Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast Sox Populi

In a live YouTube/Twitter/Facebook event as the game got underway last night, a group of us (Dante Jones, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Joe Resis, Malachi Hayes, Hannah LaMotta, Brett Ballantini) went watched the start of the game to see whether the White Sox start would end up even worse than that of the worst-ever Cleveland Spiders.
Spoiler alert: It did.

Watch as the game turns from a scoreless tie to an eventual loss immediately after we begin


Impressions of the first month

The inability to commit to a rebuild is not wearing well in the early going, with the major league club or the organization as a whole

Pedro Grifol’s hand in all of the mess

What are you looking forward to in the season’s final five months?

Predictions you’re regretting (or, crowing over?)


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s an early check-in with our friend and Charlotte mainstay Jonathan Lee on all things Knights, including intriguing bats and the predictable breakdown of the Triple-A rotation:

Jonathan’s take on the 8-12 Charlotte start: .400 ball, he’ll take it!

Danny Mendick’s amazing power stroke that forced him back onto the White Sox active roster

Conversely, the jerking around of Lenyn Sosa and Oscar Colás, never truly able to settle in a spot or role

Colson Montgomery’s bat has been flaccid, but his shortstop defense stout. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Carlos Pérez, Chuckie Robinson, and the curious catching conundrum with the Knights until Edgar Quero arrives

A rotation in shambles, but with brighter days (returns from injury, promotions from Birmingham) ahead

Justin Jirschele: Next White Sox manager? (he learned a lot from losing in 2023!)

How Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon rank as valuable Charlotte starters and future MLB rotation arms

Follow Jonathan Lee on Twitter @followmefor3.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The delightful Ben Jones of our sister site Twinkie Town joins the show to discuss the Minnesota Twins. Sitting just above the White Sox, the Twins are also riddled with injury and only rearranged their roster, aside from parting ways with Sonny Gray and Jorge Polanco in the offseason. But with heartthrobs like Joe Ryan pitching and a healthy Byron Buxton, the team might be able to contend this season.
Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

What’s new in Minnesota?

The Twinkies are second-to-last, in front of the White Sox

Everyone is injured and bats are cold (wait, that sounds familiar)

Grading the offseason

Confidence going into 2024

Pitching matchups

Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series

Byron Buxton is pain-free and feeling good

Predictions for 2024

Hot Twins takes

You can find Ben on Twitter and follow his writing on Twinkie Town or podcast Twins Talk.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, it’s been many months for our most, er, “exclusive” Sox Populi podcast. But Dugout Metrics is back, with a couple of pitching-themed programs ahead.
First, it’s a deeper dive into the six players who are arguably (unquestionably) the future of the staff and rotation on the South Side. The upside is pretty phenomenal, and the down side is ... undecided? For a Chicago White Sox podcast, that is GLOWING positivity!

Garrett Crochet: The source of his mysteriously-appearing cutter, his surprising dominance (yes, we recorded before last Friday’s challenging start) and his realistic workload going forward

Malachi admits a change in philosophy when it comes to handling pitchers

Michael Kopech is now in the pen, as de facto closer — is it the right move?

For all the similarities, one key difference between Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon

Stepping down a level to the utterly dominant Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte, who’s more quickly ticketed for the South Side?

A bonus seventh pitcher: Noah Schultz, and his possible timeline to the South Side could be


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Er, uh, um, this was recorded before Friday’s night’s slaughter in Philadelphia, so the lavish praise for Garrett Crochet may need a tiny dab of correction. Nah, what the heck, he’s one of the only decent things to happen with this team, so let’s plow on.]
This edition, SSS duty geezer Leigh Allan and his son and west coast correspondent, Will, disagree as to whether Garrett Crochet will have a higher WAR than number of wins. It’s close call either way, so here’s your chance to make a guess (hint: as of recording, his bWAR is 0.8, record 1-2):
Since Sharing Sox was recorded on the same day The Athletic raised serious doubts the White Sox will have fewer losses than the 1962 Mets, who went 40-120 and inspired the famous Casey Stengel quote, “Can’t anyone here play this game?” So, what the heck, here’s another chance to vote.
As for other matters, the duo discuss how the pitching is better than expected (though not great) and the two newbies did well, how the promise of defensive improvement was apparently meant as humor, and how the Mendoza Line is so far above the majority of the White Sox lineup that it’s barely visible up there.
Of course, the billionaires seeking billions in handouts gets some discussion.
Then there’s Tim Anderson coming to Chicago to play the Cubs and being quoted about Sox players not really caring about winning. We’d noticed, Tim.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White Sox head to Philadelphia to face the Phillies. Sitting dead last, the White Sox will deal with the pesky bats of multiple home run hitters, with a top three consisting of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper. This series can also push the Phillies to first place in the National League East as they are just two games back (at the time of this episode being recorded) from Atlanta.
Thankfully we won’t see Ranger Suárez in this series, who just tossed a complete game shutout. It was against the Rockies — but it still counts. This will be a tough series, and Nick Nastrini’s first real test as an MLB pitcher.
Here’s what we talked about in this short but fun episode:

What’s new in Philly?

Grading the offseason

So many home run hitters

That one time we thought Bryce Harper to the White Sox was confirmed

Deaths, national disasters, and drive into deep left field by Castellanos

Confidence going into 2024

The new City Connect jerseys

Pitching matchups

Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series

Predictions for 2024

John Schriffen, a man of the people

You can find Brett on Twitter and follow his writing at Sox on 35th.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices