Grant Taylor says there’s a buzz inside the White Sox clubhouse this spring as a young roster enters 2026 expecting to win, regardless of the league-wide perception.
The first step in developing a winning culture is operating with a winning attitude.
Baseball, more so than any other sport, is a mental game. Something as simple as a team's mindset can have real ramifications on the field.
In 2026, the Chicago White Sox are trying to shake their reputation as a losing organization. When you total more losses in a single season than any team in baseball history, that reputation tends to follow you for years in the worst way possible.
Even though there will be fewer than 10 players from that 2024 team on Chicago's Opening Day roster in 2026, the rest of the league still views the White Sox as the bottom feeders they were rather than the young team on the rise they believe themselves to be.
But make no mistake — that perspective is not shared inside the White Sox clubhouse.
Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, and Munetaka Murakami are not burdened by the shortcomings of the 2024 White Sox. This core is entirely unique. Many of these players weren’t even with the organization 18 months ago, and as they push toward the 2026 season, there is a universal sense of optimism and belief.
Everything we've heard from Camelback Ranch in Arizona points to a buzz surrounding White Sox baseball this spring.
The core of this roster genuinely seems to enjoy being around one another. They love baseball. They love coming to the ballpark. And they love competing alongside their teammates.
And maybe most importantly — they expect to win.
That’s what White Sox right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor told Chuck Garfien during a recent interview on the White Sox Podcast from Glendale.
“I think there's kind of a buzz within the clubhouse. We all expect to win,” said Taylor about his expectations for the upcoming season. “I think when everyone has that expectation to go out there and win and put your best foot forward, it builds on everyone's mindset when they come to the yard every day.”
“I think there's just a joy in being here and being around the guys and putting in the work together.”
So maybe the rest of baseball still looks down on the White Sox and carries limited expectations for the team in 2026. You’d be hard-pressed to find a preseason power ranking that doesn’t place them among the bottom five teams in the league.
But White Sox players themselves are not lacking in confidence, and that’s the first step in building a winning culture.
Like Taylor said, expectations of success can shape everyone’s mindset. That mindset can influence results, and those results lead to even greater expectations. It becomes a domino effect.
And I’m curious to see how the organization’s newfound confidence changes the way this team plays, looks, and feels over the course of the summer.