Full Show — April 3, 2026
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What is discussed at the start of this section?
Hello and good morning. We broadcast live here from the south side. We're at Wings and Rings on Halstead before the home opener and there's free parking in the back. Shuttles to get you to and from the game. If you show proof of White Sox game day tickets, you can get a free side. So come by and say hi. Rahimi Harris and Grody are here until 2. We had to wait an extra day. The rain was pretty plentiful yesterday, but we are here again. and happy to join you. Layla Rahimi, Mark Grody, Marshall Harris, all here, and getting ready for, I think, a situation that you would have expected to see. A former White Sox starting pitcher, who they traded for, famously, thanks Cubs. Dylan Cease on the mound with his fresh seven-year contract for the Toronto Blue Jays facing probably the White Sox's biggest hope, at least on the current status of this pitching staff.
Now, that's not to say Schultz and Higginsmith can come up early, but... For now, Grant Taylor's the most exciting prospect pitching-wise the White Sox have who's up, and he's facing a guy who is a known commodity in Dylan Cease. In a perfect world through a White Sox lens, if you have Dylan Cease that you have to face in your home opener... you're glad to have a guy like Grant Taylor in the mound in a perfect world because that guy is your next big hope. He's your next version of Dylan Cease. But the problem is he's only starting because he's serving as an opener in this game. And that's not anything that instills courage that the White Sox have figured anything out at starting pitching. If you go look at the MLB stats...
For team pitching, the White Sox, as a team, their starting rotation has an ERA over eight. It is by far the worst in Major League Baseball. Desperate times calling for desperate measures. And this, this smells of desperation. I'd love to say, Grant Taylor's going out there, the White Sox. But if he's only going to throw, you know, 50, 60 pitches, he's just going out there to try to get through the lineup one time. We do know that per Scott Merkin, it is Grant Taylor opening followed by Sean Burke. That is the plan. And yeah, because Grant Taylor has only thrown two innings worth of pitches so far this season. There was speculation as to whether or not he would initially start in 2027. That timeline has been moved off.
I'm really happy that Grant Taylor is the opener today. I know it's symbolic of things already having to change because of the starting rotation, but there is nobody with the White Sox organization that should be surprised when you look at their starting rotation of Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Layla's guy, Eric Fetty, and God bless him, Anthony Kaye, Everybody knew. White Sox fans knew. Eventually, you're going to veer off of this path. And Layla already mentioned the guys that we're all obsessing over, those being Noah Schultz, Hagan Smith, and Tanner McNugle. They're not ready yet, but they're cooking right now. They are preheating right now at about 300 degrees right now in the oven.
They are getting to work. But, okay, I want to see Grant Taylor and his 98-mile-per-hour fastball. By the way, he'll touch a hundo. By the way, Dylan sees, and you're going to see some velocity out there at the old ballpark today.
Who is pitching for the White Sox and Blue Jays in the home opener?
Dylan sees so far this year, it's small sample size, five and a third, 12 strikeouts. He has averaged 98.7 miles per hour. Grant Taylor has made two appearances. averaging 98.7 miles per hour. So you're going to be seeing some heat out there from both of these guys, which could be entertaining and potentially very low scoring. The reason why this is so problematic and such a just hit your head against the wall, the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, it comes, guys, in a weekend, which we're going to see today. Connor Griffin, the most highly touted prospect in all of baseball, make his first start for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then he's going to get paid immediately thereafter.
They have to wait until he makes a start so he can get the incentives to get the extra draft compensation.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is discussed at the start of this section?
0:01–3:29
2
Who is pitching for the White Sox and Blue Jays in the home opener?
3:29–8:14
3
What are the current challenges for the White Sox pitching staff?
8:14–11:03
4
How do recent trades impact the White Sox's future?
11:03–1:20:04
5
What are the implications of the Bears' stadium situation?
1:20:04–1:20:27
6
How does Mark Burley's legacy impact the White Sox?
1:20:27–1:21:33
7
What are the expectations for the Cubs this season?
1:21:33–1:22:50
8
Who are the standout draft prospects for the Bears?
1:22:50–2:33:04
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Rahimi & Grote Show
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