Chicago White Sox Name Jose Quintana Opening Day Starter

The Chicago White Sox officially named Jose Quintana their 2017 Opening Day Starter.

It should come as no surprise that the Chicago White Sox settled on Jose Quintana as their 2017 Opening Day starter against the Detroit Tigers on April 3. After a blockbuster trade that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox this summer, Quintana instantly became Chicago’s top starting pitcher. The only other realistic option for the Sox was Carlos Rodon, but he’s expected to start the season on the DL because of bicep tightness.

Quintana, who is coming off his first All-Star appearance in 2016, is entering his sixth season with the White Sox. Last season, he started 32 games and threw a career-high 208 innings — fourth straight season with at least 200 innings pitched. Quintana went 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and also struck out a career-best 181 batters. That was good enough for him to finish 10th in AL Cy Young voting, as well.

If last season wasn’t enough evidence for new White Sox manager Rick Renteria, then his pitching in the World Baseball Classic for Colombia and small sample of Spring Training added to his already strong case.

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In the World Baseball Classic, Quintana began his lone start by no-hitting Team USA through 5 2/3 innings. He followed that up by doing the same against the Cincinnati Reds in his return Spring Training start.

Despite Quintana being the unquestioned best starter on Chicago’s staff, this news does hint that the White Sox will likely hold onto him for now instead of trading him before the start of the season. While it’s no secret that Chicago will still look to trade Quintana for more prospects in the near future, it’s unlikely they are close to a deal right now.

Many believe that Quintana’s stock will never be higher than now, though. He’s under team control through 2020, is coming off a dominating performance against an All-Star lineup in the World Baseball Classic, and is still only 28-years-old. Although, for now at least, he will be the face of the White Sox’ starting rotation.

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He is the fourth Opening Day pitcher for the Sox since Mark Buehrle‘s run of eight in nine years ended in 2012. John Danks, Sale, and Jeff Samardrzija have also started Opening Day for the Sox since then, and it’s very possible that a new name could surface to start the season in 2018.