GLENDALE, Ariz.— Lance Lynn and Dallas Keuchel probably have a year or two left with the White Sox. Lucas Giolito is eligible for free agency in 2024. Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech won’t be here forever, either.
Which is why the business of drafting and developing starting pitching is key for the White Sox, whose current rotation is comprised of a free agent (Keuchel) and four pitchers acquired from other organizations.
Which is why what is going on now at the Sox training complex in Glendale really matters. While the big leaguers waited behind locked gates to get in, recent draftees such as right-handers Jared Kelley (second round, 2020), Matthew Thompson (second round, 2019) and Andrew Dalquist (third round, 2019) were laying groundwork for the day they get in, too.
Kelley (No. 5), Dalquist (No. 6) and Thompson (No. 7) are the highest ranked pitching prospects in the organization, per MLB Pipeline. All three were drafted out of high school, an unusual shift by an organization that historically has leaned toward college pitchers. The Sox spent $3 million on Kelley, $2.1 million on Thompson and $2 million on Dalquist.
They all talk about graduating to the majors together.
“When all three of them have 10 years in the big leagues we’ll still refer to them as the high school trio or the high school kids because they get lumped together,” Sox pitching coordinator Everett Teaford said. “Which is good. They push each other.”
“Most definitely,” Thompson said. “It’s something we all think about. We’re not here going through the motions, we all want to get to the big leagues and help the big league team. That’s the goal, but we have to trust the process.”
Going through the lost 2020 season due to the Coronavirus together, attending the same minicamps and being at the Sox’ alternate site in Schaumburg in 2020 brought the three together naturally.
“We always feed off each other,” Dalquist said. “We share similar experiences and talk about them and relate in ways other people couldn’t. It’s good that we’re joined together and can move up the system. And it’s friendly competition. Thompson has a good game, I want to have a good game. It’s not a rivalry but a healthy competition.”
Thompson set a mini-bar in his first simulated game here, which Teaford called “electric.” Dalquist didn’t dictate the count but found his way through a scoreless inning. Kelley, who dealt with shoulder impingement at Low A Kannapolis last summer, saw his offseason throwing program set back by a bout with Covid, so he is slightly behind in his progression.
These are all baby steps. At Low-A Kannapolis, Kelley posted a 6.86 ERA in 10 starts, Thompson 5.89 in 19 starts with four of his last five starts giving up two or fewer runs and Dalquist 4.99 in 23 starts.
Kelley will likely begin the season at Kannapolis, while Dalquist and Thompson will go to High-A Winston-Salem. Teaford wants to see them progress from a game management standpoint this summer.
“Learning the ebb and flow of the game, when to push the gas and when to soften up and land a breaking ball,” Teaford said. “That kind of game management, because all the tools are there. Just learning the intricacies. There will be ups and downs but they want to learn and get better.”
NOTE: Cuban right-hander Norge Vera, who signed a $1.5 bonus in January, has a Grade 1 right lat strain and will not break camp with the others, Getz said.
