WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 “Covey looks to impress Sox in clash with KC” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “White Sox close out Royals with 9-2-4-6 DP” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Moncada's go-ahead HR sends Sox past KC”… Jeffrey Flanagan & Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Soto thinking about his family in Puerto Rico” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Avisail Garcia's 'big head' isn't getting in the way of defensive improvements” … Tim Goldrick, CSN Chicago “Forget about it: Yoan Moncada's ability to play through mistakes” … Tim Goldrick, CSN Chicago “Geovany Soto details ‘total destruction’ of Puerto Rico after speaking with family” … Tim Gold rick, CSN Chicago “Carson Fulmer wants one more start for White Sox this season” … Tim Goldrick, CSN Chicago “White Sox climb out of AL Central cellar with 7-6 victory over Royals” … Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune “Geovany Soto's family in Puerto Rico 'in good spirits' after hurricane” … Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune “Crazy double play caps win for White Sox, who move out of basement” … Tom Musick, Chicago Sun-Times “Juan Minaya savors closer role with White Sox” … Tom Musick, Chicago Sun-Times “Garcia sparks game-ending double play as White Sox edge Royals” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Soto says family in Puerto Rico OK after Hurricane Maria” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “By the numbers: Yoan Moncada's power surge caps four-run comeback” … James Fegan, The Athletic “Geovany Soto one of many Puerto Rican players isolated from family after Hurricane Maria” … James Fegan, The Athletic “White Sox Insider: Luis Basabe shows progress even during a difficult season”… James Fegan, The Athletic “Hahn’s Perspective as Phase One Comes to an End” … WLS Staff Covey looks to impress Sox in clash with KC By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | September 23, 2017

A first victory, of sorts, is on the line when the Royals continue their postseason push against the White Sox square on Saturday at Guaranteed Rate Field.

For Royals ace Danny Duffy, it would be his first victory against the White Sox this season. Though Duffy is 0-3 with a 9.56 ERA against them in 2017, he is 6-5 with a 4.28 ERA all time vs. the White Sox. Full Game Coverage

Kansas City, which dropped a 7-6 decision in the series opener on Friday, is 4 1/2 games back of Minnesota for the second American League Wild Card spot.

Dylan Covey, making his 11th start of the season for the White Sox, is looking for his first Major League win, not to mention his first quality start and first 100-pitch outing. He is 0-6 with an 8.23 ERA, .321 opponents' average and 1.81 WHIP over 10 starts. Covey, a Rule 5 Draft pick from the A's, has a 7.94 ERA in six relief appearances.

"He's another young man who's got definitely some sink to his repertoire. We're hoping he can command the zone a lot more," manager Rick Renteria said. "We need more strikes out of him. We still have one or two more starts left for him and we'd like to see where that's at before we make any kind of determination.

"Obviously he's got a very good arm and any time you spend the time some of these guys have at the Major League level, you're gaining something. You're gaining some knowledge. You're gaining some confidence. You're gaining an understanding of what's going on here and some of the things you're going to have to improve upon."

Three things to know about this game

• Duffy started on Sunday against the Indians at Progressive Field in his first outing back from the disabled list (low-grade pronator strain). He was strong, going five innings while giving up just one hit and striking out eight. Duffy threw 62 pitches in that first outing back and his workload likely will increase to the 80-85 pitch range on Saturday.

• Tim Anderson takes a career-high 13-game hitting streak into Saturday's contest. It's also the longest current streak in the Majors.

• Jose Abreu needs two RBIs for 100. He would join and Joe DiMaggio as the only players to begin their careers with four straight seasons of at least 25 home runs and 100 RBIs.

White Sox close out Royals with 9-2-4-6 DP Garcia's throw gets Merrifield at plate; Cain out at second By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | September 22, 2017

CHICAGO -- Whit Merrifield froze. Lorenzo Cain hesitated and Avisail Garcia fell down in right field.

Those three components were just part of a crazy 9-2-4-6 game-ending double play for the White Sox in a 7-6 win over the Royals on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"They are all unique," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said of the finish. "That's the cliche: That's the beauty of . You never know what you're going to see on a given day."

With the fleet-footed Merrifield on second and one out, Cain lined a single to right off closer Juan Minaya. Garcia charged the ball and slipped a little after gloving it, but he righted himself in time to throw a one-hop strike to Omar Narvaez.

Narvaez had to come up the first-base side a bit to grab the throw, but he appeared to come back and apply the tag just before Merrifield hit the back of the plate. Cain, meanwhile, hesitated and broke for second. But the throw from Narvaez to second baseman Yoan Moncada covering first to shortstop Tim Anderson nailed Cain at second for the final out.

Replay confirmed both out calls.

"I could feel him [tag] me on my shoulder," Merrifield said. "I couldn't tell from second base [if the ball went through], you can't really tell the angle, so I froze for a minute to see it get through. Once it got through, I hauled it home. They made a good play. That's how it ended.

"Once [third-base coach Mike Jirschele] saw [Garcia] slip, he was waving me the whole way. He made a good play. If he slipped and got up, and made that throw, tip your hat to him. That's a good play."

According to Statcast™, Garcia's throw home at 97.7 mph was his second-hardest tracked throw and hardest tracked assist this year. Garcia nailed Alex Gordon at the plate to end the sixth inning on Merrifield's single to right, but the ninth- inning play had a little more drama.

"Just stand up and throw because when you think about it, that's when you throw the ball somewhere else," Garcia said. "So, you just got to do it. You don't have to think about it. I just tried to throw the ball as quick as I can because he's a fast runner. So, that's what I did."

"The kid has a strong arm out there," Cain said. "He made a strong throw."

Cain took the blame for the game ending on his slide at second. He hesitated around first when the throw went home, and said he has to clean that up and keep running in the situation. Anderson completed the festivities with a great catch and tag on Moncada's slightly rushed throw.

"Definitely strange," Anderson said of the ending. "Just catch him and tag him." "A little bit of excitement," Garcia said. "But thank God we had the two outs and we won the game. That's most important."

Moncada's go-ahead HR sends Sox past KC By Jeffrey Flanagan and Scott Merkin / MLB.com | September 22, 2017

CHICAGO -- Rookies Yoan Moncada and hit home runs and the White Sox scored five unanswered runs for a 7-6 win over the Royals on Friday night, but it was the way the game ended at Guaranteed Rate Field that will have everyone talking.

It ended in dramatic fashion on a double play when Whit Merrifield was thrown out at home trying to score from second base on a single to right field by Lorenzo Cain, who was thrown out trying to advance to second. The Royals challenged the out call at home and both calls wound up being reviewed and confirmed.

Right fielder Avisail Garcia actually slipped after grabbing Cain's liner on a couple hops. But Merrifield had to hold at second to make sure the liner got through the infield. Third-base coach Mike Jirschele sent Merrifield after he saw the slip.

"I couldn't tell from second base, you can't really tell the angle, so I froze for a minute to see it get through," Merrifield said. "Once it got through, I hauled it home. They made a good play. That's how it ended."

The loss dealt another severe blow to the Royals, who fell 4 1/2 games behind the Twins for the second American League Wild Card spot with nine games left.

"Obviously, when he slipped, we took a little gasp," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "But we were talking about his body control to be able to maintain himself enough to get up and make the throw that he did. Unbelievable."

According to Statcast™, Garcia's throw home was measured at 97.7 mph.

Said Royals manager Ned Yost, "My attention was on the ball hit to Garcia and when he slipped, I'm thinking, 'This game is tied.' Then, my mind is racing to all about the pitching matchups. All of a sudden, I look up and it's a strong throw to the plate, and I wasn't sure they tagged him. Lot of stuff going on there."

"It's tough," Cain said. "We need all these games down the stretch and to lose that one the way we did was tough. But that's how the season's been going for us."

White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez tossed 6 1/3 innings and gave up 10 hits and six runs, but only two were earned. He didn't walk or strike anyone out.

"Everything was working good today. Even the two new pitches I added to my repertoire were working good," Lopez said through interpreter Billy Russo, referring to the slider and sinker. "I've been feeling comfortable with both pitches, but today I threw them a little more often."

Royals starter Jason Hammel had his second straight rough start against the White Sox. Last week, Hammel went just 3 1/3 innings. He again lasted 3 1/3 on Friday, giving up eight hits and seven runs. "That was just embarrassingly bad," Hammel said. "No way we should have lost that game. They give me a 6-2 lead ... it was garbage."

Royals catcher Salvador Perez left the game in fifth inning after getting hit in the facemask with a foul tip the previous inning. The Royals said he left for precautionary reasons with jaw soreness.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Moncada's go-ahead shot: The White Sox were down, 6-2, in the fourth when they mounted a five-run rally, capped by Moncada's two-run homer to center (110 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast™). After an RBI single by Tim Anderson, Davidson crushed a Hammel slider for a two-run homer, his 26th, and it was 6-5. Yolmer Sanchez reached on an infield single and Moncada jumped on a Hammel fastball to make it 7-6, his eighth .

Perfect strike to home: The Royals had a chance to tie it in the sixth inning. Alex Gordon roped a two-out double to right field. Whit Merrifield followed with a ground-ball single to right and Gordon was waved home. Right fielder Avisail Garcia made a perfect one-hop throw to the plate to nail Gordon for the third out.

QUOTABLE

"I saw the out and I was excited, and then I saw the final out at second. I was jumping up and my heart was beating so hard. I was happy and excited. It was an exciting end of the game." -- Lopez, on his reaction to the game-ending double play

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW

The Royals challenged an out call on a potential double-play ball by Eric Hosmer in the seventh inning. Hosmer originally was ruled out at first, but after 42 seconds, the call was overturned.

The White Sox challenged Adam Engel's leadoff grounder in the sixth, where the center fielder was ruled out at first. The call was confirmed.

WHAT'S NEXT

Royals: Left-hander Danny Duffy (8-9, 3.71 ERA) will take the mound in the middle game of this series on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. CT. In his first start back from the disabled list (low-grade pronator strain) on Sunday, Duffy held the Indians to one hit over five innings while striking out eight. White Sox: Right-hander Dylan Covey (0-6, 8.18) will make his 11th start of the season on Saturday against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field. Covey is looking for his first Major League win, quality start and 100-pitch outing, with a .321 opponents' average against and a 1.81 WHIP over 10 starts.

Soto thinking about his family in Puerto Rico White Sox catcher looking to help after devastating hurricane By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | @scottmerkin | September 22nd, 2017

CHICAGO -- The family of White Sox catcher Geovany Soto is fine and in good spirits in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria's assault on the commonwealth.

But the devastation in Puerto Rico is really significant, as Soto explained on Friday prior to the series opener against the Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"All we can do is just pray and keep the good spirits," said Soto, who mentioned his mother, father, in-laws, cousins and nephews as the members of his family currently in San Juan. But Soto's wife and three kids are with him. "It was unbelievable. You know it's coming.

"It's an island. It's not like you can evacuate and go where? We don't have a road that goes to Florida. It is what it is. We try to do the best that we can do with the preparation that they gave us. After you've done everything, you just kind of brace yourself and keep good spirits, and hope for the best."

Soto mentioned his family basically is playing cards and board games such as monopoly with no water or electricity. He was able to briefly face time with them on Tuesday, but since then there has been no communication.

"I talked to my parents and the toughest part is you have the money, you can buy batteries, but there's nothing left," Soto said. "So, the best thing I could probably do from over here is sending batteries, sending anything that I can think of that's valuable for them right now.

"We need to re-establish the mail, the Fed Ex, and just get everything kind of settled. It's really total destruction right now."

Although his family's house is fine structurally, Soto said there's a lot of debris and trees in the street not to mention power lines that may or might not be live. Rain is still coming down, as his family and the rest of Puerto Rico waits for some normalcy to return.

Usually Soto goes to Puerto Rico one week after the regular season ends and spends his offseason there until Spring Training. But things might be different this year.

"Wait until all the proper help gets to the cities and clears everything up, and then try to see if I can make it down there," Soto said. "But if there's no power, if there's no water, I don't know.

"That's a tough question right now. I have two kids and a toddler so I don't want to put my kids in harm's way. The best that I can do for now is to try to help them out [by] sending batteries, flashlights, everything that I can find, and we'll see in the near future what's the best plan for me and my family."

Avisail Garcia's 'big head' isn't getting in the way of defensive improvements By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | September 23, 2017

Avisail Garcia's "big head" almost cost the White Sox on Friday night. At least, that's Reynaldo Lopez's humorous theory.

With the game on the line and the Royals' tying run dashing for the plate, Garcia slipped a bit before making a clutch recovery to nail Whit Merrifield. The craziness continued after the tag as Narvaez caught Lorenzo Cain drifting off first base to seal a win.

"I was watching the game on the TV here," Lopez said, "and then when I saw the hit from Cain, and I saw that Avi fell down because he has a big head, I was concerned but at the same time I saw that his throw, he has a good arm and he made a very good throw."

Just your average 9-2-4-6 double play to end a game on the South Side, right?

"Obviously, when he slipped we took a little gasp," Renteria said. "But we were talking about his body control to be able to maintain himself enough to get up and make the throw that he did. Unbelievable. It's pretty exciting finish to a ballgame that kind of got a little ugly early on."

Ugly is an apt way to describe the first few innings. Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada both made errors in the Royals' six- run third inning, and Lopez capped it off with a wild pitch that allowed Eric Hosmer to score. But it went from an eyesore loss to an overzealous "we could make noise in 2019" rebuild win from there, and Garcia's defense -- of all things -- played a significant role.

Garcia's outfield assist in the ninth was his second of the game. The first, an absolute strike to cut down Alex Gordon in the sixth, didn't involve a slip, though.

And while much has been made of Garcia's breakout year with the bat, he believes his defense is hugely improved, too.

"I think 100 percent," he said. "I just try to get better every day with hitting and defense. That’s baseball so get better in everything."

He has 12 outfield assists on the season, up from five a year ago. And despite his overall fielding percentage being down, his strong arm may give him a stronger defensive reputation.

"Since last year, he's always had an excellent arm," Renteria said. "I think his accuracy is something to be pointed out too because as off balance as he was, he's made some throws to the plate that have been really spot on."

Renteria attributes Garcia's accuracy to the outfielder putting in extra time with Daryl Boston.

"(Boston) has those guys throwing, and none of you guys are out there watching them work, but they'll throw quite a bit to the bases, especially second base," Renteria said. "They'll get deep and they'll work on doing that, so that's just a part of their routine."

The evolution of Avi carries on.

Forget about it: Yoan Moncada's ability to play through mistakes By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | September 22, 2017

Yoan Moncada could have mentally taken himself out of Friday’s game in the third inning.

The White Sox prized prospect booted a routine groundball in the frame, contributing to a long, damaging Royals rally. A few singles, a Tim Anderson error and five runs later, it seemed as if the inning would never end on the South Side.

Mercifully, the Sox were finally able to return to their dugout because Moncada refocused and refused to allow one physical error to compound.

The skilled second baseman ranged up the middle to scoop a hard-hit Brandon Moss grounder, preventing any further damage. One inning later, he pummeled a two-run blast to center to give the White Sox the lead for good.

It’s that type of short-term memory that has impressed the Sox in his first major league showing with the club.

"I don't think he consumes himself too much in the mistake,” Rick Renteria said after the 7-6 win. “Maybe he's just thinking about what he's trying to do the next time."

Moncada’s quite polished for a 22-year-old infielder who hasn’t even played a full season in the majors. His athletic ability allows him to make the highlight-reel plays frequently, so now it's about continuing to work on his fundamentals.

“He's really improved significantly since he's gotten here,” Renteria said. “Not trying to be too flashy. The great plays that he makes just take care of themselves. He's got tremendous ability.”

Since being called up, Moncada has added value to what is the arguably the best second base fielding team in the MLB. Although no defensive metric is perfect, between Moncada, Tyler Saladino and Yolmer Sanchez, the White Sox second basemen lead the league with 19 defensive runs saved above average. The Pirates have the next highest amount of runs saved by second basemen with 10, according to Baseball-Reference.

With the enormous range, though, comes the inexperience. In just 46 games, Moncada has tallied eight errors.

"It happens to the best of them," Renteria said. "He's one of the young men, along with (Anderson) and even (Jose Abreu), who are looking to improve a particular skill, which is defending."

It serves as a reminder that the likely infield of the future still has a ways to go.

Geovany Soto details ‘total destruction’ of Puerto Rico after speaking with family By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | September 22, 2017

Geovany Soto’s family in Puerto Rico is safe after Hurricane Maria slammed into the island, leaving at least 24 people dead and virtually all residents without power.

The White Sox catcher said he spoke to his family Wednesday on the phone and they were in good spirits. Soto’s mom, dad and in-laws are in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while his wife and kids are with him in the U.S.

Soto said it’s “total destruction” on the island right now, and the best thing he can do to assist is sending necessary items.

“It’s really tough,” Soto said. “I talked to my parents and the toughest part is you have the money, you can buy batteries but there’s nothing left. So, the best thing I could probably do is kind of from over here is sending batteries, sending anything that I can think of that’s valuable for them right now.”

Puerto Rico is still in emergency protocol as rescue efforts continue two days after the storm plowed onto land as a Category 4 hurricane. Just seeing the images was hard for Soto.

"It was unbelievable," he said "You know it’s coming. It’s an island. It’s not like you can evacuate and go where? We don’t have a road that goes to Florida. It is what it is. We try to do the best that we can do with the preparation that they gave us. After you’ve done everything you just kind of brace yourself and keep good spirits and hope for the best."

Soto usually travels to Puerto Rico after the season, but because of the damage, he has yet to make a decision on when, or if, he'll go.

The veteran catcher is the only Puerto Rican player on the Sox, but manager Rick Renteria's wife also has family on the island.

"They're doing fine, thankfully," Renteria said. "I think that we expect to hear a little bit more in the next couple days."

Carson Fulmer wants one more start for White Sox this season By Tim Goldrick / CSN Chicago | September 22, 2017

Carson Fulmer doesn’t want his last start of the season to be one in which he recorded only one out, but another appearance isn’t guaranteed quite yet.

The White Sox 2015 first-round pick was forced from Thursday night’s game after struggling with a blister on his throwing hand. He lasted only three batters, two of which he walked.

“Obviously, nothing’s really wrong with me physically,” Fulmer said. “Arm feels great, body feels awesome, just a blister that got kind of raw. I just need to take a couple days, let it come back and make my next start.”

Whether he gets the ball again depends on the healing process. With only eight games remaining, Rick Renteria won’t commit to giving the 23-year-old another start until he knows the blister won’t be an issue.

“It’d be premature for me to say anything about that,” Renteria said. “Obviously when you’re holding the baseball in a very sensitive spot with your fingers, you got to be able to feel comfortable with it.”

The blister came during Fulmer’s best stretch in the majors. He threw six innings in each of his past two starts, allowing only one earned run in both. On his Sept. 10 start against the Giants, he whiffed a career-high nine batters.

Despite having to, in essence, miss Thursday’s start, Fulmer isn’t worried about being taken out of his groove.

“I don’t think my momentum is going to go anywhere,” he said. “The bullpen I threw yesterday before the game was really, really good. Just had some issues with some of the stuff that was covering it, started cutting some balls here and there and it was tough to throw a cutter sometimes just because of the pressure I put on it.”

Even with the White Sox seemingly taking a cautious approach to protect their young prospects, each start is valuable experience for Fulmer. He will likely be competing against the likes of Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez and possible veteran free agent signings for a back end rotation spot come Spring Training, and pitching well against big league hitting now could go a long way in securing the role.

"I threw 160, 170 innings this year and haven't had an issue with (injury)," Fulmer said.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get back out there.

White Sox climb out of AL Central cellar with 7-6 victory over Royals Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune | September 22, 2017

It was an 84-degree day in Chicago on July 4 when the White Sox slipped into last place in the American League Central Division.

It was an 89-degree night in Chicago on Friday when they finally climbed out of the cellar.

Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth-place White Sox.

Hooray?

Thanks to a spirited comeback and sensational defensive play to end the game, the Sox handed the Royals a 7-6 defeat Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field and in the process moved up a slot in the standings, leapfrogging the fading Tigers.

The victory actually could hurt the Sox in the long run — they moved further from last place in the major leagues for the right to the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.

But for one night, at least, they weren't the last-place Sox.

"We're trying to win the games," said right-fielder Avisail Garcia, who threw two runners out at home, including the would- be tying run in the ninth that started a double play to end the game. "We never give up. We're trying to leave everything out there and we'll see what happens next season."

The game ended in spectacular fashion. Garcia fielded a base hit by Lorenzo Cain and slipped to the turf before getting up and firing a strike to catcher Omar Narvaez to nail the Royals' speedy Whit Merrifield at the plate. Narvaez then fired the ball to Yoan Moncada near first, and he threw to shortstop Tim Anderson to nail Cain at second.

"I fell but I was trying to throw the ball as quick as I can because he's a fast runner," Garcia said. "I didn't think about it, just stand up and throw because when you think about it that's when you throw the ball somewhere else."

No matter their position, the 62-91 Sox aren't concentrating a whole lot on what place they occupy at the moment. For manager Rick Renteria, it's all about the players' effort.

"Whether it's wanting to get out of the … proverbial cellar or wanting to win a division, the only way you can control any of that is how you perform in between the lines, and my barometer has been how have they been going about everything this season," Renteria said.

"We've been in a lot of ballgames and are holding our own. Obviously, the victories haven't been as coming ... but it's not for lack of effort or desire."

The Sox certainly didn't quit Friday after they found themselves down 6-2 through three innings. They roared back with a five-spot in the fourth, the big blows a pair of two-run homers from Matt Davidson and Moncada off Royals starter Jason Hammel.

Meanwhile, Sox rookie Reynaldo Lopez had an interesting night. After the Sox had taken a 2-0 lead in the second, the right-hander allowed six runs in the third — but only two were earned thanks to a pair of errors behind him and a wild pitch.

Remarkably, Lopez posted his fifth quality start in seven outings. He went 61/3 innings and gave up the six runs — two earned — with 10 hits and no walks and no . Juan Minaya pitched the ninth to earn the save.

Geovany Soto's family in Puerto Rico 'in good spirits' after hurricane Chris Kuc / Chicago Tribune | September 22, 2017

White Sox catcher Geovany Soto said he was shocked when he saw the first images of destruction in his homeland of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

"It was unbelievable," Soto said before the Sox faced the Royals on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. "We try to do the best that we can do with the preparation. After you've done everything you just kind of brace yourself and keep good spirits and hope for the best."

Soto, who has played only 13 games this season and has been on the disabled list since May after elbow surgery, makes his home in San Juan during the offseason and many of his relatives — including his mother and father — were on the island when the hurricane made landfall. The veteran was last able to speak to family members there via phone Wednesday.

"They are in good spirits," Soto said. "The devastation in Puerto Rico is really significant. A lot of dangerous spots and you don't know if there are live lines (with) electricity."

Soto said his family's homes were not destroyed but the entire island remains without power. It's likely he won't be going home after the season at his normal time.

"I have two kids and a toddler so I don't want to put my kids in harm's way," Soto said. "The best that I can for now is to try to help (family) out."

Blister in the sun: After leaving Thursday's game in the first inning with a blister on his finger, Carson Fulmer's next start remains in doubt.

"When you're holding the baseball in a very sensitive spot with the fingers, you have to be able to feel comfortable with it," manager Rick Renteria said. "So I think depending on how he continues to heal in the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea. But it would be premature for me to say right now that he's going to be OK for the next one."

Guitar hero: Former Yankees great performed the national anthem on the electric guitar before Friday's game. Williams was in town to raise awareness for Breathless, a campaign to encourage those who may have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to seek early diagnosis and treatment. Williams' father, Bernabe, suffered from the condition for years before passing away in 2001.

"We are targeting a certain amount of cities with this Breathless campaign, just creating awareness for (IPF), which is a disease that took my dad's life," Williams said. "It has been amazing having an opportunity to come back to the stadiums and getting a feel of what I felt like about 11 years ago. I have an opportunity to play my music at the same time."

Crazy double play caps win for White Sox, who move out of basement Tom Musick / Chicago Sun-Times | September 22, 2017

Avisail Garcia knew he needed to fire a strike from right field to home plate with the game on the line.

But something went wrong. The 6-4, 240-pounder stumbled as he fielded the ball and prepared to throw.

“Obviously, when he slipped, we took a little gasp,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Moments later, the Sox breathed a big sigh of relief. Garcia steadied himself and threw out Whit Merrifield at home plate, which set off a wild 9-2-4-6 double play to end the game and preserve a 7-6 win over the Royals on Friday night.

The win pushed the Sox (62-91) past the Tigers (62-92) and out of last place in the AL Central.

“We have to try to win the nine games we have left,” said Garcia, who gunned down two runners at the plate during the game. “Everybody says we never give up. We just have to give everything every day.”

Winning pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (3-3) watched the game-ending double play on a flat-screen monitor inside the Sox’ clubhouse, celebrating as he watched his teammates catch Royals speedster Lorenzo Cain between first and second base for the final out.

“That second, I was jumping up, and my heart was beating so hard,” Lopez said through an interpreter. “I was happy and excited. It was an exciting end of the game.”

He joked that Garcia fell down “because he has a big head.”

Lopez, 23, made the win possible by overcoming an error-filled, six-run third. He kept his composure and finished with his fifth quality start in his last seven outings, giving up six runs (two earned) and 10 hits in 6⅓ innings.

The young trio of Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer has combined for 10 quality starts in their last 13 outings.

“Our starting pitching, the kids that we’ve brought up, have done a very nice job,” Renteria said. “They’ve adapted, they continue to learn, they get better. It’s certainly a short snippet of what they are, but we can be very optimistic about what’s going to be happening here moving forward.”

A fielding error by Yoan Moncada and a throwing error by Tim Anderson set the stage for the Royals’ big inning.

“In baseball, those mistakes are going to happen,” Lopez said, “and when those mistakes happen, you have to keep your focus on what you are doing and executing your pitches, because you know your teammates are also trying to do their best. That was the key for me.”

The Sox responded with five runs in the fourth to regain a one-run lead. Matt Davidson and Moncada each hit a two-run homer, the second of which chased Royals starter Jason Hammel after 3⅓ innings.

Anderson extended his career-high hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI single in the fourth. He’s hitting .421 (24-for-57) with three doubles, two homers and seven RBI during his late-season outburst.

“I’m very happy with how it’s ending,” Anderson said.

Juan Minaya savors closer role with White Sox Tom Musick / Chicago Sun-Times | September 22, 2017

Juan Minaya loves the adrenaline rush that comes with his role as White Sox closer. However, don’t expect to hear him complain if he’s bumped back to a middle-relief role next season.

“I would like to stay [as closer], but I’m not going to say that will be my role,” Minaya said. “I’m a bullpen guy. I’ll pitch whenever they need me.”

Minaya, 27, has converted six of seven save opportunities since inheriting the role, including Friday in the Sox’ 7-6 victory. He has five consecutive scoreless appearances after giving up six runs in his previous three outings.

“I’ve been enjoying it,” Minaya said. “It’s not an easy spot, but I’m going through it. I feel much more comfortable than the first time. You have to be ready mentally and focused on every pitch you’ve got.”

Juan Minaya pitches in the ninth inning against the Astros on Sept. 21 in Houston. | Bob Levey/Getty Images A slew of trades created an opportunity for Minaya to take on a more prominent role. David Robertson had 13 saves before he was traded to the Yankees. Robertson’s successor, Tyler Clippard, had two saves before he was dealt to the Astros.

The experience figures to benefit Minaya regardless of his role next season.

“It will make me better,” he said. “More comfortable.”

Thinking of home

Catcher Geovany Soto was relieved to hear his family was safe after Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico this week. He has been sidelined since May but has remained with the Sox as he recovers from surgery on his right elbow. His wife and three children are with him in Chicago, but his parents and most of his extended family are without power in San Juan.

“They are in good spirits,” Soto said. “But obviously the devastation in Puerto Rico is really significant. . . . It’s a lot of debris in the streets and a lot of power lines down in the middle of roads. A lot of trees, a lot of dangerous spots [where] you don’t know if there’s live lines in electricity.”

Soto typically returns to Puerto Rico for the offseason, but the hurricane likely will alter his plans.

“The best that I can do for now is to try to help them out [by] sending batteries, flashlights, everything I can find,” he said.

Tough business

Sox manager Rick Renteria had encouragement for fellow skipper Brad Ausmus after the Tigers announced Friday he would not be back in 2018.

“Obviously, I know this is the nature of the business,” said Renteria, whom the Cubs fired after one season in 2014 when they decided to hire Joe Maddon. “Sometimes you get let go and things happen.

“I know him personally. I wish him the best, and I’m sure he will land on his feet.”

Garcia sparks game-ending double play as White Sox edge Royals Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | September 22, 2017

The have been one of the worst teams in baseball this season, which comes as no surprise considering they traded Chris Sale and in the off-season and moved nine more veteran players in July and August.

Outside of the win/loss record, Sox manager Rick Renteria has been pleased with the way his revamped roster has navigated the schedule, which has nine games left.

"We can't control the standings, other than handle how we control things on a daily basis," Renteria said. "Whether it's wanting to get out of the cellar, the proverbial cellar, or wanting to win a division, the only way you can control any of that is how you perform between the lines. My barometer has been, how have they been going about everything this season?

"They've been really consistent in their effort, their preparation, their willingness and desire, especially with all the changes that have occurred, to try to compete. We've been in a lot of ballgames and holding our own."

Opening their final homestand of the season Friday night against Kansas City, things weren't looking good in the third inning when the Royals sent nine hitters to the plate and scored 6 runs on 5 hits and 2 errors.

It was a long, frustrating inning for the White Sox and starter Reynaldo Lopez, but they answered back with 5 runs in the fourth and beat K.C. 7-6 thanks to a stellar game-ending double play started by all-star right fielder Avisail Garcia.

With Whit Merrifield on second base and one out in the ninth inning, Lorenzo Cain single to right and Merrifield was on the move.

Garcia slipped after gloving Cain's potential game-tying hit, but he still made a strong throw home and Sox catcher Omar Narvaez slapped a tag on Merrifield.

With Cain heading for second base after the single, Narvaez threw to Yoan Moncada, who was positioned near first base. Moncada threw down to second and Tim Anderson tagged out Cain to end the game.

"I just tried to throw the ball as quick as I could because (Merrifield's) a fast runner," Garcia said. "I didn't think about it (slipping). Just stand up and throw. You just have to do it."

After the sloppy defensive showing in the third inning, Renteria was happy to see the White Sox bounce back in the ninth.

"Unbelievable," Renteria said. "The defense earlier, that was one of the few times we've unraveled like that. We survived. That's the beat of the game of baseball. You never know what you're going to see on a given day."

Soto says family in Puerto Rico OK after Hurricane Maria Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | September 22, 2017

It's been a tough year for Geovany Soto.

The Chicago White Sox's veteran catcher hasn't played since May 7 and he has yet to fully recover from arthroscopic elbow surgery.

Soto is also dealing with this aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which has caused massive damage in his native Puerto Rico.

With his mother, father, in-laws, cousins and nephews living in Puerto Rico, Soto was able to make phone contact on Wednesday.

"They are fine," he said. "They are in good spirits. But obviously, the devastation in Puerto Rico is really significant. All we can do is just pray and keep the good spirits."

Soto said his families' homes are fine, but the possibility of having no power on the island for weeks or months is difficult to deal with.

"It's a lot of debris in the streets and a lot of power lines down and in the middle of the roads," he said. "A lot of trees, a lot of dangerous spots and you don't know if there's live lines of electricity. It's a matter of just waiting for the people to kind of get the debris out of the streets and just try to make it safe to at least go to places."

Soto usually spends the off-season in San Juan, but that might not be an option this year.

"I don't think this year is going to be the same," he said. "Wait until all the proper help gets to the cities and clears everything up and then try to see if I can make it down there. But if there's no power, if there's no water, I don't know. That's a tough question right now. I don't think I'm just going to put my family in that situation. I might stay here longer than I expected."

Fulmer update:

Carson Fulmer had to exit Thursday night's start at Houston with one out in first inning due to a blister on his right index finger.

The right-hander is hoping to get one more start before the season ends, but manager Rick Renteria isn't making any guarantees.

"Blisters, when you lose the skin, when you're holding the baseball in a very sensitive spot with the fingers and you've got to be able to feel comfortable with it," Renteria said. "I think depending on how he continues to heal in the next couple of days, we'll have a better idea. But it would be premature for me to say right now that he's going to be OK for a next one."

Freddy's ready:

In town for Saturday afternoon's charity softball game at Boomers Stadium in Schaumburg, Freddy Garcia visited the White Sox's clubhouse before Friday night's game against the Royals.

A starter for the Sox in 2004-06 and 2009-10, Garcia last pitched in the major leagues in 2013, with the Orioles and Braves.

Now 40 years old, Garcia said he wants to pitch one more season of winter ball in his native Venezuela. The right-hander is not interested in making a comeback as a major leaguer next year.

By the numbers: Yoan Moncada's power surge caps four-run comeback James Fegan / The Athletic | September 22, 2017

Entire columns could have been written about the twists in the White Sox's 7-6 comeback win over the Royals Friday night … were it not the rebuilding White Sox flattening a worn out and defeated Royals team.

All the youthful clumsiness of an error-ridden six-run third inning that the Royals rang up on a scuffling Reynaldo Lopez was nullified just an inning later when the Sox hung five runs on Royals starter Jason Hammel. Matt Davidson's massive home run pulled the Sox to within a run then Yoan Moncada completed the four-run comeback with a homer of his own three batters later.

From there the Sox bullpen continued its hot stretch from last night and has now allowed only one run in 11 1/3 innings. Avisail Garcia kept the Sox in front by gunning down Whit Merrifield at the plate after a Lorenzo Cain single in the ninth, and Tim Anderson tagged out Cain trying to advance to second for a game-ending double play.

“Obviously, when he slipped we took a little gasp,” said Rick Renteria of Garcia's stumble before gathering himself for his final throw. “But we were talking about his body control to be able to maintain himself enough to get up and make the throw that he did. Unbelievable. It's pretty exciting finish to a ballgame that kind of got a little ugly early on. [Lopez] had to navigate through it, but the guys kept playing. Thing happen it seems like mistakes happen in bunches. Everyone that's been watching us knows that's one of the few days I remember that we got a little unraveled defensively. We survived it.”

112: wRC+ for Moncada, who is settling in right around 200 plate appearances in his age-22 season. He drilled a two-run missile off a 93 mph Hammel fastball to put the White Sox up 7-6 in the fourth. Moncada has four home runs in his last eight games, and this one left the park at 110 mph.

12: Outfield assists for Garcia, who collected two Friday night, on the final play and in the sixth inning to nab Alex Gordon, both of which protected the slim, 7-6 lead.

“I was watching the game on the TV here and then when I saw the hit from Cain, and I saw that Avi fell down because he has a big head, I was concerned,” said Lopez through an interpreter. “He has a good arm and he made a very good throw. I saw the out and I was excited and then I saw the final out, that second I was jumping up and my heart was beating so hard.”

Whit Merrifield couldn't sneak past Omar Narvaez to tie the game in the ninth. (Matt Marton/USA TODAY Sports) 31: Pitches for Lopez in his nightmarish six-run third inning, which included errors by Anderson and Moncada, a rocket line drive that Moncada nearly snagged out of the air and a wild pitch that scored a run thanks in part to an infield shift that allowed Eric Hosmer to get a huge secondary lead. In between was a lot of stuff that was Lopez's fault, like a fastball left in Alcides Escobar’s wheelhouse for a solo home run, four well-struck singles and just one swing and miss.

13: The longest hitting streak of Anderson’s young major league career and the longest active hitting streak in the major leagues, extended when Anderson slapped an RBI single up the middle, and only delayed because he was hit in the head by a wayward Hammel slider in the second.

“I'm very happy with how it's ending,” Anderson said of his last two months.

.243: ISO for Matt Davidson, who banged an RBI double down the left-field line in the second and launched his 26th home run of the year way out to left in the fourth. He has a lot of flaws to overcome and a wave of offensive talent at his back in the Sox farm system, but the ball leaps off his bat and that’s always going to make him intriguing.

5.65: ERA in the second half for Hammel after he allowed seven earned in 3 1/3 innings. Any Chicago-area baseball fans recall reading anything about this phenomenon previously? Ever?

4: Strikeouts for Lopez in his past 25 1/3 innings of work, including a big fat zero on Friday night, and not exactly an excess of swinging strikes to give confidence to the idea that it’s a fluke. His fastball is electric, but he’s not getting the impact from his changeup and curveball necessary to get them past hitters. From the press box, it looks like you can see him slowing down in his delivery for off-speed.

“I think that hitters have been more aggressive in the count and the first pitches, that's probably why I haven't struck out too many batters,” Lopez said through an interpreter. “I also think that's beneficial for me because I don't have to throw too many pitches to get some outs. That's allowed me to get farther into the games. I think that's beneficial for me.”

3.55: ERA for Lopez over that four-start stretch, despite allowing 31 hits in those 25 1/3 innings as he’s gone 3-1. He’s pitching to contact and pitching to the score.

“Everybody's trying to hit him early in the counts,” Renteria said. “If you noticed, everybody's swinging right away to not put themselves in a position where they fall behind.”

.373: The 15th-highest on-base percentage in the American League for batters with more than 250 plate appearances, which belongs to Omar Narvaez. The catcher doubled, singled and walked, and continues to have one of the best approaches in baseball to counteract pretty much bottom-shelf in-game power for a major league regular. He swings at strikes and puts the ball in play. He should be a purist’s dream player.

Geovany Soto one of many Puerto Rican players isolated from family after Hurricane Maria James Fegan / The Athletic | September 22, 2017

“All we can do is just pray and keep the good spirits.”

White Sox catcher Geovany Soto typically spends his entire offseason in Puerto Rico, living alongside his parents, in- laws, cousins and pretty much every member of his family. He can’t imagine he’ll be returning home this year.

“If there’s no power, if there’s no water, I don’t know,” said Soto, who has three young children. “That’s a tough question right now. I don’t think I’m just going to put my family in that situation. I might stay here longer than I expected.”

Soto knows his house is intact and that his family in San Juan is alright. A brief, improbable window of clear communication to the island came Wednesday. He spoke and even FaceTimed with his family members, who are playing cards and board games to keep sane during the forced isolation of having no power and 6 p.m. curfews while surrounded by debris and fallen trees everywhere.

“The toughest part is you have the money, you can buy batteries but there’s nothing left,” Soto said. “So, the best thing I could probably do from over here is sending batteries, sending anything that I can think of that’s valuable for them right now. We need to re-establish the mail, the FedEx and just mainly get everything kind of settled. Right now, it’s really, total destruction right now.”

Geovany Soto played for Puerto Rico during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. (Doug Benc/Getty Images) Fellow San Juan native and New York Yankees legend Bernie Williams was at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday night as part of an awareness campaign for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare lung disease. He has a brother, nephews, a sister-in- law and extended family in Puerto Rico and expressed a similar sentiment. has a large swath of Puerto Ricans with the means and will to help, but they have to wait for access to the island to reopen before they can even begin.

“They're struggling right now heavily because they have no power,” Williams said. “If you have no power, you have no pumps to pump the water, so there's no running water. The communications, the cell towers are down. The infrastructure is so badly damaged that it's going to take a while for them to get it up and running again.

“When communication and transportation becomes available, we're going to pour in our help from a lot of people here. You've got a lot of Latin players, a lot of Puerto Rican players in the big leagues. I'm assuming there's going to be a great movement to help the island.”

Like Williams, Sox manager Rick Renteria did not hear that his family was alright until Friday. His wife’s aunt lives on the island, and the conversation was cut short when the phone connection dropped, leaving Renteria and his wife waiting to see when or if another opportunity to make contact will present itself. Soto woke up to find a scattered collection of his text messages home had gone through at 4 a.m.

Beyond generator power and propane gas cooking, an entire island of over 3.4 million United States citizens are lacking basic necessities and utilities, and could go without for months. It’s an unimaginable situation, but watching images on television and imagining what it must be like is all most Puerto Rican players can do right now as they remain totally isolated from their homes.

“The best that I can do for now is to try to help them out: sending batteries, flashlights, everything that I can find,” Soto said. “It’s still raining down there. The last part of the storm is still kind of roaming around with weather and a lot of water. The main focus right now is to just stay safe, let the water settle and let the professionals do what they do.”

White Sox Insider: Luis Basabe shows progress even during a difficult season James Fegan / The Athletic | September 22, 2017

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C — After the whole runaround of trying to find an interpreter for Reynaldo Lopez in Charlotte, it threw me for a loop when 21-year-old outfielder Luis Basabe strolled out without one, nor with teammate Louis Silverio, whom he had leaned on for translation just three and a half months earlier.

“When you’re talking about baseball, I understand everything,” Basabe explained.

There's no easy way to spin Basabe's 2017 campaign, his first in the White Sox organization and his second full-length minor league season as a professional, as a shining success. He hit .220/.320/.320 in 107 games, and the above-average pop he flashed in Low-A was largely absent. The switch-hitter especially struggled from the left side of the plate, hitting .210/.296/.302.

But it's important to keep in mind that there may be outside factors affecting a young player, and Basabe has a whole handful he's worked through. Basabe came to the White Sox from the Red Sox as part of the Chris Sale trade last December, after having spent nearly his entire pro career playing alongside his twin brother, who had been his regular teammate in the minors since they signed with Boston as 16-year-olds until his brother was traded to the Diamondbacks in July 2016. But Basabe didn't consider the trade the most tumultuous part of his offseason.

“The most difficult [part] is I’m from Venezuela,” Basabe said. “It’s dangerous there, you have to be careful.”

Basabe's family still lives in the country, which is going through enough political and economic tumult that fellow Venezuelan Avisail Garcia won't be returning home to play Winter Ball this year. Basabe says his family is safe, and he speaks with his mother by phone every week during the season, but it's clearly an extra consideration for him.

After he showed up to spring camp in Glendale, Arizona, impressed the coaching staff and earned himself an invitation to some big league games, Basabe was promptly sidelined early in the year with an oblique injury. He recovered, but slumped to .180/.298/.247 with a 27.1 percent rate over May and June. He was better down the stretch — .259/.338/.371 with a 19.8 percent strikeout rate over his final 36 games — but not dominant and ended the season on the disabled list again. Now he'll need another strong spring to earn a promotion to Double-A, which would free him from a potential roster jam for outfield playing time in Winston-Salem as Blake Rutherford, Joel Booker, Alex Call, Micker Adolfo and Luis Gonzalez could all be in the mix.

Not that he hasn't dealt with that kind of competition before. He split time in center field over the second half after Joel Booker's first half in Kannapolis earned him an All-Star bid and a promotion. Booker was the first to say that Basabe's approach to the timeshare was intensely positive.

“I’d go up to him, talk to him and be like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to have confidence. You’re going to get more at-bats. You’ve just got to be positive,'” Booker said. “Same if I’m up there and he’s on the bench and I come down, he’s like ‘C’mon, stay positive, Papi, just like you told me, just like I’m telling you. You’ve got to be positive. It doesn’t matter if you get out 100 times, you’ve just got to stay positive.’”

Basabe, who didn't turn 21 until the end of August, was in for a tough assignment at High-A, even though he made it to the Carolina League at the end of 2016 as a result of his own success. From early on he embraced the fact that he was facing a steep learning curve, and made a point to monitor his more advanced teammates for information.

“I’m a younger guy. I just have to learn everything,” Basabe said. “I try to learn something from Eloy [Jimenez], from Zack Collins.”

Every time Jimenez stepped into the box, Basabe watched his teammate's hands and legs from the dugout, and noticed the way they worked in sync, but replicating that motion himself is still a battle.

“Sometimes he gets a higher leg kick and I’m like, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’” Winston-Salem hitting coach Charles Poe said of Basabe's usually subtle timing mechanism. “When he starts to level that stuff out and figure it out, he’s going to have some good success.”

Basabe's been focusing on recognizing pitches out of the hand, and he posted an 11.3 percent walk rate this season as a testament to his batting eye. He can mime out what he looks for from a pitcher's release to tell if it's a fastball or a changeup, or if it's a breaking ball, and estimated that he can make it out about 40 percent of the time.

Like everything with his game right now, it's clear that he's raw and years away from looking like the player his tools suggest he could be — a center fielder with a league-average bat, but it's just as clear that he's moving forward. His athleticism is highly lauded, and he's conscious and attentive to what needs to become a part of his approach, he's just not doing it yet every single time. It's like his English. His pronunciation hasn't become magically letter-perfect overnight, but he doesn't panic, he keeps working, he'll ask you to repeat the question and he'll give his best crack at it every time.

“He talks to you. He’s not shy about asking questions like he once was in spring,” Poe said. “There are spurts and signs with this guy that light you up. You can just tell seeing him when he walks on the field that his ceiling is really, really high.”

Hahn’s Perspective as Phase One Comes to an End WLS | September 21, 2017

“It’s nice, in a year where we’re likely going to wind up with the worst record in the American League and a top three pick, that there’s this level of enthusiasm,” White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn said during a one-on-one interview with WLS on Wednesday.

Despite being knee-deep in a rebuild, the mood was light and hopeful, and the messages Hahn conveyed were steadfast and reassuring.

Just a year ago, White Sox fans weren’t sure there was much of a future to look forward to. But in less than a year’s time, under Hahn’s direction, this team has become one of the most promising teams of the next few years.

“We knew something had to change. We knew we had to commit fully to one direction,” Hahn said. Hahn admitted to shuffling somewhere around 50 players through the South Side this season, from the departure of Todd Frazier to the welcoming of baseball’s top prospect, Yoan Moncada, who exactly a year ago was having his cup of coffee in a Boston uniform.

“This is the most exciting 60-win team I’ve ever watched,” an enthusiastic fan said to Hahn. Hahn has orchestrated this team’s rebuilding efforts flawlessly, and lucky for Sox fans, every player that’s arrived so far has been right on target. But rebuilds take time and most importantly—patience.

“Whatever happens over the next 12 months or so, that process is going to require a lot of patience. We’re going to have to allow these players the time to develop, [there are] many guys we still have in this pipeline, far lower than Moncada, Giolito and Lopez who we’ve already brought up, and it’s going to require a similar stretch of patience. People are going to want to see Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez, but we’re going to have to exhibit that same level of patience here over the next 12-18 months so that we can make sure they have similar such success as these first three.”

Hahn praised many of the new young members of this team and their success at the big league level, but that hasn’t all been chalked up to luck. For Hahn, it’s making sure that players “check all the boxes” before they make their arrival in a Sox uniform. Hahn says he heard all the clamoring for Moncada’s arrival. But the second baseman simply wasn’t ready yet.

“With Moncada, specifically, it was his right-handed swing and the exchange on the double play arm slot issue,” Hahn said of the ‘delayed’ arrival. “Not the end of the world, certainly things he could have come up to Chicago and survived, but we wanted to take the time and frankly knowing what kind of season we were going to have at the big league level, we had the luxury of taking the time to make sure they check every box we have for them in the minor leagues.”

Some might be thinking, what type of skills could a few extra days even merit, though? That’s where the patience—and the trust in Hahn—come into play. Hahn and the rest of the Sox organization see a lot of things that folks who aren’t on the forefront of a player’s development can’t.

“Moncada did struggle a little bit with breaking balls [in the big leagues], and he still struggles a little bit with breaking balls,” Hahn said. “But now it’s the kind of breaking balls that he couldn’t see in Charlotte.”

Hahn preached another interesting point — failure is important.

“There is an element of player development that involves failure,” Hahn said. Hahn reflected on the career of former White Sox top prospect Gordon Beckham, who was an extremely buzzworthy prospect, but spent years simply treading water in the majors.

We also, unfortunately, remember Gordon Beckham’s struggles that came at the big league level, because for the first time in his career he actually failed,” Hahn said.

“Adjusting on the fly to the big leagues is the hardest thing to do. [Beckahm] really wasn’t equip to ever having dealt with failure, having pulled himself out of it and the ability to show he knew how to survive.”

Learning to deal with failure while still having success is still a realistic outcome. But sometimes, such as with the case with Beckham, it just doesn’t work out.

“We have to build up a critical mass of prospects and we will continue to add to that,” Hahn said. Because inevitably, the baseball gods are going to take a couple of them from us.”

But while everyone is so focused on the future, some of the pieces that were supposed to be a part of the White Sox’s bright future a few years ago still remain—one of them being the 30-year old Jose Abreu.

“We have to make the assessment all things considered, from the strong numbers to the impact he has on Moncada. In terms of our window, ‘Is that the best use of our resources?’ A mid-thirties right-handed first basemen who may be on the decline, or that stalwart in the middle of the lineup who is a great team leader.”

Even if it’s a few seasons late, outfielder Avisail Garcia has hit his stride in 2017, presenting another interesting question about the 26-year old’s future.

“We have to make an assessment,” Hahn said of Garcia. “Does it make sense to commit whatever amount of money keeps Avi Garcia off free agency, or do we explore perhaps moving him in exchange for continuing this accumulation of prospects.”

Hahn embarked upon a journey last offseason to do what every GM wants to do. He’s built a team from the ground up, made them compelling to follow during a 60-win season, and has given a weary fanbase something to truly be hopeful for—all in under a year.