The Chicago White Sox got solid production from their top starting pitchers in 2025.

Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and Sean Burke all showed their potential on the mound throughout this past season. Those three pitchers figure to be a large part of Chicago’s future moving forward.

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Smith was the highlight of the bunch after the White Sox selected him with the first overall pick in the 2024 Rule Draft 5. The 25-year-old then went on to exceed all expectations in his first season in the Major Leagues.

He finished with a 3.81 ERA and 145 strikeouts across 146 â…“ innings pitched last year. Smith also made his first All-Star appearance of his career and finished 10th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Although the Wake Forest product struggled a bit in the final three months of the season with a 4.27 ERA, Smith has the talent to be a really good pitcher in the league. His expected batting average against (.234), barrel rate (6.7%), and whiff rate (27.7%) all ranked pretty well in his rookie season.

The White Sox are now hoping he could be a more consistent pitcher on the mound in Year 2. He will likely be the favorite to start on Opening Day for the White Sox and is deserving of that honor following a solid campaign.

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Martin and Burke also showed some nice things throughout the 2025 season. While their numbers weren’t as good as Smith’s numbers last year, the talent is definitely there for both of them.

In Martin’s first full season in the Majors, he finished with a 4.10 ERA and 104 strikeouts across 142 ⅔ innings pitched. His 1.290 WHIP needs to come down if he wants to have more success on the mound, but he showed up in plenty of games last year.

He delivered a quality start in 10 of his 25 starts, which included throwing six shutout innings with four strikeouts against the Kansas City Royals on August 17. Those types of starts could become the norm for Martin, assuming he continues to grow and develop as a pitcher.

Then, there’s Burke, who had plenty of highs and lows on the mound in 2025. He had a 4.22 ERA across 28 appearances (22 starts) for the White Sox and showed some strikeout upside in the final few months of the season.

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The 25-year-old struck out at least seven batters in four of his final eight starts. His highest strikeout total actually came in the last game of the year when he punched out a career-high 10 batters across 4 â…“ innings pitched against the Washington Nationals.

It is encouraging that the White Sox have three young pitchers who showed promise on the mound in 2025. The key for all three of them entering 2026 is to continue improving.