox starter with a 2.45 ERA. Anthony Kay (3.38 ERA) and Sean Burke (3.60) have been decent. Opening Day starter Shane Smith was sent back to Triple-A this week after a miserable first three starts.

Meanwhile, the White Sox rank 25th in MLB in bullpen ERA at 5.71. Grant Taylor has been close to perfect in three turns as an opener. That's another popular strategy, which allows starting pitchers to bypass an opponents' best hitters, in theory, and delay seeing those guys for a third time in the same game.

So imagine this: Four innings of a rookie starter — Schultz, McDougal or Hagen Smith — four innings from one of the current starters, then one inning by Taylor, whether it's the start or end. It all adds up to less reliance on an unreliable bullpen, if all works according to plan.

Would all that create a winning formula? At least, more of a winning formula than the Sox now have?

Well, maybe. However the Sox work this out, the arrival of Schultz should generate some excitement. Relatively soon, one would think.