CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) — Late Friday morning before the White Sox's home opener at Rate Field, the clouds broke and blue skies reappeared. The White Sox took to their home diamond with rays of sunshine and hope.
There have been far too many cloudy days for the White Sox lately. They're two years removed from a historic season of futility in which they lost 121 games and have begun this new campaign at 1-5 amid a six-game road trip. But that doesn’t take away from their belief that progress is on the horizon.
The White Sox have a core taking form on the South Side and believe that brighter days are ahead.
“There’s certainly plenty of building blocks and exciting things to point to on this field,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said Friday.
In assessing the White Sox’s direction, Getz pointed toward the arrival of Japanese rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami, who hit home runs in his first three MLB games; slugging shortstop Colson Montgomery's ascension; third baseman Miguel Vargas, catcher Kyle Teel and catcher Edgar Quero showing growth; and the potential of 22-year-old left-hander Noah Schultz and 22-year-old left-hander Hagen Smith in the minor leagues.
Beyond that, the White Sox hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, where they're expected to select UCLA star shortstop Roch Cholowsky. The future seems bright for the White Sox.
As for this season, expectations are slightly elevated as they come off a 60-102 campaign in 2025. Following three consecutive 100-loss campaigns, the White Sox's goal is to develop the young core and showcase progress as an organization.
“We want to continue the momentum,” Montgomery said. “We know we’re going to have ups and downs. You got to stay optimistic, stay positive.”
The 24-year-old Montgomery represents hope for the White Sox’s future. After a turbulent run through the minor leagues, Montgomery blasted 21 home runs in 71 games at the big league level last season. He and Murakami – who signed a two-year deal in the offseason – have the power to help make the White Sox more competitive this season.
Early on, the White Sox's trouble has been their pitching. The White Sox allowed 52 runs in their first six games and entered Friday with an ugly 8.63 ERA as a team.
Right-hander Shane Smith, an All-Star as a rookie in 2025, is 0-2 with a 19.29 ERA. All but one of the 15 White Sox pitchers to appear this season have allowed at least one earned run.
This new season has featured a familiar disheartening start.
“Our message to the guys is we need to be better,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “But we’re moving forward. I mean, we got a long way to go, we’re staying the course. We do believe that we’re working on the right things and we’re going about it the right way. We just got to do a better job of executing.
“We know that this game continues to throw things at you. We just got to keep moving forward.”
The White Sox won't rush Schultz or Smith to the major leagues until they’ve proved to be ready, Getz said. That big-picture perspective reminds is a reminder that the White Sox are a year away from legitimate hopes of contention.
But once Schultz and Smith join the likes of Montgomery, Murakami, Vargas, Teel and Quero – with Cholowsky and more arriving in the future – the White Sox should find more success.
“It’s going to be an enjoyable team to watch,” Getz said. “We just need certain areas to get settled in.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
The White Sox hope to end a streak of three straight 100-loss seasons.
