At some point this season, the White Sox will need a spot starter. And, for now, there are just two options: Nate Fisher and Jesse Scholtens.
The elephant in the room, of course, is that the season could be a lost cause by the time the White Sox need another starter. Let’s assume for now that it won’t be.
Just 39 games into the minor-league season, a once-deep Knights rotation has been decimated by injuries, ineffectiveness and inconsistency. Fisher and Scholtens are the lone exceptions.
Davis Martin came into the 2023 season as the Knights’ top starter and a six-inning, 11-strikeout shutout on April 14 reinforced the notion that, worst case, he would be an adequate spot starter when called upon. But he developed forearm discomfort the next day and hasn’t pitched since.
Two other Knights’ starters, John Parke and Jonathan Stiever, are also on the IL. Parke has been on the IL since April 8 and Stiever since April 18.
The White Sox had/have high hopes for two other starters, AJ Alexy and Sean Burke, but both have struggled.
Command has been a big challenge for Alexy, having issued 24 walks in 13 innings. He has since been shifted to the bullpen. Meanwhile, Burke has given up 14 walks and 12 hits in 12.1 innings so far with the Knights, and has already spent some time on the Development List in an attempt to tweak his mechanics.
The team’s last starter, Daniel Ponce de Leon, has looked good at times, but has been inconsistent and was rocked on Saturday in his last outing.
And that leaves Scholtens and Fisher.
Of the two, Scholtens is on the 40-man roster and has spent three days with the White Sox this season. In seven starts and 38.1 innings in Charlotte, opponents are hitting .230 against him, to go along with 11 walks, 42 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP. But the 29-year-old righty has one huge blemish on his 2023 stats: he has been tagged for nine homers. He was brilliant on Sunday, tossing a 6.2 inning shutout against the power-hitting Durham Bulls.
Fisher, 26, has surrendered just two homers in his seven starts and 37.1 innnings. Opponents are hitting just .211 against the lefty, who boasts a 1.23 WHIP and a 3.38 ERA. He has given up a slightly elevated 18 walks but struck out 42. The alternative to turning Scholtens and Fisher is for the White Sox to call-up a reliever and go with a bullpen game, though we’re talking about a bullpen that’s already overworked.
Again, though, this presupposes that the White Sox will need a spot starter for meaningful games, and if things don’t get turned around soon, that may be moot.
oscar Colás is mashing
After hitting just .211 in 76 major-league at bats, Oscar Colás has been destroying the baseball since returning to Charlotte on May 2.
In 46 at bats, Colás has 19 hits, including nine doubles and a homer. That’s a slash line of .413/.462/.674, to go along with 12 RBIs, 4 walks and 10 strikeouts.
I’m hoping to dust off my spanish and talk to Oscar this week about his experiences. In the meanwhile, James Fegan of The Athletic did a great piece a few days ago about how Colas is working, literally, to improve his plate discipline, which left him exposed in the major leagues.
Are The Knights A .500 Team?
A week ago, I wrote that I thought the Knights could play .500 for the season, which would be an amazing achievement given the past few seasons. And I’m not ready to give up on that dream after the team split a six-game series last week against their nemesis, the Durham Bulls.
The team is now 19-20, with another six-game home series starting this week. But my prediction was based in large measure on the continued success of the pitching staff. Aside from Fisher and Scholtens, there’s not much to hang your hat on these days.
Regardless, the team is playing a much higher quality baseball than previous seasons. The team’s overall baseball IQ is a strength, as is its defense. An in-season infusion of major-league veterans like Clint Frazier and Stephen Piscotty have lengthened the lineup, while the pitching staff continues to keep the team in enough games such that a .500 record remains doable.
