Spare Parts: Yolmer Sanchez’s Gatorade sequel

After coming up with the game-winning single in the eighth inning against Baltimore, Yolmer Sanchez seemed like he had earned the postgame interview, and perhaps another self-congratulatory Gatorade shower.

Welington Castillo instead received the invitation to sit next to Chuck Garfien, perhaps because Garfien also wanted to ask Castillo about James Shields’ strong pitching performance.

However, that gave Sanchez another way to flout convention. Castillo saw Sanchez come out with the Gatorade cooler and briefly steeled himself for a dousing.

Instead, Sanchez once again showed why he’s the nation’s leading artist in the sports drink medium.

If you watch it backward, it looks like Castillo watched a crime against nature.

And this is just good fun.

This is why you let Sanchez swing away when he has a chance to tie or win a ballgame. Well, that and it’s the better play.

Spare Parts

Alas.

Some observers think, for example, that Sox players are called upon too often to bunt. Is it really the best way for a losing team to break through with some increased run production? Are enough of the Sox able to bunt proficiently to begin with?

But what does it matter what others say? There the Sox were hours before the game Tuesday, taking bunting practice.

‘‘It was just a reaffirmation, I guess, of focus,’’ Renteria said.

It was only earlier this decade that bloggers were called “conspiracy theorists” for writing the White Sox paid attention to service-time dates. Now it’s nakedly assumed in headlines.

The White Sox are shifting more this season, but some teams are reducing the practice. One reason may be that while big shifts work on reducing singles — especially for certain hitters — it’s accompanied by a big jump in walks, which negates the effect.

We’re approaching the end of May, and Shohei Ohtani still hasn’t been exposed as a pitcher or a hitter.

Hitting: .310/.362/.598, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 7 BB, 22 K over 94 PA

Pitching: 4-1, 3.35 ERA, 29 H, 14 BB, 52 K over 40.1 IP

 

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As Cirensica

Hahn needs to find a way to keep Yolmer. He is good to have, and a nice complementary piece for a team for his versatility and switch swinging.

The Wimperoo

After Q was traded, I was looking for a new favorite player. Yolmer had me when he dumped the Gatorade on himself. I hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. You go Yolmer!

joewho112

Off topic, what time do you need to get to the stadium if you want a chance to get a players autograph? My 4 year old desperately loves Adam Engel (no accounting for taste) and would be over the moon to meet him.

Josh Nelson

I’d say when the gates open (1.5 to 2 hours before game time) and rundown to the third base line. There is always a group of people waiting to say hi to the players.

joewho112

Yeesh. I don’t like her that much

joewho112

If memory serves, the lines are bonkers (unless I am thinking of the line for running the bases)

sgp2204

How about you just write him a letter with an invitation to visit your house. Maybe he can come by when it’s most convenient for you. 

Marty34

Chicago to Charlotte is about a 12-hour drive … Gates open 90 minutes before the game and people start lining up then. You could probably get by getting there an hour before.

As Cirensica

Ha!

Flitcraft

Somewhere in Sox HQ there better be a secret file(s) outlining what a successful trade for Jose Abreu requires.

We’ve all seen/read/heard how valuable Abreu is to this organization, but no one should be untouchable. If the FO has decided they really need to be bowled over to deal Abreu, I hope he’s gone by the All-Star break.

Abreu’s been a great White Sox, everything any fan could ask for, and nothing I’ve written should be read as implying otherwise. But this might be the best time to say farewell.

Edit: Just re-read. Forced to ask myself “Geez — hot take much?” Sorry. I’ll leave it as is, but all I’m really wondering about are the winning arguments to actually trade Abreu. We’ve already heard why not.

lil jimmy

How do you feel about your wife?

Smclean09

I think it comes down to this.

1. You want to be in on the free agent off season next year and willing to sign 1 or 2 veteran starters and either a Pollock or Donaldson type (assuming Machado and Harper are not options).
Then you keep Abreu and Jones.

2. You understand you are probably further away then 85ish wins next year even with those upgrades or you are not willing to spend that money.
Then you trade both of them for best offer available along with your shields/Soria types as well. You dont hold out for value, you just get the best offer and hope Collins can be your 2020 first sacker.

PauliePaulie

#2

ParisSox

This is all so great! Yolmer, backwards Yolmer, Ohtani, and the fond memories of the conspiracy theorists. Bravo Jim. Made my day.

Marty34

If Mize drops because of medicals and Bohm, Bart, and Madrigal are off the board who are the Sox taking?

NDSox12

Are there concerns about Mize’s medicals, or was this simply a hypothetical?

Personally, I’d take Singer in that scenario.

PauliePaulie

There are whispers of a rumor. Kiley McDaniel shares most recent rumblings about it in the very first ? of his FanGraphs chat yesterday.

lil jimmy

The White Sox stopped drafting HS pitchers a while back but Carter Stewart and Matthew Liberatore look really, really good.

PauliePaulie

BA’s last podcast touched on this. Due to the inherent risk in HS pitchers, I don’t think the Sox are in position to do that at #4. The HS pitcher class is so deep they could go HS pitcher at #46 without losing too much in the way of upside.

Trooper Galactus

Alec Hansen has probably given me somewhat unrealistic expectations of what we can get out of the second round.

PauliePaulie

They can find a ton of recurring forearm injury pitchers in the 2nd round, Trooper.

As Cirensica

Hansen was a gamble. He was hurt, and that altered his draft position. If he wouldn’t have been hurt, he was a 1st round pick for sure.

sgp2204

Debatable.

He had the talent of a first round pick for sure, but he likely would’ve dropped anyways. He was demoted to the bullpen his last year in college because he couldn’t find the strike zone and walked nearly 7 guys per9. He might have snuck into the back end of the first or the comp round without injury issues, but I wouldn’t have bet on it. Fangraphs had him ranked as the 35th best prospect with a 45 FV, and MLB.com had him at 62. 

tommytwonines

If the White Sox draft a HS kid with their first pick than Chet Coppock and I are pushing a peanut up Michigan Avevnue with our noses. 

Okay, Chet’s doing the heavy pushing but I’m his second. 

PauliePaulie

Singer.
Good patreon ? for Longenhagen.

MrTopaz

I think I’d still take Mize. If I recall, McDaniel said yesterday that he didn’t expect the potential medical problem to be “gory” (I think is the word he used), and that Mize maybe falling if he doesn’t go 1-1 is as much a function of him not being a prototypical, once in a generation power pitcher SF or PHI had to take if he fell to them as much as it might be about genuine concerns about his ability to stay off the DL.

Having said that, though, Singer does look like a good pick, his lack of a plus pitch and herky-jerky, mildly Fulmer-esque delivery not withstanding.

Having said that, at this point I’m hoping it’s Madrigal. If nothing else, this org could use some more contact skills, and he might be the best bet for the Sox to get an elite hitter.

Lurker Laura

You lost me at “Fulmer-esque.”

lil jimmy

I think he meant “Fudd-esque”
Which is the propensity to hunt wabbits.

As Cirensica

When do you expect this to evolve to f@#$!-esque?

MrTopaz

Like Fuddrucker’s devolving to Buttf***er’s in “Idiocracy”?

MrTopaz

I did qualify my comment with “mildly.”

Greg Nix

Gotta go Mize if he’s on the board, I think. Especially if Madrigal is gone. This is similar to what happened to Rodon who, problems aside, has been a MUCH better pick than Kolek or Aiken.