Chicago Sports

Bears general manager Ryan Poles drew quizzical looks for his moves and non-moves at wide receiver last offseason, including bypassing the position twice in the second round of the draft and taking 25-year-old Velus Jones in the third.

The outlook on Jones has only gotten hazier since.

Entering the final four games of his rookie season, starting Sunday against the Eagles at Soldier Field, he has just 72 yards of total offense and one touchdown in eight games. He has been a healthy scratch twice and has been on the field for just 75 offensive plays.

The brutally slow start has tested both Jones’ resolve and the Bears’ patience. He has been splashy as a return man — although there also were costly mistakes — but teams are looking for much more than a specialist from a No. 71 overall pick. Jones was supposed to be a multifaceted playmaker for an organization suffering a dearth of those.

However, he’s unflinchingly confident he’ll be a weapon sooner rather than later, regardless of how it looks at the moment.

“It’s definitely been a process, but I’m thankful for the process,” he told the Sun-Times. “I feel myself getting better each week, and I just know one of these games I’m gonna break out.

“I’ll overcome this and be a top receiver in the league in the future. I know that’s going to happen. I don’t care what other people think. I knew I was going to be [in the NFL] one day, and a lot of people didn’t think that. I definitely know I’ll be at the top of my game on this level.”

Further complicating Jones’ path, the competition has gotten tougher as he has struggled. When the Bears drafted him, it was plausible he could develop into their best receiver behind Darnell Mooney. But they traded for up-and-comer Chase Claypool at the deadline, and now the math has changed.

Mooney, who’s out for the season with a foot injury, didn’t make the jump to become a clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Claypool hasn’t been that yet, either. And if the Bears have a pair of No. 2 targets, they need to find someone better than both of them in the draft, free agency or the trade market.

Assuming Poles can find such a talent to join Claypool and Mooney (the latter two are actually younger than Jones), where would that leave Jones?

Meanwhile, some of the receivers Poles passed on when he drafted cornerback Kyler Gordon at No. 39 and safety Jaquan Brisker at No. 48 look exactly like what the Bears need. Georgia star George Pickens, who went 52nd to the Steelers, put up his first 100-yard game in Week 4 and has 40 catches for 590 yards and two touchdowns, better numbers than anyone on the Bears. The Colts took Cincinnati’s Alec Pierce with the next pick; he has 32 catches for 510 yards and two touchdowns. Several receivers selected after Jones have been modestly productive as well.

The upside for Jones is that his playing time could be increasing. Bears coaches have praised his work in practice, and there are multiple vacancies. Not only is Mooney done for the year, but Claypool is out against the Eagles on Sunday because of a knee injury. Jones is competing with Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle and Dante Pettis for targets from quarterback Justin Fields.

“I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for this moment,” Jones said of the potential for a bigger role down the stretch. “I’m proud of my progress especially this week — I had a really good week of practice — and now it’s all about consistency.

“I’ve played running back, outside receiver, inside receiver. I can do a lot of things. In the future, I’ll be utilized that way, especially because of my size. They’ll be able to put me everywhere.”

That’s a big dream. It’s time for Jones to offer some evidence that it’s realistic.

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So I show up at Marist tonight excited to get a look at a bunch of young players…and you probably know where this is going…the seniors steal the show.

That won’t be a surprise to anyone. Senior Andrew Ayeni won it for St. Patrick late and seniors Justin Lang and Mason Ross carried the load throughout the game for the RedHawks.

The Shamrocks varsity roster features eight sophomores. Marist’s roster has three sophomores and three freshmen. RedHawks coach Brian Hynes was very clear that he’s still figuring his team and his rotation out. That’s not something you hear very often from a coach that is 9-1, but it makes sense with all the additions and departures he’s dealing with this season.

Young teams are all over the area, which hopefully bodes well for the future. While the top 12-15 ranked teams in appear better than last year’s group in general, the drop off after that is signifcant based on what I’ve seen in the early going. It is also entirely possible I have the wrong teams ranked in that last group. It’s still the get out and see teams portion of the season.

It will be interesting to see which young teams improve the most over the next few months and if any of them can make significant playoff runs.

Friday’s top games

St. Ignatius 51, Fenwick 43: Jackson Kotecki scored 17. He started amping things up during the Wolfpack’s run to Champaign last season and has kept it going. Reggie Ray scored 13.

Oswego 56, Yorkville 51: Speaking of teams still figuring it out, the Foxes are clearly in that category. A really nice win for the Panthers. Jason Jakstys scored 24 for Yorkville.

Naperville North 65, Naperville Central 35: Luke Williams scored 18. Jacob Nolen and Cole Arl each added 11. Maybe the Huskies are a team that should be in the Super 25?

Wheaton-Warrenville South 48, Wheaton North 46: Anyone that has been paying attention over the last decade knows it is only a matter of time until the Tigers join the rankings. Apparently they went on a 23-0 run in the third quarter of this one.

Lemont 57, TF South 47: Big night for Matas Castillo with 29 points. Lemont is 10-0. But still no nickname.

Romeoville 64, Plainfield East 51: The other night at Brother Rice Marc Howard joked that I’m bad luck for his teams, which do have a pretty lousy record when I’m in the building. That wasn’t a problem in this one. Troy Cicero Jr. scored 18 and Meyoh Swansey added 11. Aaron Brown added 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Lincoln-Way East 76, Lincoln-Way West 46: Freshman BJ Powell was 4 of 5 from three and scored 14. George Bellevue added 13 and Griffins are 9-1.

Perspectives-MSA 64, Farragut 63: A very important win for the Wolves’ quest to remain in the Red. They came back from a 12-point deficit. Tomajae Wells had 21 points and six rebounds and Jason Asante added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Simeon 72, Little Rock, AR 54: A win in Arkansas for the Wolverines. Apparently this school is just called Little Rock? That seems odd for a city of that size. Sam Lewis scored 20, Wes Rubin had 14 and Miles Rubin finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

Barrington 53, Schaumburg 39: Still unbeaten, the Broncos are 8-0. Dillon Schmidt scored 17 and Donavan Nichols added 15.

Palatine 33, Conant 16: I almost went to this one. Looks like it may have been a rough watch. Connor May scored 18 and Tyler Swierczek added 13 for the Pirates.

Benet 46, Marian Catholic 37: The Redwings keep rolling. Brayden Fagbemi scored 20.

North Lawndale 73, Lincoln Park 65: Senior guard Ronald Chambers and Jemarje Windfield both had big games. Chambers finished with 21. Windfield is one of the most underrated players in the area. He had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Manley 62, Kelvyn Park 59 OT: Apparently Manley won this in overtime with only three players. That is wild. Freshman Jaali Love had 18 points, 14 rebounds and made the free throws at the end of regulation to send it to OT. Antonio Jackson added 19 points and Quovadis Temples scored 17. The Wildcats are 11-0.

Hinsdale Central 78, Oak Park 75: Big conference win for the Red Devils, who are a serious threat to win their own holiday tournament.

Lyons 58, York 38: Another unbeaten squad. Niklas Polonowski scored 19 for the Lions.

Lindblom 61, U-High 54: Junior Je’Shawn Stevenson scored 29 points in the first game after receiving an offer from NIU. Junior Quentin McCoy added 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.

Evanston 54, Loyola 52 2 OT: The Wildkits survive. Prince Adams led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Ephraim Chase scored 11.

Harvard Westlake, CA 64, Young 52: The Dolphins lose in Arkansas. Dalen Davis scored 26.

Joliet West 69, La Crosse Central, Wis. 55: A road win for the Tigers. It’s been awhile since a Joliet team left the state to play. I’m struggling to remember the last time. Possibly not since the split.

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At some point this season it will have to start meaning something for this organization.

A “let’s start giving a damn moment” that turns the continual underachieving around.

It wasn’t against New York in the two-game mini-series, and it definitely wasn’t in the Friday sequel.

In what could have been rock bottom for the 2022-23 campaign so far, the Bulls followed up their Wednesday overtime loss to Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks, by looking completely lifeless in a second half that could best be described as embarrassing to all involved with the team.

Soft on the boards.

Careless with the ball.

No rhythm to an offense that was starting to become “My turn, your turn.”

And in the aftermath of the 114-91 loss at the United Center, the Bulls not only found themselves at 11-17 in the standings, but coming up on a crossroads of sticking to “continuity” in hopes of it somehow turning around or the idea of finding out which pieces could be moveable on the trade market.

Either way, something will have to give soon.

“Our collective spirit needs to be a whole lot better,” coach Billy Donovan said. “You’ve got to be able to have resolve to move through the adversity of things you can’t control.”

Donovan was then asked if this group was even capable of having resolve, and was asked if bringing back this roster as is was a mistake.

“I don’t personally feel that way,” Donovan responded. “I think the character in that locker room is good. We have got to collectively have more resolve. I still feel like we can be better in those areas and have been better. Are we going to have resolve? It’s in our face right now and we’ve got to face it.”

So when?

“It was terrible,” guard Zach LaVine admitted. “We’ve got to be better and we know that. There’s nothing you can do except try and be better the next day.”

Third quarters have been when the Bulls have made up deficits, not fallen into them.

But in a season where very little has been consistent with this team, of course that’s what they did against the Knicks in the rematch.

Watching a second-quarter seven-point lead disappear by the half was one thing, but Donovan’s crew looked completely void of energy out of the locker room, starting with New York’s RJ Barrett driving to the rack for the easy lay-up, and then hitting a three-pointer 30 seconds later.

Sure, the Knicks ended up outscoring the Bulls 29-22 in that stanza, but appearance was everything. All New York did was out-hustle and play like it mattered more. It was nothing special besides that. Of course it helped that they again outrebounded the Bulls in that stanza 13-9, and scored nine points off five Bulls turnovers, but Thibodeau’s crew only shot 3-for-11 from three and missed four free throws.

Surely there would have to be some pride shown in the fourth?

Not with this group.

More turnovers and more stagnant offensive sets, as the Bulls were outscored 27-16 in that final stanza.

By the time the last few minutes rolled around, the United Center crowd finally had something to cheer about, as Derrick Rose checked into the game to “MVP … MVP …” chants and responded by hitting a three.

“You got to have belief in what you’re doing out here,” LaVine added of the current difficulties. “I have confidence in myself and my teammates because we put the work in. If you doubt it then you shouldn’t be here. Obviously it’s tough times, and we’re not trying to go out and play like this.

“We’ve got to own it and try and go out there and play better.”

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Blackhawks did a good job suppressing Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello in their first meeting this season against the Wild.

They didn’t fare quite as well in their second meeting Friday.

Zuccarello recorded a hat trick and Kaprizov added the Wild’s other goal in their 4-1 win, extending the Hawks’ misery into yet another weekend.

“They were really good tonight,” Hawks coach Luke Richardson said. “We didn’t kill plays in our ‘D’-zone early, and that just fuels their game. They really get moving in there. I’m sure they probably weren’t happy with their last game against us, either, so they were top-notch today.”

Before the game, Richardson showed the Hawks video clips demonstrating how well they defended the two Wild stars back on Oct. 30. The Hawks lasted to a shootout before losing that night and recorded five of the eight total scoring chances during their five-on-five ice time together.

Containing them again proved impossible, however. Wild coach Dean Evason, utilizing the advantage of second change at home, was able to regularly match up his first line (Zuccarello and Kaprizov centered by Sam Steel) against the Hawks’ first line (Patrick Kane and Sam Lafferty centered by Max Domi) and exploit the defensive weaknesses of that Hawks trio.

The Wild produced 13 of the 17 total scoring chances during Zuccarello and Kaprizov’s five-on-five ice time in this game. The passing on their most dangerous shifts was crisp and quick to the point of being almost unstoppable.

Zuccarello easily could’ve had four goals — and he did tally an assist to finish with four points — if not for a ridiculous reaching-back paddle save in the second period by Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek.

“It’s desperation,” Mrazek said. “It’s a lucky save. I saw they had an empty net [and] I didn’t have anything else to help get there, so I was just trying to focus on the release and put the stick there.”

Mrazek officially recorded only 18 saves, but most of those were heroic stops against high-danger chances. It was one of his best games as a Hawk.

Unfortunately for him, the Hawks “just don’t have enough” clicking right now — in Richardson’s words — to give either of their goalies the support they need. They’ve scored just six goals in their last six games combined.

“Obviously, we’re going through it right now, and we all recognize that,” Domi said. “But we’re not going to quit. We’re not going to stand down. We just have to find a way to just get one [win] here and build on that.”

Johnson, Vlasic injured

Tyler Johnson’s first comeback attempt from his ankle injury lasted only two games.

The veteran forward re-aggravated his ankle Thursday against the Golden Knights, missing the third period, and did not play Friday. Reese Johnson moved back into the lineup and Seth Jones moved back onto the top power-play unit (marking a quick end to the five-forward approach) in his stead.

There’s hope Johnson’s second comeback attempt could come soon, though. Richardson said the Hawks “just want to let it settle down.”

Down in Rockford, Hawks prospect defenseman Alex Vlasic — who had looked as NHL-ready as expected in his first 21 AHL appearances — will miss six weeks with a fractured right fibula.

Filip Roos, who scored in his first career AHL game Tuesday after being sent down, should be able to help compensate for Vlasic’s absence.

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The majority of St. Patrick’s offensive possessions on Friday at Marist went through 6-4 Andrew Ayeni.

So the strong, confident senior was the natural choice to take charge in the game’s defining moment. With the score tied and the seconds ticking away, Ayeni dribbled the ball at the top of the key, waiting to make his move.

He went with 11 seconds to play, scoring on a drive to the basket to grab a 45-41 win for the Shamrocks.

“The team needed a bucket so I had to get a bucket,” Ayeni said.

Sophomore EJ Breland sealed it with a steal on the RedHawks’ final possession and drained two free throws to provide the final margin.

“[Ayeni] is hard to guard and when it was spread out like that the lane was open and I knew he was going to take us home,” Breland said.

Ayeni scored 21 points and had nine rebounds. He’s been on varsity since he was a sophomore.

“He hit game winning shots against Carmel and Lake Forest last year so he’s been in big games on the road,” St. Patrick coach Mike Bailey said. “He stabilizes our younger core and inexperienced seniors. He just has a good way about him.”

Marist (9-1, 4-1 East Suburban Catholic) led by six heading into the fourth quarter and were up by four in the final 90 seconds. The RedHawks didn’t manage a field goal for the final 3:44 of the game. St. Patrick shot 8-for-9 from the free throw line down the stretch to come back.

“We played a little uncharacteristically selfish and without a lot of toughness the first three quarters,” Bailey said. “But these guys have shown already this season that they find a way to put their feet on the ground and in the fourth quarter we played Shamrock basketball.”

Breland finished with seven points and junior AJ Thomas added eight points for St. Patrick (8-2, 4-1).

The Shamrocks won at Loyola on Saturday and beat Marian Catholic on the road in double overtime on Tuesday.

Marist is loaded with promising sophomores and freshmen, including 6-7 Stephen Brown, regarded in the early going as one of the area’s most promising freshmen.

The RedHawks won their first nine games of the season, despite all their youth.

“We’re still trying to figure out the right mix,” Marist coach Brian Hynes said. “Some kids play big nights and some do on other nights.”

Seniors Mason Ross and Justin Lang were unselfish and effective against the Shamrocks and set the tone early for Marist. Ross had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Lang added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.

“They are high character kids that care about their teammates,” Hynes said. “They are like that in the locker room too, which is important when you have such a young group.”

Brown finished with three points and four rebounds. Freshmen Adoni Vassilakis and Achilles Anderson also contributed for Marist, as did sophomores Keshaun Vaval and Marquis Vance.

“Going into the game the undefeated thing started becoming something of its own,” Hynes said. “This is an opportunity to see what we are about. Everything is easy when you are winning.”

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Billy Donovan made it very clear on Friday that everything was still on the table.

Considering the underachieving start for this Bulls roster this season, everything should be for the coach.

So while Donovan made a change to the starting lineup a few weeks ago, he might slowly be walking that change back.

After the embarrassment in Phoenix on Nov. 30, Donovan pulled Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu from the starting lineup, replacing them with Javonte Green and Alex Caruso, respectively. Thanks to a knee injury to Green, that starting lineup received just a one-game look.

Donovan insisted that once Green was back up and running, he would return to the starting lineup. As of Friday, however, he hasn’t.

Green again came off the bench for Williams, and seemingly will until further notice.

“This is a unique situation playing the same [Knicks] team with a day in between, but I think we have to keep evaluating and looking at that [starting lineup],” Donovan said. “I think Javonte has done a good job for us, and I also think Pat’s done a good job too. Plus, it’s about the combination of players and who we’re mixing and matching. It’s something we’ll continue to look at.”

Williams has been matched up with a very physical Julius Randle throughout both games against the Knicks, so it could simply be match-up based, but Williams has also suddenly started playing better with that first unit on the offensive end, scoring seven points in his first-quarter stint.

Either way, what has become obvious the last few weeks is Williams’ continued growth in defending the opposing team’s best player.

“I think it always helps you defensively the more familiar you are with different teams and different personnel,” Donovan said. “He’s light years ahead of where he was as a rookie, just because he was coming in and having to guard a lot of these guys, not knowing much about them. He’s been very solid and reliable for us.”

Rose talk

Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has always been adamant about Derrick Rose having his No. 1 jersey hanging in the rafters of the United Center someday.

Coaching Rose with the Timberwolves and now the Knicks, Thibodeau hasn’t changed his stance on that.

Rose was asked about it before the Friday game.

“Of course I’ve thought about it, but only from people asking me about it,” Rose told reporters. “Yeah, for me it wouldn’t be a big problem, but for my family members to see that and the people that have supported me all these years to be part of it, that would be cool. I know the love I’ve received, no matter if it’s here or somewhere else, that’s all I need.”

Unfortunately, Rose or Thibodeau won’t have a vote in that. Rose knows who will.

“It’s up to Jerry [Reinsdorf] and the franchise to make that decision,” Rose added.

Stay calm

Turnovers remain an issue for this Bulls team this season, especially considering they were very careful with the basketball last year, finishing fifth in that category with 12.1 per game. Entering Friday’s Knicks game they were 14th with 14 turnovers per game, and way too many careless ones.

Veteran DeMar DeRozan offered up a solution.

“We’ve got to find that calm when we go out and play,” DeRozan said. “We have to play as the intelligent ones. It’s all about being aware. We get caught up trying to do the right thing too fast, and we get caught up in that. We fight to find that rhythm.”

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Friday, December 16, 2022

Boys Basketball

RED NORTH-WEST

Clark at Lane, 5:00

North Lawndale at Lincoln Park, 5:00

Perspectives-MSA at Farragut, 5:00

WHITE NORTH

Amundsen at Senn, 5:00

Mather at Lake View, 5:00

Northside at Sullivan, 5:00

Schurz at Foreman, 5:00

Von Steuben at Taft, 7:00

WHITE WEST

Payton 60, Jones 51

Legal Prep at Wells, 5:00

Marshall at Crane, 5:00

Ogden at Austin, 5:00

Raby at Collins, 5:00

BLUE NORTH

Alcott at Uplift, 5:00

ASPIRA at Marine, 5:00

CMSA at Rickover, 5:00

Intrinsic-Belmont at Chicago Academy, 5:00

North-Grand at Disney, 5:00

Roosevelt at Steinmetz, 5:00

BLUE WEST

Chicago Collegiate at Chicago Tech, 5:00

Clemente at Juarez, 5:00

Little Village at Douglass, 5:00

Manley at Kelvyn Park, 5:00

Spry at Phoenix, 5:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN NORTH

Highland Park at Deerfield, 7:00

Maine West at Niles North, 7:00

Vernon Hills at Maine East, 7:00

CENTRAL SUBURBAN SOUTH

Glenbrook South at Niles West, 7:00

Maine South at Glenbrook North, 7:00

CHICAGO CATHOLIC BLUE

Brother Rice at Leo, 7:00

Fenwick at St. Ignatius, 7:00

St. Rita at DePaul Prep, 7:00

CHICAGO CATHOLIC WHITE

De La Salle at Providence, 7:00

Montini at Providence-St. Mel, 7:00

CHICAGO PREP

Northtown at Christ the King, 7:30

DUKANE

Geneva at Batavia, 7:00

Glenbard North at Lake Park, 7:30

St. Charles East at St. Charles North, 7:00

Wheaton-Warrenville South at Wheaton North, 7:15

DUPAGE VALLEY

DeKalb at Waubonsie Valley, 7:00

Metea Valley at Neuqua Valley, 7:00

Naperville Central at Naperville North, 7:00

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC

Carmel at St. Viator, 7:00

Marian Catholic at Benet, 7:00

Nazareth at Joliet Catholic, 7:00

St. Patrick at Marist, 7:00

FOX VALLEY

Crystal Lake Central at Prairie Ridge, 7:30

Crystal Lake South at Huntley, 7:30

Dundee-Crown at Jacobs, 7:30

Hampshire at McHenry, 7:30

ILLINOIS CENTRAL EIGHT

Manteno at Lisle, 6:45

Reed-Custer at Peotone, 7:00

Streator at Coal City, 6:45

Wilmington at Herscher, 7:00

INTERSTATE EIGHT

Kaneland at LaSalle-Peru, 7:00

Morris at Rochelle, 3:00

Ottawa at Sycamore, 6:00

Plano at Sandwich, 6:45

LAKE SHORE

Beacon at Roycemore, 5:30

Waldorf at Horizon-McKinley, 7:00

Wolcott at Intrinsic-Downtown, 6:30

LITTLE TEN

Hinckley-Big Rock at LaMoille, 6:00

Newark at Earlville, 7:00

METRO SUBURBAN BLUE

IC Catholic at Timothy Christian, 7:30

St. Francis at Riverside-Brookfield, 7:00

Wheaton Academy at Chicago Christian, 7:30

MID-SUBURBAN EAST

Elk Grove at Prospect, 6:00

Hersey at Wheeling, 6:00

Rolling Meadows at Buffalo Grove, 6:00

MID-SUBURBAN WEST

Conant at Palatine, 6:00

Hoffman Estates at Fremd, 6:00

Schaumburg at Barrington, 6:00

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY

North Chicago at Round Lake, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN BLUE

TF South at Lemont, 7:00

SOUTH SUBURBAN CROSSOVER

Shepard at Hillcrest, 6:30

SOUTHLAND

Crete-Monee at Thornridge, 6:00

Thornwood at Bloom, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE EAST

Joliet Central at Plainfield Central, 6:30

Romeoville at Plainfield East, 6:30

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE WEST

Minooka at West Aurora, 6:30

Oswego East at Plainfield North, 6:30

Yorkville at Oswego, 6:30

SOUTHWEST SUBURBAN CROSSOVER

Lincoln-Way Central at Lockport, 6:30

Lincoln-Way East at Lincoln-Way West, 6:30

TRI-COUNTY

Dwight at Ottawa Marquette, 7:00

Seneca at Putnam County, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN GOLD

Downers Grove South at Willowbrook, 7:30

Hinsdale South at Proviso East, 6:00

Leyden at Morton, 7:00

WEST SUBURBAN SILVER

Hinsdale Central at Oak Park-River Forest, 6:00

Proviso West at Downers Grove North, 7:30

York at Lyons, 6:30

NONCONFERENCE

Amboy at Somonauk, 7:00

Andrew at Evergreen Park, 6:00

Eisenhower at Kennedy, 7:00

Elgin Academy at St. Martin, 7:00

Evanston at Loyola, 6:30

Hansberry at Ellison, 7:00

Lindblom at U-High, 6:00

Mooseheart at Walther Christian, 7:30

Oak Forest at Sandburg, 7:00

St. Francis de Sales at Mount Carmel, 7:00

Stagg at Oak Lawn, 6:30

TBA at Richards, 6:30

Universal at Argo, 6:30

UP-Bronzeville at Muchin, 6:00

Westlake Christian at Harvest Christian, 7:30

BENTONVILLE, ARK.

Simeon 72, Little Rock Central, Ark. 54

Young vs. Harvard-Westlake, Calif., 5:30

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Prosser vs. Rialto Eisenhower, Calif.

MADISON, WIS.

Joliet West vs. La Crosse Central, Wis., 8:00

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.

New Trier vs. Scottsdale Horizon, Ariz., 6:00

WATSEKA

St. Anne vs. Hoopeston, 5:45

Watseka vs. Illinois Lutheran, 7:00

Girls Basketball

Loyola 55, Evanston 33

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The Chicago White Sox finally make a move as they agree to a deal with oufielder Andrew Benintendi

The White Sox have signed, free agent outfielder Andrew Benintendi to a five-year deal worth $75 million. According to Jesse Rodgers “With a $75 million guarantee, Benintendi’s contract is the highest free agency agreement in team history. Yasmani Grandal’s four deals worth 73 million dollars held the previous record.

 

 

Andrew Benintendi’s deal with the Chicago White Sox is for five years and $75 million, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 16, 2022

 

In his time with the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees, who acquired him in a deadline trade, Andrew Benintendi, 28, hit.304/.373/.399 this season. Benintendi, a left fielder who won a Gold Glove, had a top 25 strikeout rate and the ninth-best hitting average in Major League Baseball in 2022.

Andrew Benintendi was previously regarded as the Red Sox’s best outfield prospect. He hit a career-high 20 home runs and collected 90 RBIs in 2017, which helped him place second in the voting for Rookie of the Year. In 2018, he had yet another excellent season, batting.290 with 16 home runs and 87 RBIs, and ultimately assisting in the Red Sox’s World Series victory. He collected four extra-base hits in the postseason and hit.333 in the World Series.

The White Sox wanted Benintendi to be a part of the four-player prospect package they received from the Red Sox in exchange for Chris Sale following the 2016 season because they have admired him since before he was selected one position ahead of their pick in the 2015 draft. For a while now, the White Sox have been prepared and eager to support Benintendi.

 

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The White Sox addressed their need for an outfielder Friday, signing free agent Andrew Benintendi to a five-year, $75 million contract.

The deal, not yet announced but confirmed to the Sun-Times, surpasses the Sox’ previous high for a player contract. Catcher Yasmani Grandal is entering the fourth season of a $73 million deal.

Benintendi, 28, batted .304/.373/.399 with five homers and a .772 OPS between the Royals and Yankees in 2022, striking out in just 14.8% of his plate appearances. He’s a .279/.351/.431 hitter with a .782 OPS and 73 homers over seven seasons during his career, which includes his first five seasons with the Red Sox. As a rookie, Benintendi was the AL Rookie of the Year runnerup to the Yankees’ Aaron Judge.

Benintendi was a Gold Glove left fielder with the Royals in 2021 and an All-Star last season. He has appeared in 678 games in left field and 71 in center field during his career.

With a career .808 OPS against right-handers, Benintendi provides a left-handed bat that will help balance a right-hand heavy Sox lineup as well as a defensive upgrade in the outfield. He figures to settle in at left field, with Luis Robert in center and prospect Oscar Colas competing for a starting job in right field next season.

Slugger Eloy Jimenez is expected to get considerable time at designated hitter, where he excelled last season.

With Robert dealing with injuries for much of the season and converted first basemen Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets playing corner outfield positions and the defensively challenged Jimenez appearing in 30 in left field, the Sox had one of the poorest defensive outfields in the majors.

A healthy Robert — who won a Gold Glove in center as a rookie in 2020 — a swifter option in right with Colas and the former Gold Glover in Benintendi in left shores up the outfield nicely.

“We’ve got to improve defensively, obviously,” first-year manager Pedro Grifol said the day he was hired.

“Obviously, defensively, we weren’t quite the club that we are capable of being,” general manager Rick Hahn said.

Grifol, the Royals’ former bench coach, watched Benintendi play in 2021 and for Benintendi’s first 93 games of last season before he was traded to the Yankees for three minor leaguers July 27.

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