GLENDALE, Ariz. — Catchers are a highly valued commodity in baseball — and the White Sox have squeezed three promising ones onto their roster.
But how long can that last?
Teams rarely carry three catchers on a roster throughout a full season, though as injuries can happen, a third option such as 27-year-old Korey Lee is a handy fallback.
But Lee, who played 55 games last year in Triple-A and 26 games with the Sox, is out of minor-league options. That means if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster this year, he would have to clear waivers before being sent down to the minors.
With last year’s arrivals of former prospects Edgar Quero, 22, and Kyle Teel, 24 — and Sox management adamant about both receiving ample experience behind the plate — it almost feels inevitable that someone is the odd man out.
“The thing that really sticks out is they are all so supportive of each other and work really well together,” Sox manager Will Venable said this week, adding that he has seen improvements in each of the three defensively. “I know there’s a lot of competition for a roster spot, for playing time. But they have been extremely supportive of each other.”
Lee said he’s willing to play anywhere in the field — even outfield, if given the chance. But Venable shot down that possibility immediately. “That’s not a path for him in the outfield. He’s a catcher for us.”
Teel said the three of them lean on each other in different ways. Lee being the elder of the group, Teel and Quero might look to him for things like daily routine.
“I feel like there’s always that competition. We’re always competing. But it’s a great relationship,” said Teel, who will be leaving camp later this month to play in the World Baseball Classic, providing more playing time for Lee.
Grant Taylor camper of the day
Hard-throwing right-hander Grant Taylor was lights out in his live pitching session to Sox hitters Thursday.
After striking out four batters in a row, outfielder Andrew Benintendi finally hit what would have been a bloop single, resulting in resounding cheers from other hitters in the cage. Taylor allowed just soft contact to a couple other batters.
“[Taylor] looked amazing. Stuff looked really crisp. Just aggressive coming down the mound,” Venable said. “[His stuff] is as good as it gets. Objectively his stuff is the best in our organization. He’s a competitor, he’s a guy you like having out there. He’s just scratching the surface here.”
Games begin
The Sox finally start game action Friday against the Cubs at Sloan Park in Mesa.
While the final scores don’t matter, most spring-training games provide an opportunity for players to face opposing teams in live action and for coaches to see how players are making their adjustments.
“First couple of games, you are not looking or evaluating too much on the performance. You want to make sure they have a sense of what we are trying to do as far as executing players,” Venable said. “There will be a bunch of things that come up, we will end up addressing and kind of re-correcting. We want to sit back and let them get their feet wet and use the information to help us move forward.”