After rediscovering love for baseball, Speas vying for roster spot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Alex Speas wouldn’t exactly rate as a household name among the plethora of White Sox bullpen candidates.

Then again, neither was Gregory Santos at this time in Spring Training ‘23.

“He turned into one of the best relievers in baseball and we ended up getting two guys for him this year,” said White Sox manager Pedro Grifol of Santos, who was traded to Seattle for right-handed hurler Prelander Berroa and outfielder Zach DeLoach in February. “So, there’s no reason why we can’t have another.”

Speas is an infinitely interesting story, from his mound repertoire to the story of how he left baseball, returned to baseball and eventually joined the White Sox. The 26-year-old was selected by the Rangers in the second round of the 2016 Draft and dealt with Tommy John surgery, a broken right femur and the COVID-19 pandemic basically costing him the 2019-20 seasons.

Major struggles came with his work in 2021, as Speas posted an 11.15 ERA over 15 games between two Minor League stops. The game wasn’t fun for the hard-throwing right-hander, and he wanted to be around his daughter, Haven, who was born on Dec. 21, 2019. So, Speas stepped away from the game for the ‘22 campaign.

“You have to enjoy being on the field and I was struggling so bad, I didn’t enjoy being out there,” Speas said. “It was just a tough year. … My outings weren’t long. The consistency wasn’t there. So it just took the time for me to go into a moment of break and spent a lot of time with my daughter and being at home and started coaching. It helped me rekindle that love for baseball.”

That coaching began with travel ball for ages 9-15 and eventually moved to Combine Academy in North Carolina. Being around that youthful love of baseball again, throwing batting practice and reuniting with the little fun aspects of the game brought Speas closer to getting back.

By the start of February ‘23, Speas was throwing for the Rangers and returning shortly thereafter. He struck out 85 over 56 2/3 innings between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, before making his Rangers’ debut on July 19 with three strikeouts over 1 2/3 perfect innings against the Rays.

Marcus Semien took Speas under his wing and showed Speas the ropes when he reached the Majors for the first time. Veterans such as Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy helped Speas prepare at Round Rock for when his chance finally arrived.

“Going home was just like, ‘OK, I miss my daughter. I want to be around her more. I want to see her grow up,’” Speas said. “But understanding the opportunity I had in front of me to play continuously was like, ‘I’m going to get the time to see her grow up and be a dad, but to take care of her, the passion I have for this game, this is what’s going to help me take care of her forever.’”

“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” Grifol said. “The little step away [to] reflect on how much you love this thing and how much you miss it and learn and come back. You are probably at peace and enjoying this thing and that’s when you are at your best.”

The White Sox claimed Speas off waivers on Oct. 3, 2023, after he was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Sept. 30. Grifol likes what he has seen from Speas’ cutter, which sits around 94-97 mph and a fastball with the ability to top 100 mph.

Working with the White Sox has led Speas to focus on the best pitches he has to offer and the ones keeping him in the zone the most. That approach has led to some good outings in Spring Training, although Speas’ control eluded him Sunday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium in the White Sox 5-4 loss to the Giants, with three walks during a two-run fourth inning.

“Velocity is a lot more consistent and preserved,” Speas said. “It’s still upper 90s, pretty good. Still can run it up there to 100 when I need to but just showing myself I don’t have to use that every time.”

As the No. 28 White Sox prospect, Speas will take part in Friday’s Spring Breakout contest against the Cubs. His 4-year-old daughter will be rooting him on, as will the players he coached. They could be following him as part of the ‘24 White Sox big league roster.

“Whatever I can do to help the team win,” Speas said. “Just be here and compete every single day and be a great teammate and meshing with the guys. Just being able to give what I can give day in and day out.”