The Chicago White Sox’s Rotation Is Showing Out Early
The White Sox's rotation has surprised in the early goings of the 2025 season, getting fans excited for what the future might hold.
Well, here I am writing about the Chicago White Sox‘s pitching again. While I was spending a week in Arizona at spring training a month ago, I wrote about how the White Sox’s rotation was going to be better than expected.
It’s way too early to take a victory lap, but in their first turn around the rotation, the best starting rotation in MLB belonged to the Chicago White Sox. Yeah, that team that lost 121 games last year is doing something well!
In the first week of the season, the White Sox’s starting rotation did not allow a single earned run in their first four games of the season and first 28 total innings pitched.
The White Sox starting rotation has now thrown 23 innings without allowing an earned run to start the season🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/sfXBDJnoaa
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) March 31, 2025
Sure, it was against the Angels and a Twins lineup that struggled mightily out of the gate. But it’s worth taking another look at this rotation, what they were able to do to start the season, and more importantly how they can continue to thrive.
A Strong Start from the White Sox’s Rotation
The organization as a whole is in a better spot now than it has been in quite some time on the pitching development side. The rather exciting factor here is that likely none, maybe one, of these pitchers in the rotation are expected to be among the top arms in Chicago soon.
While many of the starters had a rougher second go at things, that does not negate that this rotation has the upside to keep Chicago in games this season.
The rotation being solid is great, but the more important matter at hand is figuring out who can be part of the long-term plans in Chicago.
Martín Pérez was brought in to provide solid veteran innings, and he has done just that with two rather great starts so far. He has allowed just one run on four hits with 13 strikeouts across 12.1 innings to open the year.
He’s not a part of the future in Chicago at 34 years old, but his value lies in providing veteran leadership and a potential trade return in a few months. If Pérez pitches even near the level he has thus far, he’ll net the White Sox a decent prospect as a rental starter come July.
Who Will Be Part of the Future in the South Side?
The rest of the starters are in the group vying to become future pieces. None have honestly proved that they belong just yet, but they will have the opportunity to do so.
Sean Burke is a breakout candidate who I have been high on for quite some time, and his taste of MLB last September went very well. He even earned the Opening Day nod as the highest-upside piece in this group.
His Opening Day start was stellar, as he put the White Sox in prime position and got the win. His second start was a tough, but Burke has flashed three legit plus pitches at times, highlighted by his sharp curveball.
Sean Burke on Opening Day in just his 5th MLB game:
— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) March 27, 2025
6 IP
0 R
3 H
0 BB
3 K pic.twitter.com/151SMm31xh
Command still comes and goes at times for Burke, particularly with his fastball, but he’s just seven games into his MLB career and has a shot to really take a step this season. If he can turn in more games like his Opening Day outing, he should have a good shot to earn a spot heading into next season.
Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon profile more as back-end rotation guys with less upside in terms of their stuff in comparison to Burke. Similarly, both had a nice first outing and struggled more in their next game.
Martin was one of the first MLB arms to adopt the kick change, and it’s an excellent pitch despite getting hit a couple times early. His pair of fastballs have been solid early with the cutter leading the way in terms of effectiveness. He has some adjustments to still make, but Martin seems like he can settle into either a trade asset for the White Sox or remain in the rotation through this year.
Davis Martin, Filthy 93mph Kick Change. 👌 pic.twitter.com/QDPFv7GcLL
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2025
After a solid rookie campaign, Cannon had a tough spring but looked good in his first outing of the season. Possibly more of a stopgap in this rotation, any development from Cannon this season would be a plus for the organization. He may not fit into the peak version of this rotation, but Cannon should remain there this season.
The biggest development of note in the past month has been Shane Smith, who may deserve his own article soon. The first selection in the Rule 5 Draft this winter, Smith showed a ton of upside in spring training and has turned in two good starts to kick off his MLB career.
He has developed a changeup similar to Martin’s change to pair with his fastball that has ticked up in velocity, to go along with a decent slider which he trusts against right-handers. Smith has limited batters effectively in his first two starts and looks the part of a big league starter.
Shane Smith becomes the first @whitesox rookie since 2011 to take a no-hit bid into the 6th.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 8, 2025
The first pick in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft has held opposing batters to a .105 average this year: pic.twitter.com/nsYofePWqh
With star prospects Noah Schultz (Just Baseball’s No. 22 prospect), Hagen Smith (Just Baseball’s No. 34 prospect), and Grant Taylor (Just Baseball’s No. 83 prospect) all on the way in the near future, Shane Smith developing from a Rule 5 pick to a true stater would be a great compliment.
We’ll see how he continues throughout the season, but he has shown a lot of promise and has put people on notice quickly.
The pitching in the farm system led by Schultz and Hagen Smith is among the best of any team in baseball. A couple arms from the current rotation taking a step will only enhance the future outlook of the organization.
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Elijah is a Chicago native with a passion for the game and the business behind it. He is our lead Chicago White Sox writer in addition…