With the White Sox heading to Spring Training this week, the club is not finished adding to the players in camp.
As announced by the team this morning, the White Sox have signed RHPs Corey Knebel and Dominic Leone to minor-league contracts. They mark the 67th and 68th players invited to major league camp.
Knebel, 32, is the more intriguing of the two names. A former lockdown closer with the Brewers, Knebel’s best season came in 2017, where he threw 76 innings with a 1.78 ERA, striking out an incredible 40.8% of batters. He recovered some of this glory again in 2021 with the Dodgers, posting a 2.45 ERA in just 25.2 innings.
However, injuries have become his undoing for most of his career. He didn’t pitch in 2023 after suffering a capsule tear in his shoulder with the Phillies in 2022. His past also includes Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2019 season and a lat strain that kept him to just those 25.2 innings with the Dodgers in 2021. With a strong fastball/curveball combination that saw his fastball still sit at 95.6 mph in 2022, he is a worthy gamble for a team in need of pitching.
Leone, 32, spent time in 2023 with the Mets, Angels, and Mariners, accumulating a total of 54 innings with a 4.67 ERA/6.29 FIP. He has struggled with home runs throughout his career and gave up 14 last season (21.2% HR/FB). He has been a journeyman throughout his career, spending time with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Guardians, and Giants before adding New York and Los Angeles to the list last season. He features a fastball, cutter, and slider mix with his slider serving as his strongest pitch.
With the White Sox trading Gregory Santos and Aaron Bummer this offseason, only John Brebbia and Tim Hill are considered locks for the White Sox bullpen. both Knebel and Leone will look to have solid springs that cement themselves into the mix, where there will be a lot of innings up for grabs for those who grasp the opportunity to take them.
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