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Doug Padilla recaps the White Sox and looks at what changes might be in store for 2014.

A group that played defense as well as anybody in 2012 was nowhere near that good just one year later. Kevin Youkilis came to the White Sox during the 2012 season and settled the left side of the infield. This year, Jeff Keppinger was unable to take control of the third-base spot, while Conor Gillaspie showed flashes of solid defense early but wasn't able to maintain it. On the right side, Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko both spent lengthy stays on the disabled list with injuries.

The good: When he was healthy, Beckham showed that he could be ready to be much more consistent at the plate, but that star potential that was being talked about when he broke into the league no longer is mentioned. When Gillaspie was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants in spring training, he looked like a solid left-handed bat off the bench. He showed that if he continues to develop he can be much more than that. He admitted early that defense has never been his strength, but showed enough solid plays to make it clear that he should get better in that area. Nobody was touting Joe Crede as a solid defender either and he developed into a steady, if not spectactular, fielder.

The bad: It was obvious to see the defensive miscues on the infield that spelled doom for the White Sox, like Alexei Ramirez's 22 errors, which led all American League shortstops. The real issue is that nobody on the infield rose to the occasion offensively. Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn started all but 16 games at first base and yet White Sox first basemen finished ninth in the American League in home runs with 23 and 12th in RBIs with 77. Their 62 runs scored were 13th. At second base, the White Sox had a .306 on-base percentage, 11th in the AL, while at shortstop (essentially Ramirez), they were 12th in RBIs with 51. The biggest trouble spot was at third base where the 60 runs scored were 13th in the AL and the .287 on-base percentage was 12th. The White Sox only had 15 home runs from their third basemen, but four teams (Royals, Twins, Yankees and Angels) were actually worse.

Who's next: Marcus Semien was impressive as a September call-up and could push Gillaspie for playing time at third base next season. Keppinger is expected to revert back to his expected role of utility man. Could the White Sox be interested in trading Beckham this offseason? And if they do, what could they get in return for him? Semien, a natural shortstop, also has a little second base on his resume, while Keppinger can play there as well. If the free agent Konerko doesn't return, Dunn is expected to take over at first base full time.

2014 outlook: It doesn't seem like it can get any worse for the White Sox, but that's not just the story of the infield, that pertains to the entire roster. More is needed from Ramirez offensively and defensively. Early in his career, Ramirez was pushing his way into Gold Glove talk. At this point, the White Sox would be satisfied if he simply got his defense back to the middle of the pack.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox closed out the season with one more defeat, falling 4-1 to the Kansas City Royals to finish the season with a 63-99 record.

How it happened: In what could be his final game with the White Sox, Paul Konerko started at first base and had one at-bat before he was removed. He received standing ovations when he came to the plate in the first inning and again when he left his position in the second inning. He fouled out in his only at-bat. Alexei Ramirez hit a home run for the White Sox, but the Royals were paced by two-run home runs from Salvador Perez and Brett Hayes. White Sox starter Jose Quintana gave up four runs in seven innings during his last outing of the season. The season ended when Marcus Semien struck out with the bases loaded.

What it means: The White Sox finished with 99 losses, tied for fourth most in franchise history with the 1934 team. The only White Sox teams that lost more games in a season were 1948 (101 losses), 1932 (102) and 1970 (106). The .389 winning percentage is the seventh worst in franchise history.

Outside the box: White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia headed into the offseason just how the team hopes he will start things in 2014. Garcia, who was acquired from the Tigers in the July three-team trade that sent Jake Peavy to the Red Sox, went 1-for-4 in the finale, but in the previous 10 games he batted .317 (13-for-41) with a triple, three home runs and eight RBIs.

Off beat: Semien apparently likes returning favors quickly as the rookie gave back what he received in the third inning. After reaching base when Perez had trouble tracking down his wind-blown popup, Semien was then doubled up when he rounded second base on an Alejandro De Aza fly ball and failed to re-touch second when returning to first base.

Up next: The White Sox are five months away from spring training with a lot of changes left to be made. Two of the most obvious changes are to hire a new hitting coach and to talk to free agent Konerko about a possible return. Konerko said he will take a month before deciding if he wants to play again, at which point he would evaluate any offers.

CHICAGO -- The White Sox snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the next-to-last game of the season.


How it happened: The White Sox flexed their muscles Saturday to get the jump on the Royals. Marcus Semien and Jordan Danks hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning and Adam Dunn hit a two-run shot in the third. The Royals rallied for three runs off White Sox rookie pitcher Erik Johnson, but the power returned in the seventh inning when Conor Gillaspie hit a two-run shot. Addison Reed recorded his 40th save, tying Bobby Jenks for fourth place on the White Sox's single-season list.

What it means: The victory guarantees the White Sox won’t lose 100 games this season. Manager Robin Ventura at least sounded indifferent about avoiding the century mark. “Nobody wants that, 100 losses,” he said. “It doesn’t feel good. But it’s not going to make me feel any better to have 99 instead of 100 going into next year.”

Outside the box: The sample size is extremely small, but Johnson continues to show reasons to be optimistic about him heading into next season. He held the Royals hitless Saturday until Mike Moustakas hit a fifth-inning home run. He was eventually knocked from the game an inning later. Saturday’s outing comes on the heels of his start last weekend at Detroit, when he gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings. One outing before that he pitched a scoreless six innings against the Twins.

Off beat: Avoiding a 100-loss season might not have made Ventura feel good, but it certainly seemed to affect his decision-making Saturday. Ventura went to six different relievers to back up Johnson, managing like his team was in contention instead of just playing out the string.

Up next: The White Sox will send left-hander Jose Quintana (9-6, 3.45 ERA) to the mound in the final game of the season. The Royals will counter with left-hander Bruce Chen (8-4, 3.31) in the 1:10 p.m. start from U.S. Cellular Field.

The results of a meaningless September are rarely overanalyzed, but White Sox brass are paying close attention to their young core of players. Solo home runs by Marcus Semien and Avisail Garcia on Monday might be a snapshot of the future core of the team beyond 2013.

Semien, who was the MVP of the Southern League, hit his first major league home run, giving starter Jose Quintana a two-run cushion to work with against the Blue Jays.

“It was really a great feeling," he said after hitting the second-inning home run off J.A. Happ. “Whenever you have a big league first it is kind of a great feeling.”

The young infielder has made a strong impression on manager Robin Ventura during his brief late-season call-up.

“I have somewhat of a feel what type of player he is," Ventura said before the Sox's 3-2 victory. “Again, you are going to have a month in spring training to see him again, and see how he progresses. He is going to the fall league. We will follow him there and be able to see how he [improves].

“Marcus is showing us what he can do up here and making some good plays on defense as well. He is making a good case for himself that he can play at this level.”

Garcia, acquired in the trade that sent Jake Peavy to Boston in a three-way deal with Detroit, has shown some ability in his two months with Chicago. “That is a part of having these guys up here and moving forward," Ventura said.

Garcia is hitting .369 in his last 13 games with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. Semien is also on a tear, hitting at a .342 clip in his last 11 contests.

Playing a full Arizona Fall League season, which begins Oct. 8, might be a letdown for some young players who have been playing full-time in the major leagues like Semien. But not for Semien.

“Not at all," Semien said. “It will be a great experience. Fall league is traditionally a great league; the best minor league players in baseball are there. I am happy to be there too.”

CHICAGO -- The White Sox used a pair of home runs and strong starting pitching to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Monday night at U.S. Cellular Field.

How it happened: The White Sox and Jays were making up a game rained out on June 12. Jose Quintana was seeking his ninth win of the season. LHP J.A. Happ was on the hill for Toronto. Rookie Marcus Semien hit his first major league home run with Dayan Viciedo on base in the second inning. J.P. Arencibia hit a solo home run to lead off the fifth inning. Avisail Garcia led off the White Sox fifth with his sixth home run. Quintana exited in the eighth after giving up an RBI base hit to Ryan Goins.

What it means: The Sox win the season series against Toronto 4-3. Chicago had lost nine of its past 12. Chicago continues its six-game road trip with three in Cleveland against the Indians to close out its 2013 road schedule.

Outside the box: Manager Robin Ventura said he is not interested in talking about managing beyond 2014 at this juncture. Ventura signed a three-year deal in the fall of 2011. "I said I want to do it again," Ventura reiterated on Monday in reference to next season. "After that, you would like to [continue], but we will discuss that after next year. It has to be [agreeable] on both sides. That is a discussion for another day."

Ventura turned down an extension that was offered in spring training. At that time, he said there was no hurry in signing beyond the two years remaining on his deal. … Viciedo returned from paternity leave after missing the weekend series in Detroit.

Up next: The Sox resume their road trip against the Indians. LHP Hector Santiago (4-9, 3.53 ERA) faces RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (12-9, 3.59).

CHICAGO -- The White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Tuesday, for the fifth consecutive victory over their division rivals.

How it happened: Jose Quintana gave up just one run over six innings and the bullpen held on for the victory. The outing helped Quintana drop his ERA under 3.50 for the first time since he beat the Boston Red Sox on May 21. The White Sox won despite committing two errors in the infield. (It was originally three, but a late scoring change took a fielding error away from Paul Konerko.) Dayan Viciedo had RBI singles in consecutive innings to pace the offense.

What it means: The White Sox continue to show that against non-contenders they have plenty of energy to compete. The two victories mean the White Sox have already won the series against the Twins with one more game to play Wednesday. The last time they won a series was Aug. 26-28, when they got the best of the Houston Astros, another non-contender. Following that series, the White Sox lost consecutive series to the Red Sox, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.

Outside the box: On the occasion of his 23rd birthday Tuesday, Marcus Semien not only got the start at third base, he drove in the White Sox’s first run with a second-inning single while batting in the No. 9 hole. Since being called up in early September when rosters expanded, Semien has been impressive. He entered Tuesday’s game 7-for-17 (.438) in his previous five contests.

Offbeat: There actually was some defense on display Tuesday, first in the fifth inning when White Sox right fielder Jordan Danks was completely extended on a diving catch to rob Trevor Plouffe of a hit. In the sixth inning, Twins pitcher Josh Roenicke took his best shot at a highlight-reel play when he fielded Semien’s comebacker between his legs and threw to first base for the out.

Up next: The White Sox will send left-hander John Danks (4-13, 4.73 ERA) to the mound Wednesday in the finale of the three-game series -- the last contest in their 10-game homestand. The Twins will counter with left-hander Scott Diamond (5-11, 5.71) in the 1:10 p.m. CT start from U.S. Cellular Field.

CHICAGO -- Paul Konerko gave a nod toward the future Tuesday, as long as the conversation did not center on him personally.

Declining to talk about what could happen once his contract expires in a few weeks, Konerko did talk about the organization's farm system and the young players that are potential impact guys or players who have taken advantage of an opportunity.

"There's definitely guys who have made strides like Jordan [Danks] now that he's gotten to play," Konerko said. "He'd been up here a lot but never had played a whole bunch in a row. So it's nice to see him -- great guy, great hitter -- kind of hitting his stride and starting to feel comfortable because it's tough to feel comfortable when you're not in there all the time."

Another position player who has caught Konerko's eye is Marcus Semien. The two first played together at Double-A Birmingham, back when Konerko was on a rehab assignment for a lower back injury. Konerko eventually returned to the major leagues, Semien was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte and Birmingham went on to win the Southern League championship anyway.

"I should get a [championship] ring," Konerko joked.

Semien, who turned 23 on Tuesday, would be more deserving in that department. He batted .290 with a .420 on-base percentage at Birmingham. His 110 runs led the minor leagues, and he was even named Southern League MVP despite playing at Birmingham only until the end of July.

Adding his time at Charlotte, Semien finished the year with a .401 on-base percentage in the minor leagues.

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CHICAGO -- As the playing time comes for Chicago White Sox prospects, so does the losing, which makes for an awkward learning environment.

Kids like Marcus Semien and Erik Johnson have the opportunity to play, yet all around them are veterans who look sluggish and worn down from a demoralizing season.

White Sox manager Robin Ventura isn’t worried that the situation might become counterproductive. If the undesirable game results become a negative influence, then the White Sox’s top young talent isn’t as headstrong as the team thought it was.

“If we’re just sitting there handing out time, that would be one thing. But you're looking at guys, you're trying to get an evaluation of how guys play,” Ventura said. “For them, it's their future. If they want to come up and waste it, that's on them, and you move on and go to [somebody] else. This is the big leagues, and it’s about what you do and how you go about your business.”

Johnson has hit some snags trying to replicate his solid minor league season at the big league level. The former second-round draft pick, who has emerged as the top pitching prospect in the organization, has a 4.66 ERA after two starts and has been plagued by poor defense behind him.

So far, Johnson insists he is not demoralized by veterans struggling on defense behind him, and the White Sox won’t pass judgment on him at this early stage.

Semien has taken full advantage of his chances, putting up a .316 batting average and .350 on-base percentage in his first six games.

Another member of the roster taking advantage of his opportunity is reliever Jake Petricka, who came up just before rosters were expanded but is getting an extended look in September. In 10 appearances, he has allowed just two earned runs, giving him a 1.46 ERA.

Pitcher Charlie Leesman took his lumps recently, when he wasn’t able to retire any of the seven batters he faced Thursday against the Cleveland Indians. All seven came around to score.

“If you’re going to do something to make us better in the future, that’s how you evaluate it,” Ventura said. “I think a lot of guys that have played a long time, they’ve been on good teams, they’ve been on teams that were bad, they’ve been on teams that were not going to be in the hunt. The year doesn’t change how you play the game.

“There are things that are going to be different now because we’re playing some young guys, but you go out and play hard and the effort still has to be there.”

Ventura said just because the young prospects have reached the major leagues, it doesn’t mean the learning process has ended.

“I think the younger guys learn as much from the players they're around than they do from us telling them what to do,” he said. “When you see a Paul Konerko work or an Adam Dunn work, you're seeing the amount of work that goes in and how they go about their business and how they treat each other, what it takes. That doesn't change.”

With a nod toward the no-so-distant future, the Chicago White Sox added right-handed starter Erik Johnson and infielder Marcus Semien to the major league roster, along with right-handed reliever Daniel Webb and catcher Miguel Gonzalez.

Johnson and Semien, both Cal products, could end up competing for an Opening Day roster spot next spring. Webb could also be in that mix as the White Sox look to revamp a portion of their bullpen.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the White Sox put both catcher Tyler Flowers and pitcher Brian Omogrosso on the 60-day disabled list. Flowers is scheduled to have season-ending shoulder surgery this week, while Omogrosso underwent shoulder surgery last month.

Johnson, 23, spent time at both Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte this season, posting a combined 12-3 record with a 1.96 ERA over 24 starts. He not only fired three complete games and had 131 strikeouts, he also limited right-handed hitters to a .190 batting average and just one home run.

Johnson could end up in a battle with right-hander Andre Rienzo for the final rotation spot heading into next season.

Semien, 22, is primarily a shortstop but has spent time at second and third base this season. Like Johnson, he spent time at Birmingham and Charlotte, earning Southern League MVP honors. Despite a promotion to Charlotte on July 31, he still led the Southern League in runs (90) and on-base percentage (.420). He was second in slugging percentage (.483) and third in batting average (.290).

Johnson was a second-round draft pick in 2011, while Semien was a sixth-round pick in the same draft.

Webb, 23, who was acquired in the January 2012 trade that sent Jason Frasor to the Toronto Blue Jays, pitched on three levels this season, spending time at Single-A Winston-Salem to go along with Birmingham and Charlotte. He was a combined 2-1 with a 1.87 ERA over 42 relief appearances. He struck out 78 in 62 2/3 innings.

Gonzalez, 22, was called up to provide catching depth since Flowers was lost for the remainder of the season. He also played at Birmingham and Charlotte, batting a combined .254 with 20 RBI over 53 games, while throwing out 37 percent of attempted base stealers.

On Sunday, the White Sox called up left-hander Charlie Leesman and catcher Bryan Anderson.

The Chicago White Sox began their first phase of roster expansion Sunday when they recalled left-hander Charlie Leesman and purchased the contract of catcher Bryan Anderson from Triple-A Charlotte.

Players on the 40-man roster can be moved up to the major leagues after Sept. 1.

At least one move that is expected to happen in the coming days is to add right-hander Erik Johnson to the big league roster. Another candidate to be called up is infielder Marcus Semien.

This is Leesman’s second stint with the White Sox this season. He gave up one run on four hits over five innings in a no decision in his major league debut Aug. 9 against the Minnesota Twins and was sent back down immediately after the game.

Anderson, who will give the White Sox catching depth over the final month, has 25 games of major league experience, all with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was signed as a free agent this past offseason.

The White Sox’s 40-man roster is now at 37. Johnson and Semien would need to be added to the 40-man roster before they could be called up.

CHICAGO -- Rosters can be expanded next week and the Chicago White Sox are expected to take full advantage of the opportunity.

A near certainty to be called up on or after Sept. 1 is right-hander Erik Johnson, while infielder Marcus Semien and reliever Daniel Webb also figure to get strong consideration.

None of those three players are on the 40-man roster, although the White Sox do have three spots available. They can even make a fourth spot available on the 40-man by transferring injured pitcher Brian Omogrosso to the 60-day disabled list.

That fourth spot could go to a catcher, giving the White Sox a little insurance behind the plate. Either Hector Gimenez or Bryan Anderson would be options to get the call.

A handful of other players on the 40-man roster remain at Triple-A Charlotte and could be considered for a one-month promotion. Those include pitchers Simon Castro, Deunte Heath, Jhan Marinez and Santos Rodriguez. Infielder Brent Morel and outfielder Blake Tekotte also are on the 40-man roster.

Getting Johnson one month of experience in the major leagues would be key since the 23-year old is expected to battle for an Opening Day rotation spot next season. The Cal product has been impressive at both Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte this season, posting a combined 11-3 record with a 2.07 ERA over 23 starts.

In nine starts at Charlotte after a June promotion, Johnson has gone 3-1 with a 1.79 ERA, working his way through a groin injury that had him on the disabled list. He was a second-round pick in 2011.

Semien, who like Johnson is a product of Cal, also has been impressive on two levels this season. He has batted .282 between Birmingham and Charlotte, hitting 19 home runs with 58 RBIs, while stealing 21 bases. He has posted a .400 on-base percentage.

Listed as a shortstop, Semien could be used all around the infield, and could end up battling Conor Gillaspie next spring for time at third base. Semien was a sixth-round pick in 2011.

Webb has done both Johnson and Semien one better this season, by pitching at three different levels of the organization. He started the year at Single-A Winston Salem, before moving on to Birmingham and ultimately Charlotte.

The right-handed reliever has a 1.99 ERA over 39 appearances at all three levels, striking out 75 with 27 walks in 58 2/3 innings. Opponents are batting .197 against him. Webb, who turned 24 last week, was acquired in the trade that sent Jason Frasor to the Blue Jays before the 2012 season.