The White Sox may be the opposite of a playoff team right now, but that hasn’t stopped several former players from making it to the biggest stage.
Between the Dodgers and Yankees, seven guys on the World Series rosters have South Side connections. Before the games begin, let’s take a look at which ex-members of the franchise will be competing for a ring.
Michael Kopech, Dodgers
Since joining the Dodgers in a three-team deadline deal, Kopech has gone 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA, 2.54 FIP, and 0.792 WHIP in 24 regular season appearances. Things finally started to click right as the White Sox traded away the 28-year-old, leading many to remember him for glimpses he showed of being a shutdown reliever. Kopech’s excellent strikeout and swing rates mixed with dismal walk and homer numbers yielded a slightly subpar 4.74 ERA and 1.351 WHIP in 43.2 innings on the South Side in 2024.
The former top prospect has not only looked dominant in Los Angeles but more importantly, rejuvenated with his passion for winning once again at the forefront.
“All I have wanted in my whole career is to win,” Kopech said, his long hair and beard drenched as champagne flew all around him in during the postgame clubhouse celebration last Thursday night. “I have had a chance to do that a couple of times but not in the way this team has done it, not with these type of guys, not with this type of talent, not with this type of (coaching) staff just supporting me from Day 1.”
This postseason, the flamethrower has come up big in several key moments. Perhaps, his most notable outing came in Game 5 of the NLDS, when he needed only nine pitches to retire the side. His 102 mph fastball capped off the impressive outing.
2024 Postseason (6 Games): 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 7 K, 1.13 WHIP
Daniel Hudson, Dodgers
Selected by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft, Hudson finds himself back in the World Series. The 37-year-old right-hander is seeking his second ring after winning a championship with the Nationals in 2019.
Hudson began the 2009 season in the White Sox system with Low-A Kannapolis and successfully skyrocketed through the minors to receive a September promotion. He was then called up again in 2010 to replace Jake Peavy, who was out for the season with a torn right latissimus dorsi muscle. The Old Dominion product only appeared in nine games between the two campaigns before getting dealt to Arizona, ending his Sox tenure with a 4.72 ERA.
Now in his second stint with the Dodgers, Hudson has turned in a solid 2024 after missing most of last year. He ended the regular season with a 6–2 record, 3.00 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and 10 saves in 63 innings. That success has carried over into the postseason, where he has been a key reliever despite dealing with a lower-body” issue in Game 2 of the NLCS.
2024 Postseason (5 Games): 0-0, 2.08 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 K, 1.15 WHIP
Brent Honeywell Jr., Dodgers
Honeywell Jr. is a name you might not remember, especially if you blinked during the 2023 season. The former Rays top prospect appeared in just four games for the White Sox, accumulating an 11.12 ERA after surrendering seven runs in 5.2 innings of work. He was outrighted to Triple-A and eventually elected free agency at the season’s end.
The Dodgers picked up him this past July after he was DFA’d by the Pirates. Though he spent some time on the IL and in Triple-A, Honeywell Jr. put up respectable enough numbers to earn himself a spot on the postseason roster. He has also been a solid clubhouse guy, recently helping teammates Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor get back on track by throwing extra batting practice in San Diego.
2024 Postseason (2 Games): 0-0, 4.70 ERA, 7.2 IP, 2 K, 1.30 WHIP
Joe Kelly, Dodgers (Not Rostered)
Because Kelly is a name that many will associate with Los Angeles, he earns a mention here despite being left off the Dodgers’ roster this entire postseason. Dave Roberts revealed ahead of the NLDS that the veteran was dealing with a right shoulder injury, one that’s plagued him throughout the 2024 season and contributed to the decision.
Though he had excellent stuff, Kelly battled similar injuries and ineffectiveness both years in Chicago, posting a 5.59 ERA in 66 innings. Almost impressively, his FIP sat at 3.14 when he was dealt, more than two full runs below his ERA. It was likely part of the reason the Dodgers acquired him back from the White Sox ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.
Though Los Angeles previously didn’t rule out Kelly’s return for the World Series, he will just be watching this one from the dugout.
2024 Postseason: N/A
Carlos Rodón, Yankees
Rodón, 31, signed a six-year, $162 million with the Yankees prior to the 2023 campaign. During his two seasons in the Bronx, the lefty has gone 19-17 with a 4.74 ERA and 1.283 WHIP. The two-time All-Star has looked sharp during the second half of this season, owning a 2.91 ERA with 83 strikeouts over 68 innings (12 starts).
During his White Sox tenure, Rodón showed flashes of the pitcher everyone knew he could be but wasn’t able to harness it consistently until the end. Countless injuries coupled with struggles when healthy summed up much of his career, as he made just 43 appearances with a 4.45 ERA from 2017-20.
Things eventually clicked and the lefty turned heads with his breakout 2021 campaign. He went 13-5 with a 2.37 ERA (35 ER/132.2 IP), 185 strikeouts, 36 walks, 2.65 FIP, and 0.957 WHIP. Impressive numbers aside, Rodón’s season was highlighted by his April 14th no-hitter against Cleveland, first-ever All-Star appearance in July, and a fifth-place finish in the Cy Young voting at the year’s end.
This postseason, Rodón has settled down after a rough first outing in which he surrendered four earned runs to the Royals in 3.2 innings. The Yankees are relying on the southpaw to be part of a one-two punch with Gerritt Cole, as Rodón is slated to start Game 2 of the World Series.
2024 Postseason (3 Games): 1-1, 4.40 ERA, 14.1 IP, 22 K, 1.12 WHIP
Tommy Kahnle, Yankees
Kahnle joined the White Sox via trade ahead of the 2016 season, where threw 27.1 innings with a 2.59 ERA. He continued that impressive run in 2017, before getting shipped off to the Bronx in exchange for top prospect Blake Rutherford. While the deal didn’t work out in the White Sox’s favor, Kahnle’s long-term potential came to fruition for the Yankees.
Selected by New York in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, Kahnle is now in his third stint with the organization. He’s proven to be dominant out of the bullpen since he re-signed with the team in 2023. In the past two regular seasons, the right-hander has a 2.38 ERA, 10.2 K/9, and 1.128 WHIP in 83.1 innings thrown.
This postseason in particular, Kahnle has logged six scoreless outings. New York will certainly be utilizing him as one of their primary relievers in high-leverage situations against his former team.
2024 Postseason (6 Games): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 6 K, 1.29 ERA, 1 SV
Tim Hill, Yankees
Hill, 34, has emerged as a weapon out of the Yankees bullpen.
After trading away Aaron Bummer this offseason, the White Sox brought in Hill on a one-year, $1.8M contract. He didn’t exactly end up being the left-handed replacement the South Siders were hoping for, however. In 27 appearances, the southpaw’s ERA ballooned to 5.87 despite having a 65.6% groundball rate, which was one of the best among relievers. The White Sox designated him for assignment in the second half of June, before the Yankees inked him to a deal a few days later.
Viewed mainly as a reclamation project and fill-in for injured relievers, Hill has turned himself into a major piece of New York’s bullpen. He held his ERA to just 2.05 since arriving in the Bronx and has gone on to lower it in October. Like other former White Sox relievers on this list, look for Hill to continue being an X-factor late in games.
2024 Postseason (7 Games): 0-0, 1.59 ERA, 5.2 IP, 2 K, 1.24 WHIP
Jake Cousins, Yankees
Cousins joins the above players in getting the last laugh. The right-hander didn’t make the White Sox roster after posting a 1.29 ERA in seven spring training appearances. He was subsequently traded to New York for cash considerations on March 31.
Like Hill, Cousins has become another piece of the Yankees bullpen puzzle. Despite being sidelined by two separate IL stints for over two months, he went on to post a 2.37 ERA, 34.2% strikeout rate, and 1.053 WHIP in 38 innings during the regular season.
Don’t let his postseason line fool you, Cousins has proven to be valuable as he can miss bats and limit hard contact. He most recently combined with the aforementioned Hill for eight outs in the Yankees’ ALCS clincher over the Guardians last week.
2024 Postseason (3 Games): 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 2.2 IP, 6 K, 1.88 WHIP
Some additional names left off the Yankees roster include reliever Ian Hamilton and outfielder Duke Ellis. The injury-riddled Hamilton departed Game 3 of the ALCS with a calf injury, which seems to not have improved enough for him to make his return. Ellis, on the other hand, was named to New York’s roster throughout the postseason, though never saw any game action. He figured to serve only as a pinch-runner or late-game defensive replacement had he been included again.
Full rosters for both teams can be viewed in the posts below.
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Featured Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
