3 White Sox storylines to watch in Spring Training
This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it recurrently in your inbox.
CHICAGO — The temperature is close to 40 levels throughout a nice winter Monday in Chicago, however one week from at the moment, my publication can be coming to you reside from a good hotter Glendale, Ariz., as Spring Training 2023 begins for the White Sox.
This can be Spring Training No. 21 for me, the twentieth in my 21 years with MLB.com. I additionally coated it as soon as whereas working with one other outlet. I missed 2018 solely on account of a herniated L2 disc in my again, for these outdoors my household and buddies who had been questioning. In-depth protection can be coming your means from Arizona, however main as much as when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 15, search for a few tales from my latest unique interview with new Chicago supervisor Pedro Grifol.
The 2023 marketing campaign figures to be probably the most necessary durations in latest reminiscence for the White Sox, coming into Year 4 of a possible championship window with simply two playoff victories within the books. So, let’s take a look at three storylines to observe for a camp figuring to be chock-full of them.
Grifol on the helm
The 53-year-old principally gained the interview course of to change into the forty second supervisor in White Sox historical past throughout his first of 4 conferences with varied front-office members. He has been eloquent, centered and understatedly assured and upbeat throughout his media interactions for the reason that transfer was formally introduced just a little greater than three months in the past. But Grifol and the White Sox perceive true outcomes and victories come after they take the sphere, particularly with the 81-81 disappointment from 2022 nonetheless recent in followers’ minds.
Grifol served as bench coach for the previous three years underneath former Royals supervisor Mike Matheny, and he did Spring Training work for World Series-winning supervisor Ned Yost. So, there’s nothing unanticipated in that procedural facet.
“Obviously, managing is different than the bench coach [job]. It is,” Grifol informed me on Friday. “As a bench coach, you might be main individuals however any individual else is main you. Here, I’m main individuals.
“But I love to delegate, I love to watch people work, I love to watch people lead. I think about [February] 14 and the 15th, and it’s really no different, other than I’m going to stand in front of the team and share our expectations with them and go out there and execute. That’s really what it’s about.”
Will Colas be the suitable man for proper area?
Many White Sox followers considerably begrudgingly say, “Yes,” and that perspective has nothing to do with Oscar Colas’ total capability. That group hoped for a extra established proper fielder, or possibly it is nonetheless steaming over the White Sox not following by on their pursuit of Bryce Harper when he was a free agent. And, sure, Harper would have been an awesome match on the South Side.
General supervisor Rick Hahn has persistently talked about filling some wants from inside, and even when the No. 2 White Sox prospect in 2022, per MLB Pipeline, wouldn’t be thought-about a completed product, he’ll get each probability to earn a roster spot. Colas, 24, gives left-handed energy and strong protection in proper with expertise in middle.
“He’s a guy who has really good hands at the plate, certainly has power, has a good arm, he loves to compete and plays passionately,” White Sox assistant basic supervisor of participant growth Chris Getz stated of Colas. “He has an opportunity to be an impactful Major League participant.
“There’s a real aggressiveness to how he plays the game. He has the ability to make adjustments at the plate just because of how talented his hands are, and I feel like he really has a chance to help our Major League club soon.”
Gavin Sheets and Eloy Jiménez are among the many others who will get seems to be in proper.
Collective bounce-back
I requested Grifol if his offseason conversations and thorough preparation produced one participant he may establish because the driving pressure behind this 2023 group: A “where he goes, the White Sox go” kind of man. Grifol didn’t restrict himself to at least one.
“There are a lot of guys with a chip on their shoulder. A lot of guys that feel like that last year wasn’t the year that we were supposed to have,” Grifol stated. “TA [Tim Anderson] comes to mind right away, [Yasmani] Grandal comes to mind. I know Eloy is working his butt off.”
Grifol didn’t cease there, additionally mentioning offseason work from Luis Robert, Joe Kelly, Dylan Cease, Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Yoán Moncada, and the way Lance Lynn already is working in Arizona. Every one among these gamers however Cease handled accidents, underperformance or a mix of each final yr.
“Me just mentioning one or two, I don’t think that would be accurate in my conversations with all these guys,” Grifol stated. “There is a serious chip on our shoulder as a team and an organization that this is going to be a different vibe and a different year. These guys are pumped and ready to go. I’m excited about that.”
