HEADLINES OF MARCH 23, 2016 “Rollins, Ishikawa homer to rally White Sox” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Quintana happy for Colombia’s WBC berth” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “Abreu: A special moment in Cuba” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “’Hawk’ in favor of players showing emotions” … Scott Merkin, MLB.com “With Frazier behind him, Abreu poised for big year” … Phil Rogers, MLB.com “White Sox overcome Mat Latos’ ‘blonde moment’” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Jose Abreu in awe as MLB returns to Cuba for exhibition” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Jerry Sands wants to show White Sox what he’s got” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Avisail Garcia returns to action for White Sox on Tuesday” … Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago “Tuesday’s recap: White Sox 8, Giants 7” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “President Obama: Jose Abreu’s separation from son ‘can’t be the kind of policies we want to promote’” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Jerry Sands could gain roster spot from Adam LaRoche retirement” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “Mat Latos got away from White Sox plan during ‘embarrassing’ inning” … Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune “White Sox 8, Giants 7: Back-to-back HRs key rally” … Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun-Times “’Blond’ ambition: White Sox pitcher Mat Latos frustrated by 5th” … Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun-Times “Delighted by Cuba exhibition, Jose Abreu ‘in shock right now’” … Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun-Times “Avisail Garcia returns to White Sox lineup after wrist injury” … Patrick Finley, Chicago Sun-Times “Danks’ long run with Chicago White Sox nearing end” … Scot Gregor, Daily Herald “Levine: Mat Latos showcases his good then too much of the bad” … Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago “Levine: Jose Abreu happy about America-Cuba connection, President Obama’s visit” … Bruce Levine, CBS Chicago “Baffoe: Let’s not forget the biggest culprit in the LaRoche-White Sox fiasco” … Tim Baffoe, CBS Chicago “Checking in on Mat Latos and Jake Peavy: Trying to find their stuff” … David Schoenfield, ESPN “2016 MLB season preview: Chicago White Sox” … Cliff Corcoran, Sports Illustrated

Rollins, Ishikawa homer to rally White Sox By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jimmy Rollins hit a game-tying three-run homer and Travis Ishikawa followed with a go-ahead shot in the sixth inning as the White Sox rallied for an 8-7 victory over the Giants on Tuesday at Camelback Ranch. The back-to-back home runs came against Giants reliever Cory Gearrin. The Giants scored five runs in the fifth inning to spoil Mat Latos' White Sox debut. Latos had gone through all of his previous work on the back fields of Camelback Ranch or in "B" games before moving to Cactus League action. He allowed one run on three hits over the first three innings, throwing 32 strikes out of his first 38 pitches, but the Giants were on him as the pitch count rose. Brandon Belt (3 RBIs) delivered a go-ahead shot with a mammoth two-run blast to right field after Joe Panik's leadoff double in the fifth. Miguel Olivo (3 RBIs), who once caught for the White Sox and was a late pregame add to the starting lineup, added a prodigious clout to left for another two-run homer in the inning. Over 4 2/3 innings, Latos yielded seven runs on 11 hits while striking out four and not issuing a walk. "I felt fine," Latos said. "I ended on a positive note, threw a really good slider to get a strikeout, and it's just a little different going from a 'B' game to here. I had a lot of energy." Peavy pleased with 8 strikeouts

Giants starter Jake Peavy, another former White Sox, gave up four runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two. "I got up and down five times, which is what I wanted to do," Peavy said. Chicago's Austin Jackson delivered his first home run, and Jose Abreu doubled home a run. Todd Frazier (RBI) had two hits. Up next for White Sox: John Danks stands as the only White Sox starter to make every trip to the mound during Cactus League action, getting another chance on the big field Wednesday against the Padres. Danks pitched five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against the Cubs in his last trip to the mound. The game has a 3:05 p.m. CT first pitch, broadcast live via a free whitesox.com webcast. Up next for Giants: Right-hander Matt Cain will make his second start since the removal of a cyst from his throwing arm when he faces Arizona in a 1:10 p.m. PT game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Cain needs every start he can make and every inning he can get as he strives to build enough stamina to join the season-opening rotation. Wednesday's game will be streamed live via a free giants.com audio webcast.

Quintana happy for Colombia’s WBC berth Latos loses focus in fifth inning of spring debut By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jose Quintana wants to play for Colombia now that his country has advanced from the Panama City qualifier to the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Colombia will make its first appearance in the Classic. "I'm ready for them if they need me," said the White Sox hurler with a broad smile. It's a pretty safe bet Colombia will need one of the most underrated starters in all of Major League Baseball. Quintana celebrated via text with fellow native players, such as Julio Teheran, when Colombia finished off Panama. "I was watching the game a little bit nervous," Quintana said. "They play hard, and that's good for my country, first time going to the WBC. "Everybody wants to go to the World Baseball Classic. It's exciting, a good moment." Latos good through four Mat Latos stood against the clubhouse wall with a smile on his face, waiting for one of the reporters to ask him about a five-run fifth that ended his 4 2/3 innings in the White Sox 8-7 victory over the Giants. Latos didn't get that particular question, but he admitted that he expected a hiccup in his first Cactus League start. "I didn't expect it to be a complete explosion. That was embarrassing," said Latos, who allowed seven runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings, while striking out four. "But I'm healthy, the knee feels good." Latos pointed to the first four innings as an example of what he was trying to do with catcher Alex Avila. He threw the first nine pitches for strikes, hit within the zone on 32 of his 38 through three innings and did a good job of keeping the fastball out of the middle of the plate. But he admitted to losing focus in the fifth.

"We just need to stay focused for all five, six, seven innings, however long I need to go," Latos said. "Stay focused and just make my pitches. "That was a selfish error on my part, and the fifth inning was really getting away from the game plan. I've got to wear that and I gotta get back out here and make sure I don't do that again." Latos is scheduled to start Sunday in Scottsdale against the Giants again and then in San Diego next Friday. He continues building for his regular-season debut on April 7 in Oakland. Ventura has lineup versatility White Sox manager Robin Ventura doesn't believe he will have a set designated hitter at the outset of the season, with that spot rotating between outfielders Melky Cabrera, Adam Eaton, Avisail Garcia and possibly even center fielder Austin Jackson. "You do have some flexibility," Ventura said. "If you need to give a guy a breather for one reason or another, you can use the DH spot to be able to do that. Most of the outfield guys will be using that. I don't see the infield guys using that too much." Ventura won't hesitate to use catchers Dioner Navarro or Alex Avila at designated hitter, even mentioning that Brett Lawrie and/or Tyler Saladino can catch in an emergency. "And that's why I don't think it's just going to be a set guy doing the DH-ing," Ventura said. "You'd like to see those guys get as many regular at-bats as they can get." Garcia returns to action Garcia returned to the White Sox lineup Tuesday as the designated hitter, finishing 0-for-4, despite battling the effects of dental work done Monday and a sore right wrist sustained in Saturday's game against the Dodgers. "I tried to catch the ball. I just stepped on it and fell down and put a little bit of weight on my wrist," said Garcia of the injury. "I took an MRI and nothing is bad. "Just a little bruise and sore. I don't want to get hurt before the season starts. I'm just getting better every day. Just have to keep playing and see what happens." Abreu's bad aim Jose Abreu fouled a pitch off his left foot for the second straight game. He had a brace on, but Tuesday's shot still managed to hit between the protective part on his leg. Ventura said Abreu walked away with a bruise. They said it "They are huge baseball fans. They love baseball." -- Abreu, on the people of Cuba

Abreu: A special moment in Cuba White Sox slugger hopeful of better relationship between countries By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The contest between the Cuban National Team and the Tampa Bay Rays, being televised live from Cuba, played in the White Sox clubhouse a little more than one hour before Tuesday's Cactus League game at Camelback Ranch.

Jose Abreu stood a few feet from the television, speaking to a group of reporters about the historic day, all the while acknowledging the surreal nature of the moment. Historic Cuba game filled with thrills "I am in shock right now," said Abreu through interpreter and White Sox Spanish language broadcaster Billy Russo. "If you slap my face, I can't believe it. "That's something great. We never thought that this could happen so soon. Yes, it's very special." Abreu spoke recently to MLB.com of his hopes that this game would contribute to ongoing diplomatic change. The White Sox first baseman played for Cuba in the 2013 World Baseball Classic and then defected in August of that year, eventually landing with the White Sox on a six-year, $68 million franchise-record deal. A Major League Baseball goodwill trip to Cuba in December allowed Abreu to return to his home country and see his son, Dariel, for the first time since he left. It's his sort of treacherous journey and tough decision to leave his family that President Barack Obama mentioned specifically Monday night during an interview with ABC News. "I saw a story on SportsCenter about Abreu of the White Sox. So I paid special note to that," said President Obama, when asked about changing the rules for Cuban players to play in the United States without denouncing their Cuban citizenship. "Here's a guy of immense talent who hasn't seen his son for several years because he felt the only way he could play in the big leagues and help his family was to be separated from his toddler. "That can't be the kind of policies we want to promote. My hope is this just becomes one more part of the stitching back together of the United States and Cuba." President Obama also spoke of baseball being one of those things that "binds these two countries together." When Abreu was told of the President's specific mention, he smiled and acknowledged that he couldn't describe the emotion or the honor. "I'm very blessed for that and all that has happened to me," Abreu said. "This is a huge step for us, for people in Cuba, and I want to thank again President Obama for all of his kindness. He's an outstanding man." When the Orioles last played in Cuba in 1999, Abreu remembers his dad buying a black and white television to watch the game because they didn't have the money to attend. Now, he can watch fellow Cuban Dayron Varona play for the Rays in his homeland and dream some day of the same opportunity to return. "I have to thank Cuba because I lived there for 26 years," Abreu said. "But I also have to thank the U.S. because they are giving me the opportunity to live a better life."

’Hawk’ in favor of players showing emotions White Sox broadcaster says it would be good for the game By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ken "Hawk" Harrelson has nothing but respect and admiration for Rich "Goose" Gossage and Johnny Bench, but he doesn't support the Hall of Famers' recent critiques of players such as Jose Bautista and Bryce Harper, who have spoken out in favor of more spontaneous celebration in baseball. In fact, Harrelson agrees with Harper's point of view, if not his choice of words to express it.

"It's not a tired game. But it's not as exciting as it was because of the way things go down," Harrelson told MLB.com during a phone conversation from his Florida home. "This could be a tremendously exciting game because of the talent of the players. Look at all the great young talent. "I started in 1959, so I've been in this game for parts of seven decades. Guys from the past have to realize it's a different game today. These guys are better players than we were overall. They don't have better teams than we had. But they have better players, and you know the whole thing going on lately, a large part of it is because of social media. "Society is different than when Bench and Hawk and Goose played," Harrelson continued. "I think that Bryce Harper is right. The game should be livened up a little bit. This is the way these guys are today." The colorful White Sox television play-by-play announcer pointed out that baseball and sports in general reflect the culture of the time. There was no SportsCenter or MLB Network, let alone gifs, memes and Twitter hashtags when they played. Bench is the greatest catcher of all time, in Harrelson's opinion. Gossage was a great reliever, and both would be standouts in the game today. But Harrelson believes Harper and his style would have held up just as well decades ago. "I would have loved to have played against him. He's such a great player," said Harrelson of Harper. "I would have loved to have played against a Mike Trout. These guys would have been superstars back in my time zone when we had Mickey Mantle and Stan Musial and Duke Snider. "Kids keep coming in and making plays and thrilling you and thrilling me. It's pretty hard to thrill me. I've been in this game for 56 years. I've seen a lot of [stuff]. I've seen a lot of great players, but they make plays that you know most of the guys in my time zone don't even think about making. "So I think that Johnny and Goose have to realize that," Harrelson said. "What I would tell Bryce is, 'Go for it.' If you want to add some excitement to the game, I'd love it. Let's face it, we could use a little more excitement."

With Frazier behind him, Abreu poised for big year White Sox first baseman finally has protection in lineup By Phil Rogers / MLB.com | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jose Abreu won't complain. He says he wasn't pitched around much in his first two seasons in Major League Baseball. Instead, he praises Adam Dunn because "his career track was good'' and says Adam LaRoche did his best to help him even though "it was kind of a down year for him because he wasn't accustomed to being a DH.'' And he says all of this with a straight face. When I tell him he is being very respectful, he laughs and breaks into a beautiful smile. "That's how my mom and dad raised me,'' Abreu said, speaking through translator Billy Russo. Back in Cuba, where Abreu's heart was as he thought about the visit of the Rays and President Obama to his homeland, Abreu also learned to be one of the best hitters on the planet. He has been that for the White Sox, but how much damage could he have done had pitchers been forced to challenge him? We're about to find out.

In one of the more impactful moves by any team in the offseason, the White Sox traded three prospects to get All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier from the Reds. Frazier, who just turned 30, is coming off a season in which he hit a career-high 35 home runs and has generated a 9.3 WAR over the past two seasons, matching Abreu's totals (5.5 in 2014, 3.8 in '15). "I'm very excited to see how this year goes with Frazier behind me,'' said Abreu, who had a run-scoring double to the base of the left-field wall in the White Sox's 8-7 victory Tuesday over the Giants."He is an outstanding player, a very good hitter. We have been talking a lot about what we can do during the season. We just have to wait until the season to see.'' Despite Abreu's second consecutive season of 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBIs, the White Sox were last in the American League in runs and home runs last season. But the reconstructed lineup, which features newcomers Frazier, Brett Lawrie, Austin Jackson, Jimmy Rollins and the catching tandem of Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro, could help the White Sox make a jump like the Astros did last season, scoring 100 more runs to jump from 14th in the AL in scoring to fifth. With the rotation headed by Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Carlos Rodon (and Carson Fulmer almost ready to step in), Robin Ventura's team will be in business if that happens. For the transformed lineup to have the maximum impact, the Sox need leadoff man Adam Eaton to have a wire-to-wire performance like the one he put together after a dreadful start last season. Eaton contributed heavily to the White Sox being one of baseball's early disappointments. He was hitting .186 with a .248 on-base percentage and no home runs or RBIs in his first 105 plate appearances, but he wound up with a .382 OBP, .846 OPS and 14 home runs in his last 129 games. That's the guy the Sox need this season. "It's hard to dissect (last season),'' Eaton said. "I try to look at the grand scheme of things. I look at it as a completion of a season, a season I'm happy with personally.'' There's a different vibe to the White Sox with Frazier in the middle of things. The unofficial king of the New Jersey shore, Frazier is a guy who loves life and still looks at baseball like he's playing for the Toms River team he carried to a Little League World Series title. "Personalities in the clubhouse have really changed a lot,'' Eaton said. "I think that's what we needed -- a personality change, a different way to look at the game. I think it's going to benefit us in the long run, in June and July when crap hits the fan.'' Frazier's impact on the clubhouse could prove especially important for players who acted like they'd been sucker-punched when LaRoche retired after being asked to limit his son's presence. "He's always in a good mood,'' Abreu said of Frazier. "When he's in a room, he's shining. His personality is so big. He's always happy, always having fun. He's trying to keep everybody loose. That's good. He has experience on winning teams and knows what we have to do to win.'' The White Sox lost 99 games in 2013 but weren't ready to rebuild, not with Sale and Quintana in the rotation. Instead they won a bidding war for Abreu, a slugger with plate discipline who was fresh off showcasing his ability with three homers and nine RBIs in six games in the World Baseball Classic. Abreu has delivered on his end of a six-year, $68 million contract, but the White Sox won only 73 games in 2014 and 76 in '15, even though they imported David Robertson, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Samardzija and LaRoche along the way. Abreu has remained calm on the field and patient with his team even as pitchers have worked him on the outskirts of the strike zone.

Often swinging at so-called pitcher's pitches, near his ankles or outside the plate, Abreu has remained productive. He was Rookie of the Year and fourth in MVP voting two seasons ago, when he hit .317 with 36 homers and a league-leading .581 slugging percentage. Those are tough numbers to top, but he's a good bet to do that this season, thanks to having another quality run producer in his prime hitting behind him. "What [Abreu has] done, the offense we did have, is impressive as it is,'' Ventura said. "But now he's getting some protection. I think that's just going to help him. I feel like he got pitched around most of the time, but he was able to survive it, somehow end up with impressive numbers. It would make sense that something special would happen with him if we can put some runs on the board, especially with Todd behind him.'' Abreu won't say it himself, but Ventura is right. With Frazier hitting behind him, take the over.

White Sox overcome Mat Latos’ blonde moment By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Mat Latos expected to have a hiccup in his first Cactus League game. He didn’t expect this. The White Sox starter pitched well into the fifth inning on Tuesday before he “imploded,” allowing a pair of home runs and a five-spot. The right-hander completed 4 2/3 innings, giving up seven earned runs and 11 hits. Latos struck out four for the White Sox, who rallied past the San Francisco Giants 8-7. “I kind of expected it,” Latos said. “I didn’t expect it to be a complete explosion, that was embarrassing. But I’m healthy, the knee feels good. Like I said, first inning through fourth inning shows how I really feel. Just again, a dumb move by me. A blonde moment, if you will, just getting out of what I wanted to accomplish and that’s not the game plan. We don’t want to get aggravated when we’re out there. Stick to the game plan. If it’s not broke don’t fix it. I kind of let it to get me and that was a dumb selfish mistake and we’ll progress there.” Each of Latos’ previous three turns came against teams he would potentially face early in the season. That left him pitching in simulated games and B games against minor-leaguers. Latos could feel a difference between those contests and Tuesday’s immediately, noting he was so amped he didn’t think he’d throw a strike on his first pitch. But he did and followed with eight straight more strikes before hitting Brandon Belt. Working with a fastball that touched 92, Latos pitched well in his first four frames. He had a good downward angle on his pitches and liked his command. But the Giants got Latos out of rhythm in the middle innings with a number of bloop hits and he got untracked. “I thought the first few he was crisp,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He looked good. He was down. After that, there could be a couple things in there — fatigue, could be getting him out here for the first time. I think it’s just getting him back out here and getting him stretched out and getting him stronger. Encouraged by the start of it just how crisp he was.” Latos also is encouraged. But he was upset about how he went away from the game plan and how his good misses turned into mistakes. He allowed home runs to Belt and Miguel Olivo and gave up five hits in his final inning.

“I kind of backed away from what we were trying to accomplish a little bit there,” Latos said. “That’s not something I want to do. “Just kind of let a couple things get to me, a couple cheap hits and everything just kind of imploded. Started to get away from my main focus and hung a breaking ball and hung a slider.” While disappointed by the end, Latos liked enough of what he did. He cracked several jokes in his media session and continues to be upbeat about his work with pitching coach Don Cooper. Health didn’t appear to be an issue and he got up and down five times. Latos threw 74 pitches and is scheduled to pitch twice more before the regular season. “It felt really good,” Latos said. “Felt really good to get out there.” The White Sox took an early 3-0 lead on an RBI double by Jose Abreu, a Melky Cabrera sac fly and an Austin Jackson solo homer. Todd Frazier later singled in a run to cut the Sox deficit to 7-4. Jimmy Rollins tied the score at 7 with a three-run homer in the sixth and Travis Ishikawa’s solo shot put the White Sox ahead for good. Tyler Danish lowered his spring ERA to 2.16 with 2 1/3 innings. Nate Jones and Zach Putnam each pitched scoreless frames, too.

Jose Abreu in awe as MLB returns to Cuba for exhibition By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jose Abreu’s dad temporarily purchased a black and white television the last time a major league team played in Cuba. They couldn’t afford to attend the 1999 contest between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban national team. But Abreu’s father wanted to be able to watch the game with his son, then 12 years old. So it should come as no surprise that the slugger was awed on Tuesday to watch Cuba host the Tampa Bay Rays -- on color a television from the White Sox clubhouse. President Barack Obama attended the game at Estadio Latinoamericano as the United States and Cuba continue to improve diplomatic relations. “I am in shock right now,” Abreu said through an interpreter. “If you slap my face, I can’t believe it. That’s something great. I think that we never thought that this could happen so soon. Yes, it’s a very special, I’m very happy because (Cuban Dayron Varona of the Rays) has the opportunity to play. I hope I have the same opportunity some day.” The exhibition played is only the second between the countries since Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. Abreu would have liked to have played but said he’s thrilled to have been part of Major League Baseball’s goodwill tour to Havana three months earlier. On that trip, Abreu had a chance to reunite with his son Dariel and see friends and family members he hadn’t seen since he left Cuba in 2013. “The people in Cuba were expecting for this,” Abreu said. “They are huge baseball fans. They love baseball. This is a huge step for us, for people in Cuba and I want to thank again for President Obama for all of his kindness. He’s an outstanding man. For all the effort he has put into this, that’s huge for us.”

Jerry Sands wants to show White Sox what he’s got By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- While he knows his prospects have improved with Adam LaRoche’s departure, Jerry Sands said it won’t change how he operates. The outfielder/first baseman is one of several candidates vying for the final two spots on the White Sox 25-man roster. His bid to make the team has recently improved after the sudden retirement of LaRoche a week ago. But Sands already knew he’d have to prove to the White Sox he’s worthy of a roster spot after he they claimed him off waivers on Dec. 23. Sands has hit .242/.257/.545 with three homers and eight RBIs in 33 at-bats this spring. He’s one of five players in competition for the final two spots on the roster along with Matt Davidson, Travis Ishikawa, Carlos Sanchez and J.B. Shuck. “It doesn’t change what I’ve been doing,” Sands said. “Getting claimed off waivers, coming to a new team like I’ve been doing the last few years, just coming to camp, show them what I have regardless of the LaRoche situation.” Sands said he wanted to work on several aspects of his game in camp --- “things that I’ve struggled with,” he said. One is to remember how to hit the fastball again. Hitting coach Todd Steverson said that skill can get dulled playing at Triple-A as Sands has for much of the past few seasons. “You can kind of get off your game,” Steverson said. “Sadly enough, I used to say it all the time: the hardest thing you need to do coming from Triple-A back to the big leagues is to re-remember how to hit a fastball because they don’t throw a whole lot of them down there.” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said the fastball hasn’t been an issue for Sands this spring. The bigger task in Ventura’s mind is for Sands -- who would be an option at first base and in the outfield -- to show improvement against right-handed pitching. Sands has an .846 career OPS against southpaws but only a .569 against righties. “He hasn’t seen too many righties in the big leagues the last few years, so you’d like to see him do that and get an idea about that,” Ventura said. “As far as swinging the bat and playing the game, he has been great.” Sands said he feels comfortable in the outfield and at first base. He felt like he got off to a slow start, but likes how he has swung the bat lately. Even though his chances to make the team have improved, Sands wants to continue to make strides and convince the White Sox. “(LaRoche retiring) helps me out a little bit, obviously, for a situation like that, for somebody to benefit from it,” Sands said. “But at the same point in time, the team is still going to have to go on and play without him. It hasn’t changed for me -- if he was here or not, I’d still try to do the same thing and show these guys what I got.”

Avisail Garcia returns to action for White Sox on Tuesday By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — The tooth is good. The right wrist is still a little sore. But Avisail Garcia is ready to give it a go Tuesday. The White Sox outfielder is back in the lineup after he was hampered by consecutive days with different maladies. Garcia injured his wrist enough Saturday to require an MRI, which came back negative. A day later, Garcia’s tooth hurt him, which required a trip to the dentist for a crown. Though he has a bruise and some soreness, Garcia took batting practice for the first time since he slipped and put too much weight on his wrist after stepping on a base hit he was trying to retrieve. “Two days ago it really, really, really hurt,” Garcia said. “Right now it’s good. “Nothing is bad. Just a little bruise and sore. That’s it.” Garcia initially feared a significant injury that might land him on the disabled list. He took four rounds of batting practice on Tuesday and is playing against the San Francisco Giants. “He looked all right,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “I think there’s still something there, but he says he’s fine. “He’s staying in the lineup, unless he falls going out to the game and does something.”

Tuesday’s recap: White Sox 8, Giants 7 By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | March 22nd, 2016 Jimmy Rollins and Travis Ishikawa each homered in the sixth inning to give the White Sox an 8-7 victory over the Giants at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday. Rollins' three-run shot off Cory Gearrin tied it, and Ishikawa pushed the Sox ahead. At the plate: Batting second between Adam Eaton and Jose Abreu, Rollins was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs. On the mound: Sox reliever Nate Jones pitched his fifth straight scoreless inning of spring. Prospect Tyler Danish earned the victory after 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings. Injury update: Avisail Garcia was back in the lineup at designated hitter after bruising his right wrist. He said the tooth that needed a crown and kept him out Monday is fine. Key number: 1 — Homer for Austin Jackson this spring, a solo shot in the second inning off Jake Peavy. The quote: "We wanted to make sure that if we did throw the fastball that we missed to that side of the plate and not more middle. And that's what happened in the fifth inning, the fastball started getting more middle." — Mat Latos on allowing five runs in the fifth inning Up next: Vs. Padres, 3:05 p.m. Wednesday. LH Drew Pomeranz vs. LH John Danks.

President Obama: Jose Abreu’s separation from son ‘can’t be the kind of policies we want to promote’ By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | March 22nd, 2016 President Barack Obama used the story of White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu as an example of the struggles Cuban baseball players face on their journeys to play in the major leagues in an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir. Obama, who is in Cuba to continue his efforts to improve relations between the United States and Cuba, said he had heard the story of Abreu, who left behind his young son, Dariel, when he defected from Cuba in 2013. Abreu was reunited with his son when he returned to Cuba on a Major League Baseball goodwill trip in December. An MLB contingent traveled again this week to Havana for an exhibition game between the Rays and the Cuban national team. “Here’s a guy of immense talent who hadn’t seen his son for several years because he felt the only way that he could play in the big leagues and help his family was to be separated from his toddler,” Obama said. “That can’t be the kind of policies we want to promote. My hope is this just becomes one more part of the stitching back together of the United States and Cuba.” Abreu said Tuesday it was “an honor” that Obama spoke of Abreu’s story. “This is a huge step for us, for people in Cuba and I want to thank again President Obama for all of his kindness,” Abreu said through a team interpreter. “He’s an outstanding man. For all the effort he has put into this, that’s huge for us.” MLB's tour of Cuba Photos from the MLB's first trip to Cuba since 1999. Abreu was just 12 years old the last time an MLB team played in Cuba in 1999, and he remembered his dad going out to buy a black and white TV so that they could watch the game that the Orioles played in. With coverage of the Rays’ game playing on a TV in the Sox clubhouse Tuesday, Abreu said he was “very excited” for his country. “I am in shock right now,” Abreu said. “If you slap my face, I can’t believe it. That’s something great. I think that we never thought that this could happen so soon. Yes, it’s very special.”

Jerry Sands could gain roster spot from Adam LaRoche retirement By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | March 22nd, 2016 Jerry Sands' path to making the White Sox roster became easier last week with the departure of Adam LaRoche, but the outfielder and first baseman said he is trying to keep the same approach in the final days of spring training. Sands is in the mix for the Sox's final two roster spots along with infielders Matt Davidson, Travis Ishikawa and Carlos Sanchez and outfielder J.B. Shuck. The Sox have an extra opening after LaRoche retired Friday. "It helps me out a little bit, obviously, but you hate for a situation like that, for somebody to benefit from it," Sands said. "But … if he was here or not, I'd still try to do the same thing and show these guys what I've got."

Sands, a 28-year-old who joined the Sox off waivers from the Indians in the offseason, has played in 132 career games with the Dodgers, Rays and Indians. He said one of his main focuses this spring is hitting fastballs, and he has hit .250 with three homers and eight RBIs in Cactus League play. "My role is coming off the bench a lot," Sands said. "You get some pretty hard throwers coming out of the bullpen. It's just being aggressive on the fastball." Sox manager Robin Ventura said he is watching how Sands hits right-handed pitchers, as he is a career .292 hitter against left-handers and a career .199 hitter against righties. Ventura also likes Sands' ability to play first base because the Sox need a backup to Jose Abreu. Eye on Cuba: In an interview with ABC News anchor David Muir, President Barack Obama used Abreu as an example of the struggles Cuban baseball players face on their journeys to play in the major leagues. Abreu went more than two years without seeing his son after he defected from Cuba in 2013, but they were reunited briefly when Abreu returned on a Major League Baseball goodwill trip in December. Obama was speaking on the topic from Cuba as he continues his efforts to improve relations between the United States and the island nation. He attended an exhibition between the Rays and the Cuban national team Tuesday. "Here's a guy of immense talent who hadn't seen his son for several years because he felt the only way that he could play in the big leagues and help his family was to be separated from his toddler," Obama said. "That can't be the kind of policies we want to promote. My hope is this just becomes one more part of the stitching back together of the United States and Cuba." Abreu said it was "an honor" that Obama spoke of his story. Abreu, 29, was 12 years old the last time an MLB team played in Cuba, and he remembered his dad buying a black and white TV so they could watch the game with the Orioles. With coverage of the Rays' game playing on TV in the Sox clubhouse, Abreu said he was "very excited" for his country. "I am in shock right now," Abreu said through a team interpreter. "If you slap my face, I can't believe it. … We never thought that this could happen so soon. It's very special."

Mat Latos got away from White Sox plan during ‘embarrassing’ inning By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune | March 22nd, 2016 White Sox right-hander Mat Latos knew that he might experience hiccups when making his first Cactus League start more than a month into spring training. He was pleased with his results in the first four innings of his outing against the Giants at Camelback Ranch, but he said he lost his cool during the Giants' five-run fifth inning. Latos gave up two-run homers to Brandon Belt and Miguel Olivo and said he got away from his game plan when he became frustrated by "a couple of cheap hits." "I didn't expect it to be a complete explosion — that was embarrassing," Latos said. "A dumb move by me … just getting out of what I wanted to accomplish, and that's not the game plan. We don't want to get aggravated when we're out there. … I kind of let it get me, and that was a dumb, selfish mistake, and we'll progress (from) there."

Over 4 1/3 innings, Latos gave up seven earned runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts. Part of Latos' challenge was harnessing the energy that came with his first real spring game. He has been doing his work in side sessions, simulated games and B games. "I didn't expect the first pitch to be a strike with all the adrenaline I had when I first took the mound," Latos said. "It's completely different. Back there you face minor-league guys. … It's not really a bad thing, you just look at it like 'OK, I'm here to get my work in.' When you're (in the stadium) you're here to compete with guys who have proven themselves and know what they're doing." Sox manager Robin Ventura said he was encouraged by how "crisp" Latos looked through the first four innings and said he thought fatigue might have been a factor late. With less than two weeks to go before the season opener, he said he believes Latos has enough time to prepare for his regular-season debut. "He just has to get stronger and get deeper in the game," Ventura said.

White Sox 8, Giants 7: Back-to-back HRs key rally By Patrick Finley / Chicago Sun-Times | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ three-run homer was followed immediately by Travis Ishikawa’s solo shot, and the White Sox used a sixth-inning rally to beat the Giants, 8-7, Tuesday at Camelback Ranch. Former White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings, including a solo home run to centerfielder Austin Jackson — his first of the spring. Avi returns Outfielder Avisail Garcia returned Tuesday for the first time since bruising his right wrist after falling Saturday. He served as the team’s DH even though manager Robin Ventura said he could feel the injury during a pregame batting cage session. Garcia went 0-for-4. “Two days ago it really, really, really hurt,” said Garcia, who had a MRI turn up negative. “Right now it’s good.” Garcia had a root canal, too, but said his now-capped tooth was feeling better, too Who’s hitting second? Ventura wouldn’t commit to one player hitting in the No. 2 spot, listing Lawrie, Jackson, Rollins and Melky Cabrera as veterans with experience. “I think that will continue to move around a little bit,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a set-in-stone, ‘He’s the no. 2 guy.’ Anybody’s the No. 2 guy.” DH talk Ventura will likely cycle an outfielder through the DH spot vacated by Adam LaRoche when the season starts, but he hasn’t ruled out a more unconventional move: putting a catcher there on occasion.

Ventura said the fact second baseman Brett Lawrie and shortstop Tyler Saladino can play catcher in an emergency gives him a backup plan in case one, or both, catchers are injured or ejected in a game.

On deck Padres at Sox, 3:05 p.m. Drew Pomeranz vs. John Danks

’Blond’ ambition: White Sox pitcher Mat Latos frustrated by 5th By Patrick Finley / Chicago Sun-Times | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Golden-haired, Mat Latos is allowed to make the joke. “A dumb move by me,” he said. “A blonde moment, if you will …” Following his first Cactus League start Tuesday, the White Sox right-hander attributed his fifth-inning meltdown to flightiness and also frustration. He went away from the game plan against the Giants: that if he was going to miss, to do so low and away. After allowing only two runs through four innings, he gave up five in the fifth, including two homers: Brandon Belt’s towering shot over the right-field wall and Miguel Olivo’s liner over the left-field fence. He was removed after recording only two outs in the fifth. “That was a selfish error on my part and the fifth inning was really getting away from the game plan,” he said. “And I’ve got to wear that and I gotta get back out here and make sure I don’t do that again.” Overall, he was tagged for 11 hits and seven runs, striking out four and walking none in 4 2/3 innings. “Let’s be honest, it was a couple cheap hits, couple broken-bat singles, balls just found holes that led to a couple earlier runs,” he said. “I kind of backed away from what we were trying to accomplish a little bit there. That’s not something I want to do.” Latos said Tuesday his left knee, which he had drained last season, felt fine. He claimed the same about his stamina, though he admitted to feeling exited to pitch in front of a paying audience for the first time this spring. Latos had thrown only to minor leaguers while in camp. “I didn’t expect the first pitch to be a strike,” he said, “with all the adrenaline I had when I first took the mound.” Nonetheless, Latos, signed to a one-year, $3 million deal this offseason, seems to be the favorite for the fifth-starter spot. Manager Robin Ventura said there was time left for him to get ready for the season. “I think it’s just getting him back out here and getting him stretched out and getting him stronger,” Ventura said. “Encouraged by the start of it, just how crisp he looked.”

Delighted by Cuba exhibition, Jose Abreu ‘in shock right now’ By Patrick Finley / Chicago Sun-Times | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — The game was their reason to buy a television. Jose Abreu’s family wanted so badly to see the Orioles’ exhibition in Cuba in 1999 that they bought a black-and-white set. He still doesn’t know how his father found the money, but it was easier than scoring tickets. The first baseman told the story Tuesday and looked up from his locker at Camelback Ranch. In the corners of the White Sox clubhouse, in full color and on comically large screens, was his homeland — again.

Tuesday, for the first time since 1999, a Major League Baseball team — the Rays —played an exhibition game in Cuba. Barack Obama, who invoked Abreu’s story during the lead-up to the game, sat behind home plate, the first President to visit the country in 88 years. It was, to Abreu, nothing short of amazing. “I am in shock right now,” he said through his translator, Billy Russo. “If you slap my face, I can’t believe it.” Abreu left Cuba in 2013 and in December returned for the first time as part of an MLB delegation. He saw his son, 5-year-old Dariel Eduardo, for the first time in more than two years. The visit helped streamline the process toward a game against the Cuban national team at Estadio Latinoamerica in Havana, which also hosted the Orioles exhibition. “That’s something great,” Abreu said. “I think that we never thought that this could happen so soon.” On Monday, Obama detailed Abreu’s story to ABC. The White Sox fan spoke with amazement that Abreu left a toddler to pursue his profession, and hoped that no longer requiring Cuban players to denounce their government upon leaving the island would help the “stitching back together” of the two countries. Similarly, Abreu said his “goal every day” is to become a dual citizen. “The people in Cuba were expecting this,” Abreu said. “They are huge baseball fans. They love baseball. This is a huge step for us, for people in Cuba and I want to thank again for President Obama for all of his kindness. He’s an outstanding man. For all the effort he has put into this, that’s huge for us.” Abreu praised the Rays for bringing minor-league outfielder Dayron Varona, who grew up in Cuba, to play in front of his family. “I don’t think people realize how important that is for us,” he said. Abreu wants to be part of a game in Havana one day. Robin Ventura has been there, playing five games in Cuba in 1987 as a member of the USA national team. “It was a different (experience) than the ones these guys are having, for sure,” the White Sox manager said. “It was fun. They love baseball down there, and I think it’s great they get to experience our guys going down there and playing. … “I think it’s great. I know Jose’s interested. He wants to watch a little bit of it on TV. I actually played in that stadium before. I just want to see what it looks like.” It was undoubtedly different than the stadium Abreu watched, on a small black-and-white television, when he was 12. It was oddly the same, too. “The only thing that I want people to know is that those guys there are human beings,” he said. “They are trying to give the best every day to make the best baseball … “That’s all that I expect for people to understand. They are human beings, no matter what the situation, who are trying to get the best of them and try to get the best they can in life.”

Avisail Garcia returns to White Sox lineup after wrist injury By Patrick Finley / Chicago Sun-Times | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. — With a capped tooth and a healing wrist, Avisail Garcia is scheduled to play Tuesday for the first time in three days. The White Sox outfielder slipped on a baseball on the warning track Saturday and braced himself as he fell, bruising his right wrist. An MRI was negative, leaving him with soreness he will play through against the Giants at Camelback Ranch. Garcia will bat sixth and DH — so he won’t test it in the field. “Two days ago it really, really, really hurt,” he said. “Right now it’s good.” Garcia planned to hit in the cage before Tuesday’s game and test out his wrist. He was worried at first the injury was more than a bruise. “I’m going to see how I throw and how I hit,” he said. “But I feel better now.” Garcia was recovering from a root canal, too. “They put the crown on, they cleaned it out,” he said with a smile. “Everything is good.”

Danks’ long run with Chicago White Sox nearing end Scot Gregor / Daily Herald | March 22nd, 2016 Heading into spring training, the Chicago White Sox were saddled with two bad contracts. One is off the books, and you've probably heard all about Adam LaRoche opting to retire and forfeit his $13 million salary this season after White Sox vice president Kenny Williams asked the designated hitter to scale back his son's presence in the clubhouse. John Danks is still with the White Sox, and he'll collect $14.25 million in the final season of his five-year, $65 million contract. "It's strange," the 30-year-old Danks said. "It's happened just like that. It wasn't that long ago where I was the young guy, taking orders from (Mark) Buehrle and (Jon) Garland and guys like that. It's living a dream. I'm a very blessed and fortunate person." Unfortunately for Danks, he is not close to being the same pitcher he was when he signed the deal. In 2012, his season was cut short by shoulder surgery, and the left-hander's effectiveness has not made it all the way back. Danks was limited to 9 starts in 2013 after he returned from surgery, and the velocity on his fastball was noticeably lower. The heat never returned, so Danks converted himself into a deceptive starter, and the changeup now has become his out pitch. Unfortunately -- again -- Danks frequently elevates changeup and pays the price. Over the last two seasons, Danks has allowed 49 home runs. In the American League, only Jeremy Guthrie (52), Jered Weaver (51), R.A. Dickey (51), Colby Lewis (51) and Wei-Yin Chen (51) have allowed more.

On the positive side, Danks takes the ball every fifth day and he eats up innings. Last season, the lefty made 30 or more starts for the fifth time in his career while going 7-15 with a 4.71 ERA. Here's what Fangraphs.com has to say about Danks: "He is what he is: A six strikeout per nine guy who walks about half as many and pitches to the league average in strand rate, batting average on balls in play, and home run per fly ball rate." This is going to be his final season with the White Sox, and Danks figures to be the No. 5 starter. Last Friday, Danks pitched against the Cubs and delivered 5 scoreless innings and 7 strikeouts. Before that, he pitched 9⅔ Cactus League innings and allowed 13 runs on 13 hits. "Like I said all along, we're all competitive and all have pride and all want to do well," Danks told reporters after facing the Cubs. "But most of us that have been around understand that there's a bigger picture to spring training, and it's a good opportunity to get out there and work on something that will help you during the summer. Of course, it feels good to go out there and have a successful outing and throw the ball where you want, and it's just a step in the right direction."

Levine: Mat Latos showcases his good, then too much of the bad By Bruce Levine / CBS Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) — For likely White Sox No. 4 starter Mat Latos, it was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly Tuesday. After four competitive innings of good pitch selection and fastball command in which he allowed two runs, the roof fell in on Latos, as he surrendered five runs in the fifth inning against the Giants. He finished with an ugly stat line, allowing seven runs, all earned on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. “Innings one to four, we executed our game plan,” Latos said. “In the fifth inning, I let a couple of things get to me. A couple of cheap hits, and then I started to get away from my main focus. I hung a slider, and it cost me.” Latos signed a one-year, $3-million in early February. Since that time, he has worked on conditioning and command in B games prior to his first Cactus League outing Tuesday. “This wasn’t bad for my first big league outing,” Latos said. “The fifth inning was real terrible, one through four was really good. I expected some things but not a complete explosion. That was kind of bad. I am healthy, my knee feels good. I think one through four gives you a better idea how I feel.” Latos has a rotation spot in hand, as he and left-hander John Danks will fill the fourth and fifth slots in some order. Latos has enjoyed his work with pitching coach Don Cooper so far and remains positive despite Tuesday’s rough outing. “Everything is great with him,” said Latos, who averaged 89-92 mph Tuesday. “He challenges me on a day-to-day basis. I have taken a lot of what he gives me into that game today. Just a selfish ,stupid mistake on my end (in hanging a slider), is just something I have to correct. That is not (usually) me. That might have been me in the past. Everybody has hiccups now and again. That won’t happen again.” Latos was 4-10 with a 4.95 ERA in 2015 in time split between the Marlins and Dodgers. On Tuesday, an NL West scout thought Latos appeared to “run out of gas” in his poor fifth inning, saying his fastball was quality before then as he was also mixing the cutter and slider in while looking competitive.

Levine: Jose Abreu happy about America-Cuba connection, President Obama’s visit Bruce Levine / CBS Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) — White Sox first baseman and Cuba native Jose Abreu was one proud MLB player Tuesday. As he was holding court with the media, the Cuban national team was playing host to the Tampa Bay Rays in an exhibition that was attended by Barack Obama, who this week became the first American president to visit the Communist island country in 88 years, as part of a diplomatic effort to improve relations. Obama singled out Abreu and his flight to freedom from Cuba to play baseball in the United States. An aggressor in opening relations with Cuba, Obama spoke of how this he hopes a situation like Abreu’s — having to secretly flee Cuba — will never occur again, with the relaxing of restrictions between the two countries. Entering his third year with the White Sox, Abreu was touched and emotional after hearing Obama’s comments. Obama sat next to Cuba president Raul Castro and watched Tuesday’s game between the two countries. “I want to thank President Obama and the government of Cuba for making this happen,” Abreu said. “This is a very good thing, and I am personally very excited today.” The last time an MLB team played against Cuba was 1999, when the Baltimore Orioles and Cuban national team played a home-and-home two-game series. Abreu was 12 at the time and remembered the enormity of watching that event unfold. “It was a huge event,” Abreu said. “My father purchased a TV, a black-and-white TV to watch the games. We did not have a TV but somehow he got one for that. That was how important it was. We had no money to go to the game or have TV.” Abreu had a straightforward message for all the free world to hear. “All I want you to know is the people in Cuba are human beings,” Abreu said. “They do the best they can to help show baseball is alive. All I want people to understand is that the are human beings.” Abreu has hit at least 30 homers and topped the 100-RBI mark in each of his first two big league seasons. “I am very grateful to be in the U.S and playing baseball here,” he said. “I was able to go there in December and see people, including my son. I hope I can go back again, see the people and be reunited with my family again.”

Baffoe: Let’s not forget the biggest culprit in the LaRoche-White Sox fiasco Tim Baffoe / CBS Chicago | March 22nd, 2016 (CBS) Blame, blame everywhere, and nor any drop to think. When “The Rime of the Ancient Ballplayer” is told months or years from now of the Adam LaRoche vs. the White Sox front office vs. other White Sox players silliness, hopefully for Sox fans’ and my sanity it will be coupled with laughter rather than solemn warning. That LaRoche needlessly shot this arrow into the sky and caused a distraction to an otherwise interesting team headed into the 2016 season is one of the more maddening sports stories I can recall. And I desperately want the Sox to get out of the gate winning so that this stupidity doesn’t become the narrative albatross around the team’s neck to their detriment and that of the vein near my temple.

Unless something odd is added to the story, I promise I’m putting it to bed. After I write this. I swear. Still, we’re not quite past blame mode after LaRoche retired following a request that his 14-year-old son, Drake, reduce his time in the clubhouse. There needs to be a target to direct our frustrations at a negative baseball story that has nothing to do with actual baseball. There’s LaRoche, obviously. Executive vice president Kenny Williams entered the scenario liked by few Sox fans to begin with, so despite actually being the rational one in this, he’s easily vilified. Multiple White Sox players sound excessively dumbasstic. General manager Rick Hahn probably gave a wink-and-handshake agreement to LaRoche when the Sox got him. Manager Robin Ventura is typically unemotional and has said nothing inspiring about it all. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf threatened to turn this damn car around if everyone didn’t shut the hell up back there (and he’s cheap, remember — always go with the “Reinsdorf is cheap” easy fallacy). All of those names arguably deserve some blame. But I’ve been bothered during “As The Drake Turns” with the problematics of another culprit. “Perhaps no people on Earth remain more genuinely isolated … The fact that their language is so different … suggests that they have had little contact with other people …” That’s a description of the Sentinelese tribe, considered perhaps the most remote in the world. It could just as easily describe Major League Baseball players, particularly white American ones, who seem to be one of the most insulated and willfully ignorant American tribes. At the start of the 2015 season, 58.8 percent of MLB players on 25-man rosters were white, while 8.3 percent were African-American, 28.8 percent were Latino and 1.8 percent were Asian. As with any majority, so the unwritten rules. One need only look to attitudes toward showmanship — or what out-of-touch white people call “disgraces to the game.” Wrote Greg Couch last year for Vice: Baseball is stuck in the culture of 1940s white America, if not earlier, playing in faux-antique stadiums with organ music at a very . . . slow . . . pace that apparently felt relaxing in the olden days, but now creates the antsy need to constantly check emails, texts, and tweets. The targets of criticism for “inappropriate” pleasure taken in a game are usually players of color (Bryce Harper a notable recent exception), and the critics are almost always white guys (Goose Gossage being the uber-fart of the windmill-tilting). The young and not-obtuse fans of the game tend to enjoy bat flips and exaggerated home runs trots and pitchers fist-pumping and cap-tilting. Speaking of the young, another unwritten rule that affected the White Sox of late was kids in the workplace, which in moderation is totally fine. But some deemed it excessive on Adam LaRoche’s part, with his son getting a locker, participating in field drills, etc. Inflicting your kid on others’ work spaces without their explicit consent (or even putting them in the uncomfortable position of having to dissent) is unfair, and no rational person would argue otherwise. But we’re talking about baseball players here, a majority privileged group of white guys who set the standards of decorum despite having lived most of their lives and all of the professional part in a bubble, often intentionally. MLB players for the most part don’t know the real world, and so when a real-world issue like expressing joy in one’s work or kids at your office or anything Curt Schilling is in favor of is presented, they’re often pretty tone-deaf, if not asinine. Only someone like Adam Eaton could champion a 14-year-old as a team leader, completely unaware of how that will be taken by real people (a la his Oscars comments).

Only a bunch of wealthy, world-ignorant white guys could cause this White Sox fiasco. Only the likes of Chris Sale could make a teammate ditching $13 million for not being able to do what almost nobody in the real world gets to do with their kids into a civil rights issue. Meanwhile, the players of color on the Sox have been largely diplomatic while likely rolling their eyes off the record as this foolishness, especially considering what Matt Snyder of CBS Sports notes: Yes, Jose Abreu hadn’t seen his son in three years. That’s an extreme example, sure, so let’s check in on Alexei Ramirez — who has five kids — from last season’s story in the Chicago Tribune: “It’s very difficult because I am missing the time when they are growing up,” Ramirez said through an interpreter. “But I always try to talk with them every day, and I try to explain to them that what we’re doing is for them, and for their future. Some of the older ones understand the situation, but it’s difficult for me because I am here alone and for them because they aren’t with me.” And there are players kicking and screaming that LaRoche might have had to take a few hours’ break? Good lord, guys. Perspective. Please. Only Ryan Zimmerman could say of his former Washington Nationals teammate who pulled the same thing there, “It makes all of us who don’t have kids that age yet kind of jealous. That’s kind of the ultimate dream: to have your son in the clubhouse with you, let him interact.” No. No, no, no, no, no. I don’t want my kid in a professional sports locker room for an extended time. Holy hell, no. And only someone as rich and backward thinking as LaRoche could not only make his son into a permanent paragraph to his Wikipedia page with a social safety net to ensure that money can cover up any complexes the kid develops from this, but also make a martyr of LaRoche himself for being arguably a bad father. “We’re not big on school,” LaRoche told the Washington Post three years ago. “I told my wife, ‘He’s going to learn a lot more useful information in the clubhouse than he will in the classroom, as far as life lessons.’” That’s tragic. And it’s insulting to professional educators like me when a non-professional deems himself the best decision-maker on how to make his kid learn good, as it is every time some boob walks up to a player on the street and tells him what to do with his swing. On his show Friday, 670 The Score host Laurence Holmes asked former MLB player Dirk Hayhurst about how to get players to understand how people in the real world perceive crap like this. “The only way that’ll happen is when they become a part of the regular world,” said Hayhurst, indicating it’s impossible while playing pro baseball. “There’s a willful decision by players to be ignorant of what happens outside of the game.” This is self-perpetuating. LaRoche and his defenders are fostering the see-no-reality, hear-no-reality, speak-no-reality mentality of a baseball clubhouse, because it’s all they know. And in the process, they’ve helped create another sad specimen of ignorance and privilege because they genuinely don’t know any better. So you can hate the players for this, but be sure to hate the fairly impenetrable force field of unreality that protects a locker room from the scary real world, too.

Checking in on Mat Latos and Jake Peavy: Trying to find their stuff David Schoenfield / ESPN | March 22nd, 2016 GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Tuesday's game between the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox was an interesting matchup between two veterans who dealt with injury issues in 2015, with one of them making his official spring debut. Let's take a look each: The pitcher: Mat Latos, White Sox The background: Latos battled elbow and knee injuries that limited him to 37 starts over the past two seasons. He posted a 4.95 ERA in 2015, his first season with an ERA above 3.50 since his 10-start rookie season in 2009. He didn’t sign with the White Sox until early February, inking a one-year, $3 million deal. Why they need him: The rotation is strong at the front with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, and second-year lefty Carlos Rodon is a potential breakout performer. But No. 4 starter John Danks is 22-40 with a 4.73 ERA over the past three seasons, and there’s not much depth after him. Getting 30 starts from Latos would be huge. What happened: Latos had pitched in a couple minor league games, but he was making his spring debut on the big field on Tuesday. He was solid through four innings -- giving up a couple of runs thanks largely to a couple of perfectly executed hit-and-run plays by the Giants -- then he fell apart in the fifth inning as the Giants scored five runs, including a long home run by Brandon Belt over the right-field bullpen and onto the walkway at Camelback Ranch. Miguel Olivo later added a two-run homer to left. "To be honest, they got a couple cheap hits there," Latos said. But then added, "I backed away from what we were trying to accomplish and let it get to me and everything imploded." Latos said he’s healthy and that his knee, which bothered him in 2015 after offseason surgery, is fine. As a veteran, he knows he can't let some bloopers and bleeders affect his performance. "That might have been me in the past," he said. "Everyone has hiccups now and then, but that’s not me. I can’t get aggravated out there. It was embarrassing." Latos said part of the game plan was to throw his fastball low and away and to miss low and away if he missed. In the fifth, he started missing with his fastball and a hung a slider to Belt. He said letting the hits get to him "was selfish on my part. I have to wear that." The analysis: It sounds like a more mature Latos -- or at least a guy who wants to react with a little maturity. He quickly couched his “a couple cheap hits” excuse by admitting he let the game get away from him. The bigger issue is whether he can return to being the solid No. 2-caliber starter he was from 2010 to 2013, when he posted a 3.25 ERA for the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds while averaging 200 innings per season. When you dig into his peripheral stats from 2015, they weren’t as bad as a 4.95 ERA would indicate: His strikeout, walk and ground ball rates were right in line with his career norms. The one outlier was the percentage of home runs he allowed on fly balls, which is a number that can randomly fluctuate for many pitchers in any given year. Of course, Latos has to pitch half his games in The Cell, one of the top home run parks in the majors. Given it was his first start against major leaguers -- although the Giants only had three of their projected regulars in the lineup -- you don’t want to read too much into this outing. It’s almost as important to remember that other than a couple of relief outings for the Los Angeles Angels, he has spent his entire career in the DH-less National League. He also has one of the most respected pitching coaches in the game on his side in Don Cooper -- "He challenges me on a day-to-day basis," Latos said -- and maybe that will help Latos maximize whatever he has left in his right arm. As you might expect, it likely comes

down to his health. He’s a wild card at this point, but the White Sox will be happy if they can get 25 solid starts out of him. The Giants are hoping that a healthy Jake Peavy can stabilize the back of their rotation. Norm Hall/Getty Images The pitcher: Jake Peavy, Giants The background: The veteran right-hander is entering his 15th season in the big leagues and coming off a season in which he made 19 starts for the Giants and posted a 3.58 ERA. The perception is that he’s always hurt -- he missed most of the first three months in 2015 with a back problem -- but he did make more than 30 starts in 2012 and 2014. Why they need him: The signings of Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija mean there’s less pressure on Peavy to be a big innings eater, but the Giants are hoping for a little more stability in a rotation that churned through eight primary starters last season. That rotation wasn’t very effective: While it ranked seventh in the NL with a 3.95 RA, you have to factor in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park, which was ranked 25th in FanGraphs WAR. A nice 25 starts from Peavy will go a long way toward the Giants winning the NL West. What happened: Peavy entered having given up 27 hits and four home runs in just 12⅔ innings. The ball rockets out of these Arizona spring training parks, but still ... that’s a lot of hits. Peavy walked Adam Eaton, Jimmy Rollins lined a single to right and Jose Abreu drilled a double over left fielder Mac Williamson's head. That led to two runs, then Austin Jackson homered in the second on a 2-0 pitch. It was a bit of a wind-aided blast, but that doesn’t cover up that Peavy fell behind in the count. He did settle down after that, finishing with eight strikeouts in 4⅔ innings against a White Sox lineup that looked like their Opening Day lineup minus Brett Lawrie. Peavy told Giants beat reporters after the game that he was happy with his eight strikeouts, particularly that his final two outs were strikeouts of Eaton and Abreu when facing them for a third time. "That's stuff that we've been working on, and it's encouraging," he said. "Making better pitches, concentration level and trying to get strong enough to hold your stuff throughout." The analysis: It’s been a rough spring for Giants, even with factoring in their veteran players. Peavy has a history of not pitching well in the spring, including a 9.65 ERA last season. Still, when you’re turning 35 in May and have 14 seasons of mileage in your tank, it’s a cause for concern. Samardzija, who struggled last spring for the White Sox and never did figure things out, has an 8.53 ERA and five home runs allowed in 18 innings. Cueto has pitched just twice in "A" games and allowed nine hits and eight runs in 4⅔ innings. Madison Bumgarner has given up 13 hits and nine runs in 7⅔ innings (although he at least has a 9-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio). It doesn’t mean anything yet, but the Giants would certainly like to start seeing better results from their rotation before the real games begin.

2016 MLB season preview: Chicago White Sox Cliff Corcoran / Sports Illustrated | March 22nd, 2016 2015 Record and Finish: 76–86 (.469), fourth place in American League Central (21st overall) 2016 Projected Record and Finish: 77–85 (.475), fourth place in AL Central The Case For

The White Sox have been aggressive the last two off-seasons, clearly laboring under the illusion that they were just a few key players away from a return to contention. I haven’t shared that optimism, but I understand its source. They do indeed possess a trio of elite players in key roles—Chris Sale as The Ace, Jose Abreu as The Bat, David Robertson as The Closer—and have some valuable complementary pieces in centerfielder Adam Eaton and No. 2 starter Jose Quintana. I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about Chicago’s addition of righthander Jeff Samardzija (since departed as a free agent), outfielder Melky Cabrera and Robertson (whom I saw as lipstick on a pig) last winter. But this off-season’s new additions—third baseman Todd Frazier and second baseman Brett Lawrie—represent more essential and significant upgrades (as detailed below). With those two in place, you can follow the train of logic that might lead the White Sox to believe they can contend this season. If Cabrera, who hit .309/.351/.458 (125 OPS+) from 2011 to '14, can bounce back from his lousy South Side debut, that should boost the offense. Avisail Garcia taking that long-awaited big step forward in his age-25 season would help even more. Chicago's new catching tandem of Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro must make up with its bats what it will take away with its gloves. Adam LaRoche’s surprise retirement, meanwhile, could prove to be a blessing in disguise if it allows the White Sox to upgrade their outfield defense by using Austin Jackson with regularity in the corners. Learn About a Psoriatic Arthritis Treatment In the rotation and bullpen, more optimism is required. Carlos Rodon must fix his control problems and pitch like the front-of-the rotation horse his draft position in 2014 (No. 3 overall) suggests he should be. Chicago also needs to hope that Erik Johnson really did fix his mechanics; that John Danks or Mat Latos can turn back the clock; that righty setup man Nate Jones can stay healthy; and that the rest of the bullpen can pitch more like they did in 2014 than in '15. If all of that happens, everyone stays healthy, and the other teams in the division match the White Sox’s stunning good fortune with an equal measure of misfortune, then yes, Chicago could be a surprise playoff team this year. But what are the chances of so much going right for one team in a single season? The Case Against If none of those “ifs” is answered affirmatively and at least one key player (Sale, Abreu, or Frazier) suffers a major injury, the White Sox will likely remain stuck at the bottom of the division. X-Factor: The catchers The White Sox overhauled their catching situation this off-season, non-tendering Tyler Flowers, allowing Geovany Soto to depart as a free agent and signing Navarro and Avila to take their places. The hope is that they will get more production at the plate from their new tandem, but I think they should have paid more attention to the performances they were likely to get behind the dish. Flowers was the best pitch framer in the AL last year according to Baseball Prospectus’ numbers, saving 16.7 runs with his framing alone—a contribution worth nearly two full wins—and Soto was close to average at -0.6 framing runs. Navarro and Avila, however, were a combined 12.1 framing runs below average in 1,463 fewer chances than Flowers had on his own. That’s more than a three-win swing in the wrong direction, and that doesn’t factor in the injury risk associated with Avila, who has a history of concussions (including three in the 2013 and ’14 seasons combined) and arguably shouldn’t be catching any more for his own good. As for their hitting: Over the last two years, Navarro and Avila combined to hit .240/.323/.365, and Flowers, who is a year older than Avila but two years younger than Navarro, hit .240/.296/.378. It’s difficult to see how making an unnecessary change in personnel behind the plate won’t undermine the team’s attempts to improve elsewhere, not least of all when it comes to Rodon’s attempts to find the strike zone more often. Number To Know: .222/.276/.326

That’s the combined line for Chicago’s second and third basemen in 2015. Over 162 games, every player the White Sox ran out at those two positions combined for 371 total bases last year. Meanwhile, in 157 games last year, Frazier collected 308 total bases on his own. He and Lawrie combined to hit .257/.304/.455 last year, and a simple average of their career lines produces a .260/.319/.442 line. On their own, those Frazier/Lawrie lines may not look terrible impressive, but compared to what the White Sox got at second and third base last year, they represent a massive upgrade at two spots in the lineup. Scout’s Takes Most Overrated: Carlos Rodon, SP "This guy made some nice strides last year and has some big upside. But let's calm down anointing him as a future No. 1. Let's see him do it first. He had so much fanfare around him in college, was going to be the top overall pick out of college, but he struggled his junior year for one reason or another. In college, we were concerned there was a problem with his back—he’s not an overly athletic guy, his delivery is not strong and loose, and I still have concerns that he just can't have great command with it. No doubt, his pure stuff is so good that he can get away with it at times—but not at this level. He needs to make more adjustments to reach that upper echelon people think he'll get to. I have my doubts." Most Underrated: Jose Quintana, SP "This guy is Mr. Underrated. And he is Exhibit A why wins don’t tell the whole story—he hasn’t won more than 10 games but has three straight 200-inning seasons with an ERA that’s around 3.40. I’ll take that any day. He gets lost in the shuffle behind Chris Sale and now Rodon, too. His fastball doesn't exactly capture your imagination. And he's not going to be on billboards in your city. But he is a No. 2 on most teams. He's done this at one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in the majors. He's signed to one of the better contracts out there, too."