PHOENIX -- If you're old enough to remember Jordan Guerrero starting a Cactus League opener, maybe that's an appropriate primer for how much weight to put into the lineups of the first game of the spring. This game is practice. They're practicing.
But Jonathan Cannon is getting the start and expected to handle two innings, which will provide an early, possibly informative look into how much weight a new sinker grip can carry. Or perhaps it's better said: an old sinker grip.
"I threw it to Korey [Lee] all offseason and he seems to like it a lot better than the other one; it's a little bit later and a little bit sharper," Cannon said. "They're similar shapes. It's going to be used exactly the same as my one-seam. The goal is to have that margin for error a little bit bigger and then get guys on the ground a little bit more. The one-seam wasn't getting guys on the ground enough. When you run into that fly ball pitch, low swing-and-miss, that's the pitch that can get hit out or hit for damage."
Munetaka Murakami is also expected to start Friday's spring opener against the Cubs, but even this rare instance of a high profile player being appropriately showcased in a televised spring game has a logistical underpinning as well. Manager Will Venable simply wants to start every position player who is departing at the end of the month for the World Baseball Classic to get games in early, which means get ready to see Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Curtis Mead as well.
Mead has a whole new setup at the plate, residing somewhere halfway between a traditional stance and Mickey Tettleton, to start his hands closer to the firing position. It won't help him beat the tinkering allegations, but if you're going to see a guy who is out of options and facing a thorny route to making the team lead off the first spring game, at least you'll see him try something new.
If that's not quite your speed, Friday offers a chance to get a view of Teel's new physique after he gained roughly 20 pounds in the offseason in the name of adding strength.
"I feel great," Teel said. "Body’s healthy. I did start ramping up a little bit earlier when I was at home. But when it comes to the work we’re getting here, we’re getting a ton already. I feel ready."
Our beloved commenters and supporters love to dunk on dubious reports of extreme physical transformations, but to get specific, Teel's added bulk is expected to lend more stability and balance to what looked like a max effort -- albeit obviously effective -- swing last year.
"We have the ability to not only see these guys in the cages but we have the hitting lab, where we have motion capture in there," said hitting director Ryan Fuller. "Kyle Teel going in there has been really encouraging. From last year comparing his in-game Hawk-Eye compared to where he's at now, he's obviously heavier, stronger, more stable and the bat's moving faster."
Rumor was that Murakami was interested in playing Cactus League games every day until he has to depart, but said this morning that he plans to play in a mere five of them.
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If Cannon's bid to win a rotation spot after posting a 5.82 ERA last year seems fraught, take a deep breath and remind yourself that the 2026 White Sox will probably not be the first team in league history to have too much pitching. But also take into consideration that there's actually a much wider collection of arms behind him, and also behind Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay, Erick Fedde and Sean Burke, who are nevertheless gunning for a starting role.
"This is a very young team and I know the White Sox are going to give me the opportunity to potentially stretch out and give me a shot in the rotation," said recent non-roster invitee Austin Voth, who signed a minor league deal after throwing 125 innings with a 3.96 ERA in Japan in 2025.
Voth logged 68 appearances of solid relief work for the Mariners in 2024, mixing things up with a plurality of cutters and his typically above-average control in lieu of an overwhelming fastball to maintain a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings. And after such a season, the only reason Voth voyaged to Japan was to start. He also is messing with a kick change now. I mean, who isn't?
"I love starting, so I would prefer to start," Voth said. "I wanted to go to Japan and be a starter and see if I could do it for 20-plus games. I had a lot of fun over there and stayed healthy, so I'd like to come back and prove myself in the States."
Voth obviously wouldn't be here if the White Sox hadn't made it clear there was a real chance for him to emerge from their collection of starter depth, and did so even after they had long since acquired the starting pitcher for Saturday's game: left-hander Chris Murphy. The team's new union rep is clearly well-chosen, because it's hard to imagine a player who speaks more plainly about their place in MLB's labor market.
"When I strike out a hitter in the big leagues, I know that hitter is walking back to the dugout like 'Why did he strike me out?'" said Murphy, who was acquired by trade for minor league catcher Ronny Hernández in November. "It was one of those phone calls where I thought 'Wow, this is either a trade or a DFA' It was a trade and I got told I would have an opportunity here."
Murphy recorded a 3.12 ERA in 34⅔ big league innings last year (and covered a little less than that in Triple-A), but unsurprisingly dealt with a spike in walks (13.5 percent) in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. He's scheduled to throw two innings on Saturday and the Sox are preparing to use him as a Swiss Army knife (and he has an option remaining), which only differs from Murphy's prior history in that he's being told ahead of time.
"For me, the best routine is no routine, I go feel like whatever I feel like I need to do," Murphy said. "I told Will this in a meeting a couple of weeks ago: 'You can tell me I'm going to start an hour before the game that I'm going to start and I'll make sure I'm ready.' It's one of those situations, I've just learned who I am as a pitcher, and it's blind confidence in myself to go out there and be able to do it regardless of a routine."
Venable regularly touts that the White Sox have 10 pitchers competing for starting rotation jobs, but you can envision a higher total at this stage by just counting everyone who is preparing for multi-inning work. If anything, he seems unconcerned about managing the disappointment because the writing on the wall seems so clear.
"We are going to have to piggyback some guys," Venable said. "We have 10 guys competing for rotation spots. With only five rotation spots. With these games, you are going to end up having guys piggyback. At the same time, it’s good practice, as you know we’ve used the opener in the past. It’s another challenge for these guys to make sure they are prepared. Everybody is on board. They understand."
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Maybe he wasn't No. 1, No. 1A, or No. 3C of new White Sox players that fans were demanding to see immediately, but offseason trade acquisition Everson Pereira is going to be in Friday's lineup. His placement there comes on the heels of Venable being visibly giddy about his new outfielder hitting the snot out of the ball in live at-bats over the last few days.
"You love to see it," Venable said.
Pereira was a former top-100 prospect with the Yankees and the 24-year-old is a career .271/.362/.519 hitter in Triple-A. He produces big-time exit velocity and has good swing decisions, but an awkward-looking swing that gets beat in the zone to the tune of a 38.6 percent strikeout rate in 50 disparately distributed major league games.
"For the last two, three years, just trying to translate that to the majors," Pereira said via interpreter. "But I definitely feel that this time, this year is going to be better. I feel more accomplished, I know better because of the experiences I’ve had before and that’s something I’m going to be able to translate to this year."
In a time of year that's known for irrational optimism, it's nice to hear Pereira pour cold water on fanciful notions like increasing his contact rate without any sacrifice of his above-average raw power.
"I think it’s probably impossible, but I think if you are able to make contact with the ball and you are strong enough, the ball is going to carry itself," Pereira said via interpreter.
"Attacking some things mechanically under the hood that put him in a better position to be, just simply put, shorter to the baseball," said hitting coach Derek Shomon. "Every day they’re attacked. If you ever swing by the cage, you’re gonna see a bunch of wonky stuff that’s going on, but it’s all in pursuit of attacking that flaw and putting him in a better position to perform in-game.”
Shomon didn't get super into specifics about what will look different with Pereira. Luckily, we now get to see for ourselves.
