Spring training pressure rises as Jonathan Cannon enters camp with his future on the line

Spring Training is supposed to be about fresh starts and clean scorecards, but for Jonathan Cannon, it feels far more like a final exam. As the Chicago White Sox opened camp at Camelback Ranch on February 10, the right-handed pitcher arrived knowing that every bullpen session, radar-gun reading, and Grapefruit League inning could decide his immediate future in the White Sox organization. With rotation spots getting fewer and the competition piling up, Cannon is no longer just another arm in the camp; he is a pitcher fighting to stay on the roster.

Jonathan Cannon fights for his place in crowded rotation

Cannon's margin of error has shrunk after a very turbulent 2025 campaign. A brutal midsummer run, including 22 earned runs, seven home runs, and 14 walks in seven games between July and August, sent him back to Triple-A, according to Hannah Filippo's Feb. 10 report. However, the reset did little to steady him down.According to Baseball Savant’s public tracking data, Cannon closed last season with an ERA of 5.82, a WHIP of 1.49, and -0.6 WAR, numbers affected by a slight dip in velocity and ongoing control problems in his entire mix of pitches. Those red flags loom bigger in a camp crowded with alternatives. Davis Martin, Sean Burke, and Shane Smith are penciled into three rotation spots, while Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe are good candidates for the remaining openings, leaving Cannon fighting the upstart of Anthony Kay for a swing-man role.

Now, Chicago's evaluators will be expected to rely heavily on measurable trends this spring, including fastball velocity, strike percentage, and chase rates, all of which can be found through Baseball Savant. For Cannon, there is disproportionate weight being placed on early outings.

Munetaka Murakami hype and Acuna's push raise interest

Cannon is not the only plot in Glendale. Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, the White Sox's star offseason signing, reports to camp for the first time in MLB with eyes on him across the Pacific. Murakami batted .285 during his last three seasons in NPB, while the league-wide velocity in Japan remains below the MLB average of 94.2 - 94.4 mph, as highlighted by analyst Eric Longenhagen's prospect analysis. Moreover, Luisangel Acuna has quietly turned some heads after a breakout Venezuelan Winter League showing, with 40 hits, eight home runs, and 26 walks in 39 games. With his 60-grade speed and outfield play experience, he is pushing Brooks Baldwin for center field reps.

For the White Sox, the next few weeks could make or break the former rotation hopeful - or spring could be the moment that the depth chart finally passes by him.


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