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The battle to start in center field for the Chicago White Sox is one of the biggest competitions in MLB
Feb 10, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable (1) watches from the bullpen during spring training camp at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The Athletic’s Eno Sarris wrote an article highlighting some of the more intriguing MLB position battles in Spring Training. One of the position battles he mentioned was center field for the White Sox. The candidates for the position are Everson Pereira, Luisangel Acuna, and Brooks Baldwin. Below is what Sarris wrote regarding the battle:
“None of the main candidates for center field in Chicago have really played all that much center field. Luisangel Acuña came over in the Luis Robert Jr. trade and is neither a switch-hitter nor even an outfielder by trade. Brooks Baldwin played nearly twice as much corner as center last year. Ditto for Everson Pereira last year in the minors. They all have the speed to handle it, so their defensive looks in spring might decide who gets the bulk of the reps out there during the regular season.
“Fantasy managers should hope Baldwin wins this battle. He might still be below-average at the plate like projections say, but he could hit .240 with double-digit homers and steals and down here at the bottom of a piece like this, that might be interesting.”
The Luis Robert Jr trade opened up this battle, but it appears to be an open battle. It is interesting to see as center field is a difficult position to play, and none of the three candidates have played much center field at the big-league level. All three men are expected to be massive hitters in the White Sox lineup, so it appears that whoever can man the position the best will head into the 2026 regular season with the starting job. With three weeks remaining of Spring Training, it will be intriguing to see if any of these players (or a possible trade before the season starts) will win the battle.
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