That pesky groundhog may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but baseball fans know Spring Training marks the official start of the season. Pitchers and catchers across MLB report to Arizona and Florida on February 10, with the first games kicking off 10 days later. Among the 62 players reporting to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, which White Sox players are worth extra attention?
Jonathan Canon
Seeking to secure a spot in the Sox starting rotation, Cannon needs to come out of the gates strong. His
midseason performance drop-off last year (22 earned runs, seven home runs, and 14 walks in seven games between July and August) drove him to spend the majority of August and September in Triple-A. There, he struggled even more. The slight dip in velocity across his pitch arsenal, along with control challenges in 2025, produced a 5.82 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and -0.6 WAR.
Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Shane Smith have likely secured three spots in the rotation. Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe could easily lock up the last two, with a sixth swing-man role going to Cannon or newcomer Anthony Kay. While nothing is finalized, Cannon faces an uphill battle.
Munetaka Murakami
All eyes will undoubtedly be on Chicago’s biggest offseason free agent signing, but Sox fans shouldn’t just be on a home run watch. His high strikeout rate with the Yakult Swallows, lingering around 28.5% in the last three years, and his struggles with offspeed pitches may result in a slow spring. Murakami also must get accustomed to high-velocity pitching. NPB pitchers have added velocity over the years, but they still lag behind the 94.2-94.4 mph MLB average, according to Baseball Savant.
In a relaxed environment where pitchers experiment with new pitch types, Spring Training is the perfect place for Murakami to ease into MLB pitching. The 26-year-old already has the starting job at first base, but he needs to show he can hold his own at the plate.
Luisangel Acuña
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s younger brother has a chance to steal center field from Brooks Baldwin. Coming off a strong Venezuelan Winter League season with 40 hits, eight home runs, and 26 walks in 39 games, Acuña set a record by hitting four homers in a single game. Even with such a small sample size, that’s impressive.
The battle between two bench players for a position that’s been up for grabs since September will be entertaining to watch. Although he played less than half his winter games in the outfield, his 60-grade speed and defensive versatility make him a confident decision-maker and precise fielder well-suited for center.
