Can you smell those concourse-permeating grilled onions yet, Sox fans? Or hear the sweet sound of the beer man’s tenor cut through the melancholy of a 4-0 deficit? Yep, Opening Day is just a couple days away.
No one knows exactly what to expect from the 2026 White Sox, but it’s clearly not a tank season. If we dare to dream of a legitimate contending squad, then how might that be accomplished? It would take better seasons than expected from many on the roster, but a few key players stand out in particular as X-Factors for success this summer.
1. Colson Montgomery
No, I’m not just picking Montgomery because he’s the best player on the roster. In fact, I think that title is very up in the air. Rather, unlike Kyle Teel or Shane Smith, Montgomery’s profile is defined by volatility. He may have slugged an absurd 21 homers in 71 games, but the 29.2 K% and dubious Triple-A numbers point to uncertainty on if he can repeat his productivity.
In short, Montgomery has the widest range of outcomes for 2026 and thus dictates a big chunk of the team’s success. Will he lose the home run swing, strike out often, and put up a paltry OPS on his way to a 0-WAR season? Or will he bolster his bat-to-ball skills, complementing the power and leading him to MVP votes?
Even his defensive prowess seems difficult to replicate. Montgomery was graded by many as an average defender and even faced questions on sticking at shortstop. Silencing the doubters in grand fashion, he posted a sterling 7 Outs Above Average and 8 Defensive Runs Saved in the bigs last season. Those numbers are nothing short of elite—can he do it again?
2. Back of the rotation
Anthony Kay, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Erick Fedde: what are you made of? To quote announcer Eric Collins, “WHAT DO YA GOT??”
The prevailing opinion is…not much. But there is potential with all of these guys. Kay has looked sharp this spring and the other three have all had successful stretches in the MLB. Unfortunately, those same three all looked pretty rough in 2025, especially when looking at advanced stats. Meanwhile, Kay is facing much better hitters stateside vs. in Japan’s NPB.
I was considering putting Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz here, but it seems both are still works in progress to the point that they wouldn’t be called up until June at the earliest. Ultimately, though, my point is that it doesn’t exactly have to be Kay/Burke/Martin/Fedde. It could be any guy in the organization (looking at you Tanner McDougal, Mason Adams, and Drew Thorpe), the South Siders just need adequacy in the 2-5 spots.
Will Venable needs arms to go out there when Shane Smith isn’t starting and give a promising lineup a chance to win. As of right now, that hope is questionable.
3. Grant Taylor
Taylor, a shockingly worthy partner to Paul Skenes at LSU in 2022, recovered from Tommy John surgery last season about as well as anyone can. Joining the Pale Hose in June, Taylor looked unhittable throughout much of 2026. However, he battled rough batted ball luck on his way to a major disparity in actual vs predictive stats, finishing the season with a 4.91 ERA but 2.91 xERA and 2.65 SIERA.
Why is Taylor so important? General manager Chris Getz hinted last fall that Taylor could revert to a starter in the near future, and while that doesn’t appear likely soon, it does indicate that Taylor will be stretched out to a long reliever if possible. Now that Mike Vasil, who excelled in that role last campaign, is out for the year, someone needs to step up.
If Taylor is the one to do it, the White Sox will have potentially the most dominant long reliever in all of baseball—a valuable asset. There’s little doubt that Venable and Co. will give him the chance so long as his arm can take it. Time will tell if it can, and even then, the flamethrower will need to shake off some poor spring outings and make his projected dominance a reality.
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Featured Photo: David Banks-Imagn Images
