Cease 'off the charts' in final White Sox intrasquad start
It was only an intrasquad game.
Repeat, it was an intrasquad game.
To White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease, it didn't matter that he was only facing his teammates Thursday night in front of 40,000-plus empty seats at Guaranteed Rate Field.
"To have an outing like that before the season is huge," Cease said. "I feel like I'm as confident of a player as I've ever been right now."
Pitching 4⅔ innings in what was likely his final tune-up against live hitters before the 60-game regular season opens Friday night with a home game against the Twins, Cease blended his fastball, curve and slider to near perfection while striking out eight and allowing 1 run.
"You are seeing the same as I am," Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "He is throwing more strikes, commanding the zone better and his stuff is really good. Another thing is it's just another year under his belt. Every year you go out and perform, this is a new season albeit, this will be a short one.
"He has gained more confidence and learned from his experiences, made adjustments and will build on that. This young man has a really bright future and we look forward to seeing him do what he's capable of doing in a White Sox uniform."
Accompanying another rising young talent - left fielder Eloy Jimenez - from the Cubs in the 2017 Jose Quintana trade, Cease debuted with the Sox last July and had plenty of early bumps.
The 24-year-old righty got better as he went along, and he's trying to build off a strong September (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 28 strikeouts in 21 innings.).
Over his first two months with the White Sox, Cease was 3-7 with a 6.92 ERA.
"I think last year was just the little things of being more comfortable with the travel or being comfortable around big-league guys and the big-league schedule," Cease said. "Facing big-league guys and knowing that I can get the job done, but also seeing you have to bring your good stuff. You have to bring your good command if you really want to be successful. Just seeing like how you have to be consistent, seeing all the little stuff you have to work on.
"That was definitely a good experience to prepare me for what this year and the future is going to be like."
If Cease's future is anything like his pitch sequence to Yermin Mercedes in Thursday's scrimmage game, it has a chance to be incredibly bright.
After getting Mercedes to swing and miss at two straight nasty curveballs, Cease recorded the strikeout on a high fastball that was close to 100 mph.
"If I can take that into the regular season, I'll be very happy," Cease said. "I think (Thursday) night, I did it more consistently with my high-end stuff. Sometimes I don't have my nasty breaking balls or if I do, I'm bouncing them. Yesterday it was a combination of having the A stuff and the A command. I've done it before but nothing as consistent as that. I'm looking to take that into the season."
Newcomer Gio Gonzalez was initially projected to start ahead of Cease in the White Sox's rotation. Renteria hasn't yet announced the order, but Cease is pushing to be the No. 3 arm behind Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel, another veteran newcomer.
"Cease was off the charts (Thursday)," Gonzalez said. "He's electric. He's a spark we need to get us to where we want to go."