"Mismatched Sox – The Extra Sox in the Basement"

A note for those of you reading: Mismatched Sox is a weekly blog hastily thrown together by Sox in the Basement Co-Host Ed Siebert and is written to present you with White Sox and baseball thoughts in a manner that, frankly, thinks it is funny in the way schadenfreude can be funny. While there will be facts here that will be factual, the opinions and other nonsense are neither reflective of anyone at SoxInTheBasement.com nor believed or intended to cause any harm, but consult a bowl of alphabet soup and ask if this blog is right for you.

My good gawd is this season just absolutely trying to kill White Sox fans. At least that’s how it feels. But, it isn’t even May yet (as this is written). There is still hope even though things look grim heading out of April. However, the hereditary condition of every White Sox fan to rend their own garments and scream unto the skies that death is upon this team at all possible moments and in all possible universes and timelines is, in fact, in full force. But perchance this is the time to swap out the torn shirts (or pants?) for something more covering, drink some hot tea to soothe the throat from all the harsh bellowing of woe, get the drywall repair kits out, and see the doctor about the carpal tunnel from hate-tweeting Rick Hahn. Be in the now, now, because then will be now, soon. And then could be back then or the next then, but either way there’s a now to be reset before revisiting what’s coming then.

Now then. Here are some misconceptions, if not outright lies, about the team that have made the rounds, uhhh, maybe. Maybe these are total fictional lies made up just to, never mind.

LEURY GARCIA HAS EITHER NAKED PICTURES OR OTHER INCRIMINATING ITEMS OF KEY WHITE SOX PERSONNEL. Simply not true, as it turns out. Leury has played daily because he is immortal and immune to all disease and injury, while the rest of the team is merely human and occasionally, an unlucky glass vase. Leury is, regardless of what else fans think of him, a really athletic guy and very durable. In his Sox tenure, which also does not stretch back to replacing Charles August “Swede” Risberg after he was banned for the Black Sox scandal, Leury has really been out for an extended time once. In 2020 he needed thumb surgery after a dive to first base, kind of a freak injury, and still made it back in the truncated season for the playoffs. He is a good enough athlete to play anywhere on the field, just not practiced (or skilled) enough to have excelled at any one spot. He shows up and does whatever a manager needs. A guy like Tony LaRussa LOOOVES that type of thing, because it harkens back to an era where a team would have an allegedly Swedish shortstop that was born in San Francisco. Leury is a throwback of sorts, and frankly a Kenny Williams guy where he has baseball tools but maybe not the polished skills.

So Leury is getting a metric ton of ABs this year because 1.) Tony loves a guy that is always ready for whatever, and 2.) Leury is healthy unlike the rest of the team. Leury is also not hitting and remains a below-average fielder everywhere he plays, but then how much Danny Mendick would this season have if Leury hadn’t been given an oddly large contract to come back? Ok, the guy may have something on Rick Hahn. Will Leury play a lot this year? Probably. But if he continues to struggle at the plate and is not out-performing Josh Harrison and Yoan Moncada when they get healthy, or Adam Engel/Adam Haseley in Luis Robert’s absence, or Andrew Vaughn, A.J. Pollack and Gavin Sheets, then yes, Leury will ride the pine and not get those at bats. But also, him hitting 3rd was ridiculous.

ELOY AND LUIS IN PARTICULAR (BUT THE SOX IN GENERAL) ARE INJURY PRONE. No, they aren’t. Eloy and Luis are, and have been, max effort guys. Since they got here they have gone full tilt at everything. And Eloy, in particular, does get out of control when he does go all out, and that has led to injuries. Last year, the chest injury was Eloy running back too hard and jumping at full speed into a wall. Eloy is 6’4″ and 240; by comparison Roquan Smith is 6’1″ and 230, and padded up when runs full steam into things. Eloy takes a very tall frame to the limit and gets himself into trouble because he hustles like a guy 6 inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter. His lunge to reach first base on a grounder? The landing is far less impactful for Danny Mendick at 5’10” 195 lbs. Eloy needs to take it back just a notch to stay healthy. And not foul it straight off his ankle. That helps.

Meanwhile, Robert has twice been downed running the bases. The recent groin injury is just a thing that happens to baseball players. The hip injury last year was a worry, but seemingly a freak thing. He was healthy in 2019 and 2020, and played through a thumb problem (also a common baseball thing) in 2018. Most players are banged up from time-to-time, but a fast guy with a sore leg is more noticeable than, say, a first baseman with the same thing. Meanwhile, for a team with a young core, there are old heads out there that will not stay healthy because guys in their 30’s just don’t do that. Jose Abreu, Josh Harrison and A.J. Pollack are all 34 or over. Expect them to have backs and hammys and groins all get tight and sore, because aging sucks. Yasmani Grandal is 33; for a catcher that is nearly geriatric and he can’t squat 140 games. Lance Lynn is 33 and not exactly a paragon of the human physical potential…anyone built like him over 30 has at least one knee that they vaguely remember not hurting. The fact that he took care of an issue now is better than in August. Guys like Giolito will catch a freak injury here and there. Guaranteed that Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech will take a funny stride on a pitch or try and put a little more body into a heater and end up needing a few starts off.

But when the team is scuffling, even otherwise minor, freak, and frankly expected injuries exacerbate the problem. The key with team health is being healthy at the end. Remember is 2005, the injuries to Dustin Hermanson and Joe Crede in the second half threatened the whole season. Crede came back from getting hit on the hand trying to bunt, and Hermanson’s bad back was saved by Bobby Jenks. But other than Hermanson, the team was at full strength down the stretch. By comparison, in 2008 the Sox lost Carlos Quentin at the end of the season and the team failed.

TONY LARUSSA HAS LOST IT. The old man ain’t what he used to be, or he’s having other issues whether they have dogged him in the past or not, or the game really had passed him up, the theories abound that AJ Hinch wouldn’t have let the team skid as hard as they have this year. But…no. On the April 26th episode of Sox in the Basement there’s a breakdown of managerial impact on a team. And Tony, historically anyway, was a guy who had favorable impacts. But then he hits Leury Garcia in the 3 hole after letting Dallas Keuchel get blown up by Cleveland and seems to give a game away to Byron Buxton. After the KC game on the 27th, the 8th straight loss, Tony’s post game comments about the team’s headspace shed some real light on what he’s doing. First off, he’s trying to quell the injury tide and also clearly trying to keep certain guys fresh, like Yasmani Grandal. He’s also maybe too enamored with Reese McGuire’s work behind the plate, but it is really hard to blame him for that. The team is now missing, or has at times missed, it’s top two starting pitchers, two top relievers, its starting shortstop (suspensions), all three starters in the outfield, briefly the starting DH/OF, its starting 3B, and its starting 2B. What’s left is Jake Burger, who has hit ok, but not fielded all that well; too much Leury Garcia, who is clearly trying to prove that the contract is justified and that he should be starting and isn’t doing anything of the sort as a result; Danny Mendick and Adam Haseley being in starting lineups in Chicago instead of Charlotte; taxing the bullpen because Vince Velasquez, Jimmy Lambert, and Dallas Keuchel are struggling to get to the 5th inning; and a team that expected to beat everyone all the time this year and is now doing exactly what talented Sox teams have done in the past: pressed until they appear to have forgotten how to play the game.

Enter the year 1984, where LaRussa watched a team with high expectations struggle and had his starters all regress (except Rich Dotson and newcomer Tom Seaver) as well as key hitters like Rudy Law, Ron Kittle and Carlton Fisk fall off a bit. In 2006, the Sox tried real hard to be repeat champs but failed to repeat doing the little things that won them games in 2005. That falls on players more than the manager. Tony making absurd lineups and putting guys in positions now that makes fans wonder what he’s doing, when there’s a broader view, smacks of a guy that knows his players know that they need to be better but there’s nothing that can be said to them to make it so. So Tony tries to jump start the team with backups playing in big games and trusting his guys to perform. Still, if you know Liam Hendriks is tipping his pitches and Byron Buxton is up, there’s something to be said for walking him and pitching to Luis Arraez. But there’s also, after the anger subsides, a moment of wondering if Liam Hendriks shakes off giving up a homer to a star player easier than having the manager walk the guy because he thinks Liam can’t get it done.

If there isn’t any patience amongst Sox fans, there maybe should be at least a tinge of trusting that Tony knows the players more intimately than fans do. This isn’t intended as apologetic for LaRussa helming an 8-game skid, because legit hall of fame baseball guys shouldn’t have that happen in a presumed championship-seeking season, but also the players have been bad. Bad bad. That’s hard to fix in a lineup card, and there’s only so many speeches that can be given.

VIDEOTAPE DON’T LIE. Yeah, the “tape” thing is a bit dated, but watching this team there’s no secret why they aren’t winning. They just look like a group that can’t execute and can’t find their way back to where they can. Tim Anderson’s head isn’t where it needs to be; he’s back to rushing plays in the field and making errors where he had been able to control that in recent years. That leads to him trying to do too much at the plate, instead of what he had been doing the past two seasons and just taking what the pitcher gives him and moving the lineup along. TA is trying to completely win the game on every play and at-bat instead of just doing his part to play a winning game. Jake Burger is trying to make the team, and is fumbling in the field a bit and not as confident as he’s been at the plate in the past. Leury Garcia is clearly pressing to justify his contract and quiet the chorus of haters. They aren’t taking pitches and waiting for their pitch. Guys are swinging for three run homers with no one on. They aren’t focusing on fundamentals. Some guys, like A.J. Pollock, look rusty after time off. Robert and Jimenez were swinging at garbage before getting hurt. Jose is every bit as slow starting as ever. Liam Hendriks is tipping his pitches by how far from his glove he separates his pitching hand during his delivery. Dallas Keuchel has lost all ability to pitch effectively, or understand that he has maybe lost the ability to pitch effectively. Gavin Sheets is hitting singles away from the shift instead of homers and doubles. Aaron Bummer isn’t getting ground balls, leaving his pitches up where they are getting tagged. Really, the only position player who is playing as well as he can is Andrew Vaughn, who will continue to be nothing special in left field but is hitting like his pedigree suggests. Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech are meeting expectations as starters, while the bullpen has been better in some ways due to the work of Jose Ruiz, Matt Foster and Tanner Banks to go with Kendall Graveman. But there are also plenty of guys getting shelled, as Bennett Sousa, Anderson Severino, Kyle Crick and Reynaldo Lopez have left very hittable pitches over the plate in key moments, when they aren’t walking guys, and can’t put anyone away with a K. Vince Velasquez is exactly what he was last year for the Phillies, which is an unfortunate instance of a player meeting expectations. It doesn’t take a grizzled baseball veteran to watch this team and see 28 guys that look incredibly lost.

The real frustration for fans is that some of these things, like the back end of the rotation, felt like they were an iceberg that should have been seen sitting in the waters ahead. Some things, like Liam Hendriks and Jose Abreu starting off poorly, are things that fans forget by the end of the year and are reminded of in stunningly painful fashion. And some things, like Leury Garcia, are eternal. But as has been noted time an again, baseball is a game that will humble a team from time to time, and better to reminded in April that even talented teams can suck eggs than be reminded again in the playoffs. The season being over is a lie, and none of this will make the year-end videotape. Reset the now to then, and hope that then isn’t now because what happens now and then and then again isn’t necessarily what’s happening soon. Then again…now is the time.

Featured Image: @whitesox/Twitter

A note for those of you reading: Mismatched Sox is a weekly blog hastily thrown together by Sox in the Basement Co-Host Ed Siebert and is written to present you with White Sox and baseball thoughts in a manner that, frankly, thinks it is funny in the way fortune cookies can be funny. While there will be facts here that will be factual, the opinions and other nonsense are neither reflective of anyone at SoxInTheBasement.com nor believed or intended to cause any harm, but consult an old hermit and ask if this blog is right for you.

Adam Engel. Eloy Jimenez. Jace Fry. Tim Anderson. Billy Hamilton. Dylan Cease. Lance Lynn. Luis Robert. Garrett Crochet. Luis Robert again. Michael Kopech. Andrew Vaughn. Billy Hamilton, again. Nick Madrigal. Adam Eaton. Adam Engel, again. Jake Lamb. Evan Marshall. Aaron Bummer. Yasmani Grandal. Billy Hamilton, again. Carlos Rodon. Leury Garcia. Adam Engel, again. Lance Lynn. Tim Anderson, again. Lucas Giolito. Andrew Vaughn, again. Ryan Tepera. Brian Goodwin. Yoan Moncada. Ryan Burr. Lance Lynn. Garrett Crochet. Yermin Mercedes. Joe Kelly. Lucas Giolito. AJ Pollock.

For those counting up there, that’s 38 instances of a White Sox player being placed on the IL since the start of the 2021 season. That doesn’t count moving the likes of Robert and Marshall from the 10-day to the 60-day, or minor league injuries like Jonathan Stiever, or scares like Eloy getting an ankle burger or Josh Harrison getting a tight back. That’s just 38 times that the White Sox had to move a guy to the IL. Sure, AJ Pollock is really on paternity leave and evidently Billy Hamilton is made of glass, but the fact is that there have been 38 trips to the IL by White Sox in just over a season of baseball. Surely that’s an unacceptable number? Especially when the reigning World Series Champion Braves have had…31 trips to the injured list in that same time frame. Or the AL Champion Astros, who had…47?? Wow.

The Injury Problem

Much has been made of the injury bug to start the season and much has been made of the “had that guy been healthy all year” what-ifs for 2021. The fact is, that the health issues aren’t so much a rampaging pile of hurts that is running roughshod over the White Sox, its something else entirely. To quote the legendary skipper of the Cleveland (at the time)
Indians, Lou Brown: “I gotta guy on the other line asking about some white walls.”

Wrong quote. Sorry. To quote the legendary skipper of the Cleveland (at the time) Indians, Lou Brown (while naked) (him, not me): “Over 162 games and even tough guys get strains… Sore arms… Muscle pulls…“.

What has hurt the White Sox isn’t that they have had injuries – it is that the injuries come at bad times and to key players. Re-read the list. Going into May, 75%-100% of the team’s top four projected outfielders had been on the IL or were still on it. Eloy had torn his pec in spring, Luis had the hip flexor, Engel had all sorts of problems, and Adam Eaton was hurt and stunk. Even the emergency guys, like Andrew Vaughn, Jake Lamb, and Billy Hamilton were getting hurt. That’s one position that is strapped for live bodies. Conversely, while the pitching staff was more or less fine through the first half, only losing Evan Marshall and Jace Fry for any real time, by the stretch run Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Ryan Tepera and Carlos Rodon were nursing injuries ranging from hamstrings and lacerated fingers, to knee problems and shoulder problems. Nick Madrigal’s hamstring alone launched more angsty tweets than the renewed threat of nuclear war.

Even though the Sox are far from alone in dealing with injury, it remains a problem. After all, remember how in 2005 there were no major injuries? Besides Frank? And Dustin Hermanson? And El Duque? And Joe Crede? Nevermind. A problem is a problem, and the White Sox can ill afford a repeat of last year, when clearly injury was the reason the Astros handled them in the ALDS. Ummm… maybe ignore this paragraph.

Even though the Sox are far from alone in dealing with injury, they can’t afford too many at once or losing a star again. And, sure, the Sox are far from alone there, but in this case the concern is magnified because they are in a championship contention window and windows are dangerous. They could fall out of the window, cut themselves on a broken pane, have the window fall shut on them, or have it open in the weather and catch a nasty cold. More likely, a team that had been given up for dead like the Guardians can snipe them from the window if the Sox aren’t careful. To quote their legendary manager Lou Brown: “Forget the curveball Ricky. Give ’em the heater.”

The Solution

So what can the Sox do to fix this issue?

1. Fire the training staff. This is, of course, an idea that is fraught with potential problems. Firing an entire staff and replacing them on the fly is bound to leave a gap in coverage. Plus, there’s a chance that whoever gets hired will be worse. In the likely fictional but possibly real town of Springfield, where the Simpson family has experienced bizarre time anomalies and jaundice since 1989, there’s but two medical practitioners in Dr. Julius Hibbard and Dr. Nick Riviera. The lesser is a massive drop off in skill if not a bump in charm. The Sox have plenty of charm already. Maybe the training staff is fine. Maybe the Sox need something…better.

2. Hire “Golden Gorger” Suntunavick, a high level cleric of legendary status, a healer, a Deep Gnome of Svirfneblin. Supposedly there’s a great story about the Svirfneblin city-state of Blingdenstone, ruled by a monarch named King Schnicktick, and the plight of the Deep Gnomes. This level of magic and potential for supernatural protection of the White Sox players and any adventurers Jerry Reinsdorf has in the field is an advantage that the team should take. Why they haven’t before is unclear…though…evidently this is a Dungeons and Dragons character and totally fictional so that’s out.

3. Lucky Charms. Not the typically crowd-pleasing breakfast confectionery cereal, though that couldn’t hurt. Rabbit’s feet are kind of cruel, so not those. Everyone can’t wear the number 7. Four leaf clovers are rare, and there are very few anecdotes as to whether genetically engineering them removes the beneficial properties. There are horseshoes, but where lucky people are said to have them would make running awfully difficult. And they already have hamstring issues.

4. Prayer. When combined with thoughts, many people on social media view this as a cure all for everything from a sub-par brunch to a genocidal act of war. Certainly the mental powers at play could keep AJ Pollock’s hamstrings supple for 135 games. Of course, brunches remain sub-par and war remains hell, so…

5. Depth and managerial strategy sufficient to keep players rested and fresh for the whole season. Wait, really? Have bench players that can take the pressure off of starters with an eye towards the playoffs? Rest veterans while relying the positional versatility so craved by the front office that they perhaps overpaid for a utility guy and technically signed a career utility guy to be a starter? Be thankful that an ace pitcher’s knee is being repaired in April when a castoff like Vince Velasquez can catch a team still scuffling out of the gate? It’ll never work.

Really, the Sox seemingly never-ending injury woes are bad luck only to the extent that they lampoon a playoff spot like the 2001 White Sox losing Frank Thomas, James Baldwin, Jim Parque, and David Wells for much of the season. Or cause a playoff team to be compromised in the playoffs, like Carlos Quentin taking a big piece of the 2008 team’s offense with him when he broke his wrist and missed the playoffs. Lucas Giolito missing a few starts is probably a good thing in the long run, and figure Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech to take a 2-start breather at some point too. Lance Lynn in the best shape he can be in come October is a good thing, so long as the Sox don’t pile up the losses in his absence (early results are good). AJ Pollock has always been a guy that gets a tweaked this and a twinge there, but if he misses games sporadically from April-July, that just means Adam Engel getting ABs and Andrew Vaughn/Gavin Sheets getting some OF reps. So far, they have had some notable IL stints, but by all accounts Pollock is fine, Giolito is mostly precautionary, Lynn is on schedule if not ahead of schedule, and Moncada has been well covered by Josh Harrison and Jake Burger. Joe Kelly at least came pre-injured, so there’s that courtesy, but when he’s healthy he’ll simply replace, say, Matt Foster. Upgrade!

Now isn’t the time to panic over health. That time may come of course, but not yet. To quote the legendary skipper of the Cleveland (at the time) Indians, Lou Brown: “I love this s#%t, I may move to England.”

Sorry. Wrong quote…

Follow us @SoxInTheBasemnt for more updates throughout the season!

Featured Image: Bally Sports

As the White Sox finally take the field in spring training, and fans finally get to complain about more normal things like the inability of the team to pay an extra $50,000 to Lucas Giolito…wAIT WHAT?

Look, much like any long term relationship there are things that need to be expected that will honk you off. Nickels being tossed like manhole covers at 35th and Shields is the ear-shattering sleep apnea of getting into bed with the White Sox. Notwithstanding the team-record payroll, which is the ONE TIME the dishes were done without asking.

That is a digression. The real headline is that barring moves made at the end of the spring, which could happen, the team is on the field. That was an old Rick line though, wasn’t this year something along the lines of an assurance that the team would be better at the start of the season? Sounds familiar.

Better than last year was the presumption. Hitting the team up position by position, let’s see if they are better than 2021.

CATCHER

Last year it was Yasmani Grandal flanked by Zack Collins, with Seby Zavala getting reps when Yas was hurt. There was at least one appearance by Yermin Mercedes but that was inconsequential. This year, Yas returns! But the backup backstops are…oh. Collins, Zevala, Mercedes, and minor leaguers Carlos Perez and Xavier Fernandez. Perez and Fernandez aren’t exactly exciting prospects, though Xavier was once thought of as a guy that could push Sal Perez to DH more. Yeah, that Sal Perez. Really. Figure, though, that Collins will back up Grandal. So it isn’t better, unless Yas stays healthy all year and Collins suddenly becomes everything he was supposed to be. So, no…not better at all. But Grandal remains a Top-5 catcher so there’s no need to be too worried.

FIRST BASE

Last year it was Jose Abreu with guys like Jake Lamb, Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn spelling him. This year it’ll be all those guys except Jake Lamb. There could be some Grandal sightings there too. Frankly, it wasn’t broken so there was no need to fix it, but is it better? No. In fact, Jose is another year into his slight decline but he doesn’t seem the type to let himself just absolutely fall off a cliff. So little cause to worry that it isn’t better, but hope for the same.

SECOND BASE

Last year it started great with Nick Madrigal getting better as he went, until his leg just exploded. Then it was a problem. Cesar Hernandez, who was previously a decent all around player, had morphed into a sellout for power and didn’t hit for any power as Madrigal’s replacement. Leury Garcia reminded everyone that he isn’t great there, Andrew Vaughn played there for some reason, and at season’s end Romy Gonzalez looked like a guy that was up too early. This year, Josh Harrison is here to help. Help the fact that there is a giant gaping hole where tiny Nick Madrigal used to be. Is it better? Better than the trash fire that was there at season’s end, sure. Harrison is still a good all around player, if not much more than perfectly cromulent. Better than 2021 overall? No. The only way it gets better is if someone takes the reins and has a career year; either a late career bounce from Harrison, an emergence from Leury as a viable everyday player, a position change for Jake Burger or Andrew Vaughn, or the position being outlawed.

THIRD BASE

Yoan Moncada was there, Yoan Moncada is here. Yoan Moncada is the only one who can make this better. The problem is that there’s no telling whether he’ll rebound to 2019 or if 2021 was more telling. Jake Burger isn’t taking this over from him, nor is Andrew Vaughn who also played there.

SHORTSTOP

There are better shortstops than Tim Anderson, but not many. Here’s to his continued health and prosperity.

LEFT FIELD

Eloy Jimenez will actually make this better!! Because he won’t miss a big chunk of time!! RIGHT??? That failed attempt at being menacing aside, Eloy defensively remains a misadventure waiting to happen but his bat in the lineup all year would greatly improve things. As would his power not being sapped by just coming off injury before the playoffs. Andrew Vaughn wasn’t terrible considering his rookie-ness and playing a brand new position, but absent those qualifiers he was kinda pretty bad. So consider this an upgrade by default.

CENTER FIELD

Presuming that Luis Robert also remains healthy, and finds yet another level of greatness, this is an MVP candidate. That doesn’t get much better. But backing him up is either Adam Engel, who is also very good, or Leury Garcia, who is not. They could miss Billy Hamilton. But just a little. MVPantera!!!!

RIGHT FIELD

If there is one position on the team that was neglected more than 2B, this is it. Sure, last years’ plan was Adam Eaton and was terrible. Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn deserve credit for trying to make themselves into viable outfielders to make the team. As fans, that is something to cheer on, and certainly both guys learning on the job means that they still could get better. But the ceiling is probably competent, not good. Fans would take Sheets or Vaughn just not doing whatever Tik Tok dance Leury did out there in Houston. But they also have bats to sort out. Vaughn has the talent, no doubt, but he didn’t produce nearly enough last year and the minor league track record is small and bland. Sheets produced power at a very solid clip, and lefty which is always cool. But he’s a platoon guy until he proves otherwise, and needs to show he’s the goods over a full season. Adam Engel remains in the mix, but other than the best non-Robert glove on the team, hard to say what he is. Optimism? Sheets plays about 120 games and cranks out 30 bombs, or Engel plays about 150 games and hits like he did in 2020 and the healthy parts of 2021, or Vaughn’s pedigree emerges at the plate and it turns out that he’s just a massively talented guy and makes himself a solid fielder because that’s what talented guys do: whatever they think they can do. Pessimism? Vaughn and Sheets look like two DH/1B types miscast as outfielders and Engel proves to be nothing more than a valuable 4th OF. Better? No. But of all the positions, the one that could surprise.

ROTATION

Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, and a battle between Reynaldo Lopez and Carlos Rodon is how the Sox entered last spring. At the time, Keuchel had a good 2020, Lynn had been great in 2019 and 2020, Giolito was the ace, Cease the up-and-comer, and Lopez/Rodon were dart throws. Since then, Lynn had a solid 2021 with a bad ending, Giolito remained the ace, Cease showed more but not enough, Keuchel was a massive disappointment, Lopez looked like his 2018 version and Rodon was a major stud that got hurt, again. And left. Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, and a battle between Reynaldo Lopez and Dallas Keuchel is how the Sox entered this spring. Kopech is now Cease, Cease needs to be Rodon without the spun sugar ligaments, Giolito and Lynn need to be themselves, while the battle between Dallas and Reylo is literally a battle to time travel back to better days. There’s no way the Sox rotation is improved unless Cease and Kopech exceed expectations and Giolito finds another gear. To expect Lopez to be the savior is maybe too much of a reach, even with his vision restored. To expect Keuchel and Lynn to get better in their dotage isn’t realistic. The fact that the minors are pretty barren isn’t helpful. Better? No. Worse? Maybe. Good? Yeah. Good enough to take the whole thing? (pouring very stiff drink)

BULLPEN

The additions of Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman are improvements over relying on Codi Heuer, Matt Foster or Evan Marshall (even as good as Marshall had been). Ryan Tepera was just a stand in for Evan Marshall at year’s end. Returning Garrett Crochet and Aaron Bummer is a good thing as they are as solid a lefty duo as the league has, although Tony and the staff need to learn how to position the infield around Bummer. Ahh…and then there’s Liam Hendriks. Wonderfully sweary and dominating closer. And then there’s the Maria from the Sound of Music in the pen: Craig Kimbrel. Cue the nuns in black Sox jerseys singing “How Do We Solve a Problem like Craig Kimbrel?” His tenure with the Sox has been just awful. His market is somewhere between non-existent and an embarrassment to Rick Hahn. If he finds himself and pitches well, he’s an asset. But if he continues to flail helplessly and look like powdered toast, he’s going to be an issue that hurts the team. Best case scenario? He’s the Shingo Takatsu of the team…like in 2005 when Shingo started the year terribly and by the end no one remembered he was on the roster that year. 31 games!! Did Rick make the bullpen better? Actually, yes. But there’s one guy that could change that. Vince Velasquez. Just kidding. It’s Kimbrel, and the nuns.

BENCH

Last year there were veteran names like Lamb and Hamilton. This year the non-roster invitees are fewer in camp. But Leury and Josh Harrison are both established utility guys, that helps. Likely there will be one of Sheets or Engel there each game, and maybe a Danny Mendick. Younger perhaps? More flexible ideally? The bench may yet have a Billy or extra Jake on there, both were grabbed at the end of the spring. This one is TBD…but leaning towards better because of Harrison.

So for those keeping track, the team improved in one position during the offseason, the bullpen. Otherwise this is a better White Sox team than the one that we last saw getting bounced by Houston only by the grace of getting better health, minimal regression and maximum progression. For a team and fandom that needed a transfusion and some major wounds sewn up at the end of the year, settling for “rub some dirt on it and walk it off” isn’t ideal. But that’s where the team stands. Heal thyself…and be not like an unskilled doctor, fallen ill, who loses heart and cannot discover by which remedies to cure their own disease.

Follow us @SoxInTheBasemnt for more updates!

Featured Image: White Sox / Twitter

A note for those of you reading: Mismatched Sox is a weekly blog hastily thrown together by Sox in the Basement Co-Host Ed Siebert and is written to present you with White Sox and baseball thoughts in a manner that, frankly, thinks it is funny in the way that a dog barking in its sleep is kinda worth a chuckle. While there will be facts here that will be factual, the opinions and other nonsense are neither reflective of anyone at SoxInTheBasement.com nor believed or intended to cause any harm, but consult a physician and ask if this blog is right for you.

The Ricky Label, Defined

Ricky Renteria was never really a “Ricky”, at least in nickname, as he was a “Rich” in his playing days and “Rick” to most people. But in White Sox discussions during his tenure as manager, he was the “Ricky” to the GM’s “Rick”. And as time went on, the word Ricky became almost slang among fans, meaning a guy that was at best respected for reaching his young players but denigrated as someone who couldn’t take the team to a championship. Maybe that wasn’t a totally earned tag, but Ricky Renteria was twice a Chicago baseball manager, was twice tasked with rebuilding the team and getting the young core ready to play, and was twice dismissed at the precipice of playoff baseball in favor of a big-name manager. That means twice he was criticized as lacking in enough managerial skill to pull the correct strings to win. Joe Madden had been the brains behind the weird ways the Rays had won, and Tony LaRussa is, of course, a legit hall of fame baseball guy. Both are notorious for correct-string pulling. Ricky Renteria, likely forevermore, will be the guy that can get the team back in the boat, but can’t get the team onto the only ship that matters: a championship. His lineups, his strategy, his philosophy all seemed geared towards building up young guys so they have future success. So the Ricky Label isn’t a total insult, but wearing it suggests that you don’t have what it takes to go all the way because the gaze is into a crystal ball, not matchups in the 7th inning.

Being Rick Hahn

Meanwhile, Rick Hahn was Kenny Williams’ secret brain and a guy that was given the GM chair to make sure he stayed in the organization. He was a hot GM candidate as the Sox were re-tinkering to get into the ’08 playoffs, and had multiple shots to leave the Sox before becoming the GM. What fans came to know is that Rick was leery of continuing Kenny’s “reload on the fly style” and wanted to draft a winner, breaking the team down for a few years to create a sustained, young core capable of taking the entire enchilada. After missing the playoffs repeatedly, Hahn got his wish with trades of Chris Sale, Adam Eaton, and Jose Quintana. Hahn basically won the trades, and built a core of Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Eloy Jimenez, and Yoan Moncada, with contributions from Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning (who begat Lance Lynn). Couple that with drafts that resulted in Andrew Vaughn, Gavin Sheets, Aaron Bummer, Adam Engel, and Nick Madrigal, plus international signing Luis Robert, and the team was thus rebuilt in Rick’s intended image. He extended Tim Anderson, kept Jose Abreu around as a brick house/mentor turned 2020 MVP. After getting some of the young guys going in 2019, heading into 2020 the Sox seemed ready to start on the journey with the remaining young guys like Robert and Madrigal set to arrive. Rick Hahn was viewed as one of the best GMs in the game.

Shedding “The Ricky,” Risking the Label

For the 2020 season, the shortened number of games and overall weirdness made some things forgivable, but the swoon after clinching a playoff spot and a fast exit was the result. So, before the 2021 season, Ricky Renteria was sent packing as the weak link in the chain. The Ricky wasn’t good enough, the Rick was, so went the narrative. But down a Richard, Rick Hahn risks earning the Ricky label. The question becomes, if or when teams start passing the Sox by for playoff appearances and championships, is Rick Hahn a GM that can only rebuild a team? Or, can he take the team to that top tier? As the Sox bowed out of the playoffs early and somewhat easily two years in a row, the question is begged like someone walking past popcorn-laden Cub Scouts outside a Jewel.

“The Jerry Factor”

First things first. Yes, Rick Hahn is limited by what Jerry Reinsdorf will spend, and post-CBA who knows what the will look like. Presumably, Lettuce Entertain You gift cards in place of signing bonuses. Still, most teams in the league operate at a set budget, so that’s a factor but not necessarily an excuse. It would be easier for Rick Hahn to merely open the checkbook and overpay for Marcus Semien like the Rangers, or give Max Scherzer insane annual money like the Mets. Any fan of the game can build a team by just signing top free agents with no concern about years and money. And it’s nothing new that the Sox won’t leave the rest of the league staring agog at their payroll. Jerry also hasn’t lived at the bottom of the league when the team has a chance. Kenny Williams won in ’05 with Jerry Reinsdorf still as his owner and Jerry’s budget. There are handcuffs here and there, like the long-standing Sox modus operandi of not investing more than three years on a pitcher. That may hurt Rick’s chances in the open market. But a good GM operates within the budget and the bosses’ rules, a great GM wins within those constraints.

The Sox are at the Hump

The Sox’ next step in evolution is to get over the hump from playoff team to championship team. Not to say that the Sox are dead in the water because there will be moves post-lockout. This is an offseason where another star and some aggression are needed and warranted, and the Sox floundered in advance of the lockout and only signed Kendall Graveman and brought back Leury Garcia. Graveman’s a nice pickup, and will absolutely help the bullpen. Leury is definitely a useful player and should be back on the team, but there are still holes to fill. The biggest, a sucking chest wound at 2B, is Rick Hahn’s own self-harm. Right Field has options and isn’t as dire, but it isn’t necessarily screaming “Championship Caliber” to have two 1B/DH sophomores and a maybe-peaked part-timer fighting for the spot. The Bullpen doesn’t need big names, just good pitchers. The rotation has a hole created by some weight that might be dead or dying. The Sox can’t go forward in their championship quest without addressing these needs. Rick didn’t do that before the lockout, and it isn’t looking easy for him after the lockout ends.

The team might be stuck with Craig Kimbrel in a role he doesn’t fit. Fans may be rooting for a rotation that has to carry a learning Michael Kopech and a fading Dallas Keuchel. Leury at 2B isn’t out of the question, and a repeat rotation in RF at least has guys on the upswing fighting for it. Rick needs to do better, if he can at this point.

In his defense, top free-agent 2B option Marcus Semien was given too many years and dollars by the Rangers, but he was by far the best 2B candidate out there. Adam Frazier was traded for lesser men than useful-to-the-Padres Craig Kimbrel, and Frazier solidifies the Mariners in a way that would have at least been a security blanket for the Sox. Fans are convinced that the Phillies would deal Jean Segura to the Southside for Kimbrel, though it’s no guarantee that the Phillies won’t hold onto their most consistent infielder and at least let Corey Knebel try and resume his closer duties. Even Joey Wendle went quickly to Miami for seemingly something within the Sox’ ability to match. Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Robbie Ray, Starling Marte, Avi Garcia, even Chris Taylor and Alex Cobb…names that could have helped the Sox…all went to the competition. And it wasn’t just that other teams were outbidding the Sox; the White Sox were almost never mentioned with any rumblings surrounding the free agents or trades. Graveman, Leury, and a slew on minor league depth were all the Sox were rumored for or delivered. Fans can take it on faith when the Sox, Rick, in particular, says they’ll be better on opening day than they are now and there are moves that will be made. But with the market stripped of starting pitchers and second basemen, the hump seems to have gotten bigger than it was after the third out of the World Series. And humps that are too big can be very fun and rewarding to get over, but it isn’t always a doable task.

So here is Rick Hahn, staring at the said proverbial hump. It mocks him and, like Judge Smails with money on the line, “we’re waiting”. Given cash constraints and with a depleted minor league pool there are fewer assets to get his guys. So is Rick Hahn able to take them to the next level, or is this Rick about to wear the Ricky Label?

Past Performances as Future Predictors

He cleared a lesser hump, going from rebuilding to contending, by grabbing a few free agents and making one solid trade in 2020-2021. Let’s look at how those deals did:

He won the low-hanging fruit deals: Dane Dunning and Austin Weems were nothing to pick up Lance Lynn, who at best is the team’s ace and at worst sits behind or between Giolito and Cease. Yasmani Grandal was established as a top MLB catcher after leaving his timeshare in LA (where he was good) for a full-time job in Milwaukee (where he was pretty great). Liam Hendriks is the best closer in the game and pretty much wanted to be here. Yas did too, as a Cuban-born player who likes that aspect of the White Sox organization. Lynn may have re-upped for TLR, or he realized that husky gentlemen in their 30’s have a shorter shelf life, and his knee was barking by the end of the year. Still, Rick Hahn didn’t botch the easy pickings. Guys who were motivated to sign, signed good deals, well within Jerry’s tolerances.

But when Rick tries to get guys in who aren’t so obvious, it’s been, well, a mixed bag of mostly meh. The good: Ryan Tepera was a nice grab at the deadline for cheap, a classic deadline deal. César Hernandez was another solid move given Nick Madrigal’s injury, even though César didn’t do much he was a worthwhile gamble as a veteran with a decent track record. And the scrap heap guys for 2021, like Jake Lamb, Billy Hamilton, Brian Goodwin, and Nick Williams all had moments. But those are smaller deals, and while role players help win championships, the Sox have had bigger needs. That’s where things get…not so great.

The question is whether Rick spent his limited cash and trade capital wisely. There have important misses that he can’t afford. The three biggest gaffes for money and capital were Dallas Keuchel, Edwin Encarnacion, and Craig Kimbrel. None of them were really necessary, and two of them are actively hurting the team right now, like a toddler with a fork. Keuchel was a consolation prize after Zack Wheeler’s wife decided that she didn’t like the Midwest. But where Wheeler was a potential ace and worth the investment, Keuchel was a guy that had suffered his highest career WHIP the previous two seasons where his peripheral stats showed a guy fading fast. The Sox dropped 3 years and $18.5 per million per on him. Keuchel brings experience, certainly, as a former Cy Young winner and World Series champ. He is so far past those achievements that he had to sit out part of 2019 until there was no draft pick attached to him. His numbers for the Braves weren’t terrible, but he still wasn’t back to his former glory. Keuchel had a nice run in the brevity of 2020, but was exposed repeatedly last year and enters this year as the 4 or 5 in the rotation, or a pricey long reliever. Rick could or should have seen this coming. He also could have had better results with Michael Pineda and saved $8 million per year, even with paying valets to carry Pineda’s baggage.

Encarnacion was still considered a solid DH after a .244 avg. and .875 OPS for the Yankees in 2019; by all considerations, Encarnacion could have had a decent 2020 instead of being completely done. Rick can’t be blamed for a player but getting untracked in a weird year, and he was just a short-term patch. But if Rick had the money, why not invest in right field? Entering 2020 no one thought of Andrew Vaughn or Gavin Sheets as outfielders, and Adam Engel hadn’t shown that he could be an everyday player. If Rick doesn’t try and save face with Keuchel and offers Nick Castellanos the $16 million per that he received from the Reds, the Sox would have had better results at the plate in 2020 and 2021. Combined with saving the $8 million on Keuchel, the Sox would have been financially ahead and better on the field. Fans might not be sitting around stewing about two straight first-round exits.

Taking on Kimbrel’s salary was just a head-scratcher from the get-go. Hahn had already traded for Ryan Tepera to be the setup guy that was needed to replace the injured Evan Marshall. Kimbrel was going to be a luxury to Tony, and at best attempt to create a “Nasty Boys” style end of the bullpen (look up the 1990 Reds for an explanation). But the bullpen wasn’t in need of a huge retooling at the deadline. The pitcher Rick traded away for Kimbrel, Codi Heuer, had started to level out to decent performance after a harsh start to the season. Plus, in-house addition Reynaldo Lopez had already been recalled to good results. For Rick, the first and only question that hasn’t been answered was why trade for a pricey closer with Liam Hendriks on the team? It made a splash in the headlines, but what the Sox needed was another Tepera, not another closer. And the cost is an albatross in the bullpen and a vacancy sign at 2B that has fans wondering about Jake Burger’s Twitter posts as trolling or legit. (Spoilers, it’s both.)

With all three guys, Hahn either went for fan service, name recognition, or consolation for losing the guy he wanted. All three came with questions, be it their clearly beginning decline, the potential for age catching up, or whether the guy actually fits the role and is worth the cost of creating a new problem.

There have also been the bad signings like Adam Eaton, who was falling off in DC and was picked over better bats. Steve Cishek was bad and was another closer rebounding with the Cubs, who may have invented an aging closer funhouse mirror that makes them look young again. Gio Gonzalez was just depth and felt like a make-good for being traded more than someone’s blue jello at a lunch table. Rick entered the “let’s move to competing” phase in 2020 needing a third outfielder (or two depending on how the Eloy conversation was going), a catcher, some pitching to fill out the rotation, a couple of stopgaps until Madrigal, Vaughn, and Sheets arrived at 2B and DH, and some help in the bullpen (which is needed every year). He got his catcher, added to the bullpen…but Danny Mendick, Yolmer Sanchez, and Nick Madrigal split 2B; the Nomar Mazara trade flopped for RF but was at least made some sense and didn’t cost much; and with Giolito and Cease getting 12 starts, Lopez and Rodón gunning for starts with Dane Dunning and a couple of other prospects, adding Keuchel worked ok in 2020 and flopped in 2021.

Entering 2021, Rick still needed an outfielder…he still needed a starter…and as always some relief help but with the added twist of maybe upgrading from Alex Colome. Eaton was supposed to be the guy, assuming Adam Engel wasn’t as ready as he seemed or Sheets couldn’t make the transition. Vaughn was intended to arrive as the DH, and his eventual move to the outfield was because there was no depth when Engel and Eloy were hurt. The Lance Lynn trade was a score. Nick Madrigal was healthy and ready at 2B. Liam Hendriks and Carlos Rodón were added to round out the pen, with Carlos becoming an ace starter almost by chance. Injuries to Engel, Madrigal, Robert, Jace Fry, and Evan Marshall were unfortunate, but Rick didn’t build enough depth to truly cover them. Backslides by Heuer and Matt Foster were the risks of youth, the backslide of Dallas Keuchel has been beaten past being a dead horse. Hendriks, again an easy target in free agency and a guy who wanted to be here, was great. But that’s two easy grabs he won, a lucky bounce from a guy he non-tendered and a big ‘ole whiff in Spanky.

Faced with pressure, Rick got cute at the deadline after making easy and obvious trades sending low-end prospects for veterans Tepera and Hernandez to fill holes. He had to get cute though with Kimbrel. Grabbing the Cubs closer in the midst of one of his best runs in a possible HOF career seemed like a question even amidst his dominance, because he didn’t have that role in Tony’s bullpen. Trading Madrigal, who was hurt but will likely return in 2022, was literally trading the Sox’ only MLB-level player at the keystone. Leury Garcia has had documented struggles as an everyday player, Danny Mendick isn’t an MLB starter, and even Andrew Vaughn had started there due to the lack of replacements. With Kimbrel, a square peg was thusly jammed at a round hole, and alas, Kimbrel, miscast, was bad. Now, Rick created an issue where he has an expensive pitcher that should be playing elsewhere, no one to man 2B worthy of a championship team, and the hump is, therefore, higher than it was to start 2021.

Going into 2022, it’s 2020 redux: Rick is STILL is looking for an outfielder, even though Vaughn and Sheets are at least options in RF; he STIIILLL needs veteran starting pitching and he might need two starters again; and in a flashback no one wanted he needs a 2B that can maybe get them to a prospect, except now there is no top prospect waiting to make his debut so things are actually worse.

RICK can Still Pull this Off

Let’s say Kimbrel still gets traded. Who still has a starting 2B they don’t really need? The Mets are maybe trading Jeff McNeil but with a Universal DH, maybe only because he’s a jerk. Kimbrel could bring back some positive future for the team, but then effectively Hahn traded a potential bullpen piece in Heuer and his starting 2B for a prospect or two. That’s rebuilding thinking, and insane when the next step, the ONLY next step, is winning a championship. Kimbrel bringing back pitching help or a right fielder would be something, but the possibilities are limited out there as only a few teams need a closer to begin with. As for trading from the minors, there’s nothing much at the top end but hopefully, in lower minors, there’s enough talent to induce a team like the A’s to part with Chris Bassitt or Sean Manea, because Carlos Rodón is the best of what’s left on the market by a mile and that story always seems to end with the letters M, R, and I. Or hope that a team with designs on trying to compete wants a Dallas Keuchel, and has a young 2B or OF with upside to send back. The fact is that the Sox may have to try and move Gavin Sheets or Andrew Vaughn, which could leave a RF gap or a DH gap. They might have to move a guy that creates another hole.

Not having a full infield, not having pitching depth sufficient to fill the rotation, and getting lucky if one of two DHs makes themselves into an outfielder is a bad result at the end of the rebuild. The fact that this is the third offseason with similar issues puts Rick Hahn at a crossroads, in the crosshairs, and someone check to see if he’s cross-eyed.

Avoiding Being Ricky Hahn

Hahn doesn’t need to do a ton of work, but he needs to finish what he started. He can’t get the Sox over the hump just by the current roster improving. Kopech in the rotation creates a hole in the bullpen, and Graveman is replacing Tepera already. Kopech is also not going to eat innings, and Dylan Cease already has “electric but not for long” covered. Leury will play plenty for this team, but if he’s the starter in RF or 2B, the bench is weaker and so is the lineup. Vaughn or Sheets needs to be better at the plate and the field, and both come with serious questions in that regard. Lucky isn’t a plan.

He also has smaller holes that are less pressure-packed. Backup catcher? Doesn’t need to be great. A long reliever or two? They can be somewhat mediocre. Last guy(s) on the bench? Can be rotated.

That’s partially why as Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray went elsewhere, the Sox fan collectives were left wondering whether it was the money or the years, while hoping Rick didn’t want to pull the trigger because he had better plans. The Sox were almost by sheer desperation in the Twitterverse rumored to want guys like those two, but then there really weren’t guys LIKE those two on the market. Losing Semien made Chris Taylor, a good but not star player and one tied to a draft pick, the best free-agent option. Then Taylor went back to the Dodgers, and now the free-agent options aren’t all that palatable in that they kinda suck. Losing Ray wasn’t a big blow in and of itself, but the best pitcher on the market after he signed was Carlos Rodón, who failed to be the answer for the Sox at the end last year and seemed to be hiding another injury. Neither Rick Hahn nor Jerry Reinsdorf was tossing Max Scherzer $43 million per year, but Ray and Kevin Gausman were deals with years that either Hahn can’t give or didn’t bother trying, but ultimately very reasonable dollar amounts.

And therein lies why this falls at Rick Hahn’s feet. His job is not to just spend unlimited money and years, but to figure out how to take this team to the ultimate level within the framework he is given. Making a trade at the deadline which created an off-season need and adding payroll that wasn’t needed on a team that struggles to find cash was a very “Ricky” move, in that his best move to recoup is to flip the failures for some future. Tossing money at Dallas Keuchel when the Astros and Braves, two contenders, had determined he wasn’t worth it, was again a “Ricky” move in attempting to “protect” young players while effectively not advancing the cause of winning. Throwing money for one or two years at the end of a career DH’s viable playing days instead of looking to fill the long-term need with an established bat feels like it should be labeled Ricky, where there’s a youngster who can learn by watching but not doing.

The Sox were exposed twice in the playoffs the last two years but were young and growing. Now as the market emptied before the lockout, the Sox claim they will be better than last year, but entered the offseason worse than last year. Fans are waiting on that move that is all about the W’s and not about the F. F being future. Instead, fans are left pondering prospects and what veterans can bring back in a trade.

Change that, Mr. Hahn, or you are now the Ricky. And that is intended as an insult.

Featured Image: White Sox / Twitter