Pitching coach Ethan Katz bullish on White Sox rotation

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jonathan Cannon approved of the pick. Davis Martin did, too.

The runners-ups in the White Sox Opening Day starter derby won by long shot Sean Burke, the rookie with four major league games to his name, said they were all about it.

“Obviously, he deserves it,” Cannon said of the rookie. “He’s a great pitcher, and I’m looking forward to watching him on Opening Day. Super happy for him.”

Added Martin, who hasn’t allowed a run all spring: “Dude, I’m pumped. Talk about a guy who comes in and does the right things every day to be able to compete every five days. I could not be happier for Sean.”

Pitching coach Ethan Katz reiterated Monday that Burke, who had a 39% strikeout rate against right-handed hitters in his four-game introduction to the majors in September, is a good matchup for March 27 against the Angels and Mike Trout, Jose Soler and others — including, possibly, former Sox star Tim Anderson. Katz said he also likes Burke’s “enormous upside” and moxie.

“Sure, [the choice] surprised everybody because nobody was expecting that,” Katz said. “But he’s more than ready for the situation, and he’ll pass with flying colors.”

Katz and manager Will Venable declined to specify the order in which Cannon, Martin and Martin Perez would follow Burke or who the fifth starter is. Rule 5 draft pick Shane Smith and Bryse Wilson are possibilities, but three off days in the first 12 removes the need for five starters early on.

In any case, coming off the Sox’ record 121-loss season, Katz is bullish about his rotation — with valid reasons.

“We’re going to be really surprising to most people in the industry, how good they’re going to be,” he said. “I’m really excited about our rotation.”

Cannon gave up three runs, six hits and three walks against the Giants over 3 „ innings Monday, raising his total hits allowed to 22 and his ERA to 10.32 in 11„ spring innings. That took some of the shine off Katz’s statement, which was based as much on what Cannon did last season — a 4.49 ERA over 23 games, including 21 starts.

“Right now, [he’s] just trying to avoid thigh-high,” Katz said. “You’re either up or you’re down. The sweeper’s been really consistent right now. And we’re just trying to get the changeup dialed in, which he’s done a lot better with, and obviously the cutter’s been always good for him so far versus lefties. So [we’re] just trying to get his arsenal dialed in a little bit more from a movement standpoint, location standpoint.”

Cannon called his performance “pretty bad, honestly.”

“This whole spring training, [I’m] just kind of going through it a little bit,” he said. “I feel like the stuff is there — just the command has been a little bit off. Still getting the feel for some things.”

If Cannon was the favorite for Opening Day going into camp, he may have lost it because of his spring performance, even though Cactus League outings are long forgotten two weeks into the season. Had he been selected, he would have had a hard time justifying it to himself.

It was a reminder that Katz, bullish take notwithstanding, has his hands full.

“I’m really excited about what we have,” said Katz, who only a few years ago was overseeing pitching staffs built to win but now is in rebuild mode. “Is it different from the standpoint of we knew who our starters might be and a [having] more bullpen pieces? Sure. But we have a great group of guys that are hungry to learn, experiment, try some new things. And then going out there and applying it, it’s fun to see. They’ve been doing great, and they’ve been looking to kind of get better each day.”