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South Side Redemption Rotation: Introducing the 2025 White Sox Starting Five

CHICAGO – PJ Bishop promised a staff that would “hit the ball hard and lead the league in stolen bases” on offense, but the first real stamp of his regime shows up on the other side of the ball: a young, upside-heavy Opening Day rotation with one crafty veteran dropped right in the middle.

OOTP ratings say this isn’t an ace-laden group yet, but it absolutely fits Bishop’s rebuild mantra: develop your own arms, live with some growing pains, and give the rotation a ceiling higher than 100 losses.

Here’s how the 2025 Chicago White Sox will line up on the mound.

No. 1 – Shane Smith, RHP, 24

The Opening Day ball goes to Shane Smith, the one arm in the organization who already looks the part of a future No. 1.

Smith brings 96–98 mph heat, a full five-pitch mix (fastball/changeup/curve/slider/sinker), and balanced 50-grade stuff, movement, and control across the board. There’s no glaring platoon split, and his 55 stamina means Bishop can actually let his “ace” work deep into games instead of living in the bullpen by the fifth.

On a staff full of question marks, Smith is the clearest answer: if the White Sox are going to escape the AL Central basement, it probably starts with him taking a jump from “solid 50” to “legit 55+ frontline arm.”

No. 2 – Mike Vasil, RHP, 24

Behind Smith is Mike Vasil, another 24-year-old righty who profiles as a classic strike-throwing, mid-rotation stabilizer.

Vasil sits 94–96, also with five pitches, and pairs average-ish stuff with above-average control. He doesn’t have Smith’s raw nastiness, but he looks like the kind of arm who can quietly throw 170–180 league-average innings if things click – which, in this stage of the rebuild, is gold.

In OOTP terms, he’s a 45/45 guy who can punch above his weight when the defense holds up and the park cooperates. For Bishop, he’s the perfect early test of his “use every tool available” philosophy: smart pitch-calling and modern positioning could squeeze real value out of Vasil.

No. 3 – Martin Pérez, LHP, 33

In the middle of the youth movement sits Martin Pérez, the lone veteran in the group and the only lefty.

Pérez isn’t here to blow anyone away. He’s a crafty, ground-ball–leaning lefty with excellent movement, a deep arsenal, and a long track record of simply surviving big-league lineups. His stuff grades out lower than the kids, but his movement spikes vs. left-handed hitters, giving Bishop a tactical weapon against the division’s lefty-heavy clubs.

He’s also the de facto rotation dad: on a staff where everyone else is 24 or 28, Pérez’s value in mentoring Smith, Vasil, and Cannon might be just as important as the 150-ish innings he can provide.

No. 4 – Davis Martin, RHP, 28

Fourth up is Davis Martin, a 28-year-old righty who looks like the prototype back-end innings eater with just enough weapons.

Martin lives in the 92–94 range with a fastball/change/curve/slider/sinker combo. The ratings say “solid across the board, great at nothing,” but that’s exactly the sort of arm a rebuilding team needs – someone who can turn the lineup over a couple times, keep the ball in the yard, and give the bullpen a breather.

If Bishop’s defense and run support improve year over year, Martin is the type who can swing from replacement-level to quietly valuable without his actual talent changing much. He’s a nice test case for whether the “ramen vs. steak” budget comment applies to infrastructure too.

No. 5 – Jonathan Cannon, RHP, 24

The most interesting choice might be in the fifth spot, where Bishop hands the ball to Jonathan Cannon.

On paper, Cannon has the weakest present-day rating in the rotation, but he owns one of the best potential grades on the staff (55). He throws 94–96, features multiple playable pitches, and projects to 50-grade stuff/movement/control once he matures.

In other words: he’s not ready-made, but he’s the kind of arm you want taking regular turns in a 121-loss recovery season. Every start is both development and evaluation; every rough outing is information.

Slotting Cannon fifth instead of stashing him in Triple-A sends a clear signal about Bishop’s priorities:

The White Sox are willing to live with growing pains at the big-league level.

Potential isn’t just a number in the scouting report – it’s going to be tested on the mound, every fifth day.

The Shape of the Staff

Bishop sets this crew in a strict 5-man rotation, with no starters allowed in relief. That’s a conscious choice: this season is about clearly defined roles, innings, and development curves rather than desperate patch jobs.

You can see the blueprint:

Top of the rotation: Smith as the budding frontline guy.

Middle: Vasil and Pérez stabilizing things with pitchability and veteran savvy.

Back: Martin and Cannon as the developmental laboratory – one in his late 20s trying to solidify a career, one in his mid-20s trying to grow into his potential.

It’s not an Opening Day rotation built to scare October lineups yet. But it is coherent: five legitimate starters, all with multiple pitches, most throwing mid-90s, and two arms (Smith and Cannon) who could still grow into something much more.

For a franchise digging out from 121 losses, that’s a start.

And if PJ Bishop’s words hold – that the White Sox will be about “doing things the right way and bringing respect back to the South Side” – this rotation is the first tangible step: not flashy, not finished, but finally pointed in the right direction, one turn through the order at a time.