Rick Hahn feels like a lot of us do.
“It’s just good to have baseball back, man,” the White Sox general manager said Thursday.
Talking to media for the first time since spring training came to a halt on March 12, Hahn drummed up the good vibe surrounding the team and where it was in its rebuild heading into the season.
“The way that team was coming together, we were in a really good place,” Hahn said.
“It’s going to be good to see Luis Robert running around center field, it’s going to be good to seeing [Lucas] Giolito continue to build, where [Yoan] Moncada has grown to. … There’s only so many times I can watch that Eloy [Jimenez] home run at Wrigley last year and not wind up thirsty for more. Let’s go.”
Unless you’re among those who were turned off over the labor squabble between players and owners that dragged out baseball’s return after it was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic — and there those out there who say they’re shutting off baseball because of it — it was good to finally talk baseball, and the plans for training camp and changes in the upcoming 60-game schedule expected to be released in about 10 days.
Does a shortened schedule favor the Sox? That’s open for debate, but there’s no arguing their pitching depth will be better with Michael Kopech and Carlos Rodon ready or close to it after having recovered from Tommy John surgery.
“Not to mention young pitchers like [Dane] Dunning, [Jimmy] Lambert, [Jonathan] Stiever, who were sort of building their way back,” Hahn said. “Now that we’ve got ourselves down to a 60-game season and all those players are, knock on wood, without restrictions at this point from a health standpoint, you suddenly look around at this team and you see we’re in a decent position from a pitching depth standpoint.”
Manager Rick Renteria said all options are on the table for a starting rotation, including a six-man and openers.
“The expanded rosters early on are potentially going to allow us the opportunity to be creative in how we deploy that pitching depth,” Hahn said.
Other points from Hahn’s ZOOM conference call with media Thursday:
*Camp will open July 3 at Guaranteed Rate Field, with about 44 players, Hahn said. A taxi squad of about 16 will work out at a facility to be announced probably in the next day. The taxi squad is for depth and options for the active roster and will include prospects in earlier stages of development.
*Second baseman Nick Madrigal, one of the Sox’ top prospects, wasn’t expected to break camp in March might not be on the 30-man Opening Day roster in late July. “He certainly is a consideration for breaking with us and if not immediately then certainly helping us at some point over the course of this summer,” Hahn said.
*If the Sox are planning to have fans at home games — at a 20 percent of capacity maximum — they aren’t saying. “I have no answer to that,” Hahn said. “We’re just following the state and city lead on those.” It’s likely they are exploring it, as the Cubs and other teams are.
*While Renteria doesn’t like the extra-inning rule of starting an inning with a runner on second base, Hahn does in a shortened season. “Why not experiment a little bit?” he said.
*The Sox will play intrasquad games during camp and three exhibition games at the end camp, with the Cubs a likely and convenient opponent.
