Chicago White Sox starting lineup for MLB Opening Day 2024 game announced
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago White Sox announced the starting lineup for Thursday's Opening Day matchup against the division rival Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field.
This year's lineup features several new faces as the White Sox are back in rebuild mode, with a new emphasis on defense, especially up the middle, where they'll have a new catcher, second baseman, and shortstop. They're also throwing out an entirely new starting rotation, with hard-throwing lefty Garrett Crochet making his first career start after three seasons in the bullpen.
Starting Pitcher
Garrett Crochet - Crochet, 24, was a surprise announcement as the team's Opening Day starter, the first time since 1901 a Sox pitcher will make his first MLB start on Opening Day. The 6-foot-6 left-hander last started a game in college while with Tennessee in 2020, and has only pitched in relief since he was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 draft, and went straight to the major league club that September. In 72 career appearances, Crochet has a 3.16 ERA, with 85 strikeouts and 40 walks in 73 innings. He was limited to 13 games last year after missing all of the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. In spring training,Crochet boasted a 2.13 ERA in five games, with 14 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP in 12.2 innings.
Batting Lineup
- Andrew Benintendi, LF - Benintendi, 29, is coming off a disappointing debut season as the team's starting left fielder. After signing the richest contract in White Sox history (5 years, $75 million), Benintendi put together a slash line of .262/.326/.356, down from his career average of .276/.347/.418. While never considered a top hitter in the league, his bigger disappointment came in a dropoff in his defensive play. A Gold Glove winner in 2021, last year he recorded -11 outs above average and -3 defensive runs saved, the worst defensive season of his career. Benintendi was never fully healthy last year, suffering lingering effects from a hand injury he sustained at the end of the 2022 season with the Yankees and Royals.
- Yoán Moncada, 3B - In the final year of a 5-year-, $70 million contract, Moncada has yet to live up to the immense potential he brought with him as the top prospect in all of MLB when the White Sox acquired him from the Red Sox as part of the Chris Sale trade in 2016. Moncada, 28, has struggled with injuries throughout his career. In the past six seasons – not including his rookie year when he was a midseason callup from the minors – Moncada has played more than 140 games only twice. His best season was in 2018, when he had 25 home runs and 79 RBI in 132 games, but has yet to top 20 home runs or 61 RBI since then.
- Luis Robert Jr., CF - One of the very few bright spots for the White Sox in 2023, Robert is coming off a breakout year when he hit 38 home runs with 80 RBI, and slashed .264/315/.542, good for his first All-Star Game and Silver Slugger Award. Robert also put in a stellar effort in center field, with 13 outs above average, tied for the AL lead among center fielders with Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier. At only 26, Robert is still in the midst of his prime, and coming off the healthiest season of his career, playing a career best 145 games last year.
- Eloy Jiménez, DH - Like Moncada, Jiménez has been hampered by injuries for most of his career. Even though he was able to play in 120 games last year, the first time he'd played that many since his 2019 debut, he still managed only 18 home runs and 64 RBI while slashing .272/.317/441. For the White Sox to have any chance of getting out of the AL Central basement, Jimenez likely will need to once again flash the power he showed while belting 31 home runs in his rookie year, and another 14 in just 55 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B - Vaughn has shown steady improvement at the plate in his three years with the White Sox, seeing a rise in home runs and RBI each year, but he still has yet to become the reliable power-hitting first baseman fans envisioned when he was drafted with the third overall pick in the first round in 2019. His 21 home runs and 80 RBI last year were both career bests after finally making the move from the outfield, where he was obviously miscast, but still don't come close to the kind of 30 HR/100 RBI seasons Sox fans were used to seeing from his predecessor, Jose Abreu, who signed with the Astros last year after the White Sox let him go in free agency.
- Paul DeJong, SS - Part of a brand new middle-infield combo for the White Sox, DeJong was brought in to shore up the team's defense up the middle. Since 2018, DeJong ranks among the top 20 MLB shortstops in several fielding categories, according to FanGraphs. In that time, he ranks second among major-league shortstops in ultimate zone rating (28.4), fourth in defensive runs saved (41), 11th in defensive runs above average (33.1), and 11th in outs above average (14).
- Kevin Pillar, RF - Pillar was first signed to a minor league deal in February, which would have paid him $3 million if he made the 40-man roster, but he was cut on Friday, and then re-signed to a $1 million major league deal. Pillar, 35, has played 11 major league seasons with seven teams, most recently with the Atlanta Braves, where he slashed .228/248/.415 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, and 32 RBI in 32 games. He has played most of his career in center field.
- Martin Maldonado, C - Another veteran brought in for his defensive prowess, rather than his bat, Maldonado also brings plenty of postseason experience to a rebuilding White Sox team. He's been to the playoffs six consecutive seasons, including three World Series appearances with the Astros, who won it all in 2022. A Gold Glove winner in 2017, Maldonado prides himself on his defense, with an 11.4 career defensive WAR ranking 16th best among active position players in the MLB. He also topped all MLB catchers in assists in 2017, 2022, and 2023, and led the league in putouts in 2017, 2018, 20202, and 2022.
- Nicky Lopez, 2B - The second part of the new middle-infield combo for the White Sox, Lopez should give Chicago a sure glove. Lopez had just two errors in 277 chances with the Royals and Braves last season, and since the start of the 2020 season, he ranks 13th of all major-league position players with 31 outs above average and 36.2 defensive runs above average.
Remaining roster
Starting rotation: Crochet, Michael Soroka, Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen (The White Sox have not yet announced their fifth starter)
Bullpen: Tanner Banks, John Brebbia, Deivi Garcia, Tim Hill, Michael Kopech, Jordan Leasure, Dominic Leone, Bryan Shaw, Steven WIlson
Bench players: C Korey Lee, 1B/RF Gavin Sheets, IF Braden Shewmake, OF Dominic Fletcher
Injured List: relief pitcher Jesse Scholtens (elbow), catcher Max Stassi (hip)
The game is set to start at 3:10 p.m. and air on NBC Sports Chicago