White Sox avoid requiring encore from James McCann
By signing Yasmani Grandal, the White Sox broke new ground in multiple ways. He’s their new high-water mark for free agent contracts, and he should snap the team’s inability to command favorable strike zones for pitchers.
Grandal also helped the Sox break a bad habit. By signing somebody to slot in above a starter who performed credibly in James McCann, the move represents a pleasant departure from their tendency to ask too much of a guy who already surprised once.
It goes back to 2010, when the White Sox brain trust chose Mark Kotsay as a direct replacement to Jim Thome after a productive little 40-game sample in 2009. Kotsay flopped in the larger role, Thome pulverized Chicago’s pennant hopes in Minnesota, and it’s been bad news ever since. The Sox have run into similar issues with Omar Vizquel, Dewayne Wise, Conor Gillaspie, Tyler Saladino and J.B. Shuck on teams that were ostensibly trying. Their history is one of a team not quitting while it’s ahead, mostly because the roster has so many other sinkholes demanding greater attention.
McCann set a similar trap for the White Sox after his 2019 season, because while he attained All-Star credentials out of nowhere with the help of an unsustainable BABIP, it wasn’t entirely a mirage. After regression clobbered him in July, he recovered to hit a respectable .264/.323/.466 over the last two months with a .340 BABIP. That’s still high, but it’s partially reflective of his ability to take what the defense gives him with opposite-field singles.
Revisiting all the catchers who switched teams last year, the White Sox would’ve been hard-pressed to fare better in a detectable fashion. WARP hammers McCann for his framing, but his throwing made a big difference, and nobody can take his singles away from him. He seemed to be a positive contributor to the clubhouse, at least where Lucas Giolito was concerned.
All in all, I’d give the 2019 James McCann Experience a thumbs-up, especially considering the initial expectations. He might’ve been my last choice at the time of the signing, and the White Sox could’ve done a little better on the catching carousel, but they also could’ve done worse. Some teams lost a finger.
| Catcher | PA | OPS+ | FRAA | WARP | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McCann | 476 | 109 | -10.2 | 1.0 | $2.5M |
| Omar Narvaez | 482 | 120 | -12.3 | 2.3 | $581K |
| Kevan Smith | 211 | 89 | -7.9 | -0.2 | $572K |
| Martin Maldonado | 361 | 80 | 1.8 | 0.3 | $2.5M |
| Mike Zunino | 289 | 44 | 8.3 | 0.5 | $4.4125M |
| Jeff Mathis | 244 | 11 | -2.8 | -0.8 | $3.25M |
| Kurt Suzuki | 309 | 102 | -8.6 | 1.4 | $4M |
| Brian McCann | 316 | 86 | 5.0 | 1.8 | $2M |
| Yan Gomes | 358 | 78 | -1.6 | 1.3 | $7M |
| Wilson Ramos | 524 | 107 | -6.7 | 1.6 | $8.25M |
| Jonathan Lucroy | 328 | 75 | 0.4 | 0.0 | $3.35M |
| Matt Wieters | 183 | 80 | -7.4 | 0.0 | $1.8M |
| Russell Martin | 249 | 79 | 6.2 | 1.2 | $3.6M* |
(*Toronto covered $16.4 million of the $20 million owed in the final season of his five-year deal.)
This chart might be reason to stick with McCann, given the White Sox’s previous luck at the position and the idea that perfect is the enemy of good. However, that leaguewide volatility in catchers also made relying on McCann a dangerous proposition, at least without a formidable Plan B.
McCann is now that formidable Plan B behind an elite Plan A in Grandal, which is new ground for both team and player. The White Sox don’t often seek higher ground when they’re not actively underwater. Meanwhile, McCann has never caught fewer than 105 games in a full season, even in seasons where he shouldn’t have.
There will be an adjustment, and the good news is that Rick Renteria seems like a guy who can communicate such a thing.
“I spoke to Mac right away,” Renteria said at a White Sox charity event at Mercy Home on Tuesday. “I called him. I know here’s a guy who did a great job for us — All-Star. I’m sure he sees ‘Gosh we just signed a guy, gave him an extension, a multiple year contract, where do I fit?’ Well, I made him understand and the kind of conversation we had is he knows how I feel about him. The whole organization knows how I feel about him. I make no bones about it, I love Mac and I think that this addition does not detract from who he is and what he brings to the table for us as White Sox.”
McCann should find a couple starts a week behind the plate as Giolito’s go-to guy, and he should get a lot of looks against lefties. I wouldn’t want the White Sox to make him a primary player in a DH platoon, especially with rosters expanding to 26 and the relative cheapness of bat-only guys on the open market, but I’m generally supportive of two-catcher lineups when the situation demands it, and some situations in 2020 should. Also, should Grandal have to miss time, McCann has earned everybody’s respect as the first-stringer.
It’s a little funny how foreign the concept of roster depth feels, and as the rebuild kicks into the “take us seriously” stage, hopefully this isn’t the last time Renteria has to tell an adequate patch that the White Sox gave him a better player to play. Unless, I suppose, it’s somebody besides Renteria because the Sox decided to apply that same principle to manager.
Author
I just hope this is a year of “internship” for Collins. To study under two seasoned vets, and see what it takes at the highest levels. I think the bat can play now.
I agree, but how much can he improve his defense without playing? Grandal probably wont be happy with less than 100 starts at C. McCann is getting a minimum of 40-50, you’d have to imagine. There just isn’t enough playing time for Collins to play enough to make real improvements.
I think what makes the most sense is to do what they did over the second half last year over the full season. Shuffle Collins back and forth to AAA. Pull him up during long stretches without off-days when he can get playing time at DH, 1B, or C. Then send him back down again during lighter stretches of the season so he can get everyday playing time behind the plate at AAA.
Can’t see Jerry spending the $ to keep Jimmy Mac, especially since he’d only be here for another year. I can live with Collins as BU catcher despite the fact that Jimmy is better. It always boils down to $ with Jerry and his FO and the projected $4 – $6 mil for Jimmy will probably be better spent elsewhere, as in FA RF or SP.
Most improvement comes from practice. So theoretically he can improve as much as he is willing and able to do the work.
He can also learn a lot from having the time to study what Grandal and McCann do in games.
Grandal is here for 3 years. Collins is an afterthought. Hahn should move him for a piece that can help us win now rather than keep him as a hope to be catcher in 3 yrs.
Grandal is actually here for 4 years, but I agree. Pittsburgh needs a catcher- maybe we can package him for Starling Marte.
Yup…4 years. Even worse. Ship Collins even faster.
Honestly, what kind of trade value do you think Collins currently has. Talk about selling low on a high draft pick. You sound like you want to get rid of the guy just for the sake of getting rid of him.
Collins has value. In my OPP I traded Collins (among others) to get Ken Giles from the Bluejays. Giles is a player that can help us to win NOW.
Trade a top ten draft pick who might develop into an adequate catcher with an above average bat and is under team control for six years (along with additional pieces) for a righty relief pitcher who becomes a free agent in 2021 to win NOW. Even KW would hesitate at that, I think.
I think you don’t understand how trades work…also, I think you over value Collins
There’s nothing about trades I don’t understand. I’m not “over valuing” Collins, I’m including reasonable estimations of his raw talent, his ability to develop and the market value of team controlled in my consideration. You seem to be looking only a his 27 game major league career (including only 10 games at catcher) and deciding he has so little value to the Sox that he can only serve as a trade piece.
Prospects serve two purpose: Developing into core players or for trades to fill a gaping hole in the Major team that is deemed to be competing.
Your comments make me think that if a player has years of control is untradable or we should get equal amount of years of control of whoever we receive, and that is not how the vast majority of trades result.
I do think Collins have value, it is not just a lot. Can he become serviceable as Ryan Doumit or Kevin Plawicki? Sure, I don’t see why not. Can he be serviceable as Russell Martin? Well, I wouldn’t bet on it.
I agree prospects can be used for trade. I’d say that due to the under performance of many prospects and the lack of depth on the Sox, it doesn’t seem wise to be packaging prospects this off season. It’s a season too early to view prospects as trade bait. This time next year the Sox will better know if Collins can make it at catcher; if Burger has a future; which of B.Ruth, Aldolfo, Walker looks to be the long term RF option. Then you can look at which prospects are blocked by another player. Right now, the team has such little depth that I’d say none of our prospects are blocked to a point of being more valuable as a trade piece.
Those are two REALLY big mights where Collins is concerned.
Collins has been a bit of disappointment given that he was a top ten pick and in light of the catching prospects chosen in subsequent drafts. But, the team doesn’t seem to have given up on him and I wouldn’t presume to be able to accurately assess his ability to improve from afar.
Collins has been a high strikeout/high OBP/low BA player throughout his professional career, and his power has come and gone. At the highest level this is a profile that can work if the extremes balance out well enough (sufficient power/OBP to offset the Ks/BA), but I don’t know that Collins can provide enough on the plus side of those extremes to offset the negatives. I believe he can pan out to be useful, but I don’t see him as being a real huge plus in a lineup even if he does and far, far more liable to be a total bust. But hey, if Joey Gallo can figure things out, there’s always hope for a guy like Collins.
Wow, Troop, that’s a pretty detailed analysis of a guy with about 100 major league plate appearances. I’d agree that Collins’ profile raises concerns. Given how high he was drafted, his minor league numbers are a disappointment. But, the reference to Gallo speaks volumes. Collins is still a rookie and there’s no way to predict what he’ll figure out.
I’m basing it on his minor league track record, not his cup of coffee, which didn’t factor in to my opinion at all. There’s no denying he has a profile fraught with serious issues which can be heavily exploited at the highest level. I wish I could have more confidence in his 2019 numbers in Charlotte but it was such a ridiculous run environment it’s sort of hard to know what to make of it. At least his K rate ticked down a little bit, I guess, though again, I don’t know how much stock I can put in that.
I agree there’s plenty of cause for concern given how he performed throughout his minor league career. He showed more promise when he returned to Charlotte after his first brief stint with the Sox and after they adjusted his approach. But, players, especially rookies with innate talent but flaws in their approach, are greater than the sum of the stats they’ve compiled. Player’s such and Robert and Madrigal who glide through the minors on a more or less liner trajectory are rare.
He’s hardly a bust, but he’s also not somebody I’m banking on contributing.
Teams usually don’t and shouldn’t give up on one of their top-ten first round draft picks after 10 major league games at the position for which he was drafted. Grandal has a history of mentoring Collins going back to when Zack was a teen-age high school catcher. And, Grandal has a 4 year deal, McCann does not. I agree with lil jimmy, this situation gives Collins a good opportunity to develop defensively while providing the team with an additional lefty bat.
Early position changes happen often for catchers who aren’t expected to stick at the position on draft day (Schwarber, Matt Thaiss, Wil Myers, Pete O’Brien). Collins would be in that group, except he didn’t reliably hit professional pitching until this year, so he wasn’t booted from behind the plate to fast-track him.
Questions surrounded Collins’ ability to remain at catcher at the time he was drafted. The Sox show every indication that they’re committed to giving Zack every opportunity to develop at the position. A lefty-hitting catcher with power is a rare and valuable piece; so it makes sense to develop one. Equally important–as far as can tell, Collins wants to remain a catcher. As a 15 year old, he sought out Grandal to help him learn the position. Now that his mentor in a teammate, I’d guess Zack is all the more committed to remain at the position.
My thoughts exactly, especially since Sox are big on minimum wage players. I don’t think Collins has been a flop so far, simply because of sample size, and I do like his swing and he moves well behind the plate. Considering the recent list of catchers the Sox have had, I’ll be happy with the Grandal and Collins duo, and what better teacher than one of the best catchers currently in the game. I see the Sox trading Jimmy Mac, possibly in some sort of package deal.
There are no questions surrounding Collins. He is not a catcher. Time spent back there is time away from developing actual major league tools. Sox can give him a look at 1st base, but must concentrate on the bat.
Paulie, at this point, his manager and coaches don’t agree. He’s listed as a catcher on the team’s depth chart. Saying Collins is not a catcher is the equivalent of saying Eloy isn’t an outfielder or Anderson isn’t a shortstop.
No. Those things are not at all equivalent.
Eloy is seen as a guy who can spend a few years as a servicable LF, and blame for his failures are increasingly placed on the Sox develoopment staff. Anderson showed he can be an avg ML SS before recgessing last season.
There is not a single publication on the planet that still sees Collins as a catcher.
I’ve become well aware of your desire to die on every hill you choose. So I’ll leave it at that and not respond to further posts on the topic.
Respond or not as you choose. Regardless of your survey of unidentified publications. Collins remains a catcher on the team’s depth chart and as far, as I can tell, it remains in the Sox plans to continue employing him at the position.
I’d never seen Collins catch before his cup of coffee, but I have to say he looked really, really bad back there in what I saw. Small sample, but certainly fit what scouts have been saying rather overwhelmingly for some time.
I attended the “bullpen” game in Minnesota on Sept.19 during which Collins caught as the Sox employed 8 different pitchers for around 1 or 2 innings each. Collins looked a bit awkward behind the plate but the Sox won 3 to 1 and carried a “no-hitter” into the 6th. Zack basically handled a different pitcher every inning; he coaxed 2.1 hitless innings from Fulmer. Collins also homered in the ninth. While he certainly didn’t look like a polished vet behind the plate, his performance wasn’t “really bad.”
Dennan are you AI?
Who?
Artificial intelligence
Just backn’up his hero until July.
We already sign one for 4 years
Yeah, we already had Anderson so why not trade TatisJr. I would hope Hahn and company have learned the value of creating depth; especially when it’s home grown and under team control.
The “after thought” will be the back up catcher next year, when McCann is gone, and the primary DH this year. LH power, who takes a walk has value to them.
OK. That is also plausible, but there is some grow that is needed with Collins. To be a DH, he will need to hit a lot more than what he has shown, and to catch, well, he needs a lot of mentoring.
That’s why he has no trade value.
Maybe he has sweetener value
Back to MotorCity
Collins isn’t a total afterthought. The Sox still need a backup next year unless they’re extending McCann and they do still need a successor for Grandal. There’s still a 1B/DH role for him now or down the line, too.
They’d also be selling relatively low on Collins with the possibility he might make a big enough leap this year to either replace McCann or be more valuable in trade later.
Grandal agreed to DH also I say he’s in 150 games minimum next year.
I would be astonished if Grandal plays in that many games.
Grandal was in 153 games last year. I’m astonished you don’t know that.
That’s part of the reason I would be astonished. Between having to get four good years out of him and him coming off a season of rather heavy usage, I’d be surprised if there’s an encore in the offing. But thinking further on it off your comment, I guess having a legitimate second option (assuming McCann remains one) behind the plate and the option to DH makes it perfectly plausible, so I probably shouldn’t be so shocked if he does get 600+ PAs again.
If we are thinking ‘internship’, I would hope the team is strong enough wherein Collins is at AAA. Spike his value there and then look at trade possibilities for him or McCann during the season if the record allows such thinking. If for some reason the Sox are in it, Collins can then be called up as a third C and backup 1B/PH.
Grandal/McCann is an unbelievable platoon, even if for one season. Having Grandal catch ~100 games will keep him fresh down the stretch and will hopefully limit the mileage on him and injuries down the road. If we intend on competing this season, then Collins’ situation really shouldn’t be a primary concern. Trading him for something of value would be ideal, but it’s not like other FO’s are unaware of the situation or Collins limitations.
Collins is Grandals student. MaCann is going to be packaged for prospects.
I’d put money on McCann being traded. In fact, it would be very Sox to dump McCann for nothing just to save $500,000 (witness how they use their international pool money). It will be interesting to see what they do.
Don’t think Ricky would have called him to explain his role going forward if they were going to let him go. He will be an integral part of this team especially if Grandal suffers an injury. Nice to have talented depth going forward.
they have meetings after the season. Evaluate the season, and plan the off season. Ricky is part of those meetings. He would not call McCann and lie to him.
I like having McCann or some or bonafide catcher as depth. The trouble I see with McCann is how it could affect planning for DH and signing a big bat like Encarnacion. We know Grandal will get some time at DH. And if the Sox are trying to get McCann more at-bats, it also means time at DH. A call may mean something or it just may be a courtesy to let McCann know what the team is currently thinking and that it could change.
Dumping McCann would save more like $4 million.
as would Leury.
Yes, but I think Leury is a better bet to be worth the money. I also don’t think he’ll get that much in arbitration.
Just pointing out that if saving four million is the object… 4.2 is his predicted figure.
We really don’t have a legit 3rd catcher hence McCann has more value than Leury. Leury is more easily replaced with Engel in OF and Mendick in INF. Again my concern is an injury situation with Grandal. Let’s not get silly over a few million.
I think “legit third catcher” is less useful than “credible 7-position bench player”. Yes, Leury can be replaced by Engel and Mendick, but that’s two players (generally inferior) players to fulfill a single role that Leury covers. Also, I think it’s a bit too soon to consider Collins a “legit third catcher”.
Winner ?
I hope Renteria gives Grandal a chance to catch Giolito.
Paulie, why would a Grandal/Giolito battery matter?
Framing.
https://soxmachine.com/2019/11/25/the-white-sox-finally-find-a-framer-in-yasmani-grandal/
Specifically the section Jim highlited from James Fegan.
Giolito didn’t seem to have much trouble getting strikes pitching to McCann. I’m no expert, but when a pitcher works the zone high to low rather than working the corners, as with Giolito and Cease, framing becomes a less significant concern. I tend to think framing skills are a bit over-rated. When compared to other skills at which McCann excels, pitch calling, preparation, throwing, I don’t see his poor framing skills as that meaningful.
Oh boy… I have been there. I have to read a lot to appreciate the value of framing. Other things matter, like you say, but do not underestimate the value of framing which can be even more important when developing young arms (Cease, Kopech, Giolito, Rey)
I’ll certainly grant that as long as human umpires call balls and strikes, framing matters. Lopez seems especially to suffer as a result of poor framing. I’d even suspect that having a “top framer” as your starting catcher might help, a little, in acquiring a free agent starter. Still, I’d value the rapport between Giolito and McCann above swapping McCann for a better framer all else being equal.
Sure, Giolito’s comfort does matter some. I don’t think Grandal would have trouble establishing rapport with him, though. If Grandal isn’t as good a gamecaller as McCann–which seems unlikely given Greinke’s endorsement and reports out of Milwaukee–then the deficit probably isn’t large.
The reason you might keep the pairing is that Giolito’s proven he can overcome the disadvantage where it’s proven more troublesome for everyone else. So if you need to get Grandal a day of rest, that’s the least costly way to do it.
I’d rather see McCann used as a back up should be used. Day games after night games. Against tough lefties. Playing other Central teams, where his knowledge comes into play. Pinch hitting, for match ups. Late innings replacement, is the game is decided.
Also, I have a feeling McCann’s throwing helped with Giolio’s baserunner control.
McCann was apparently really terrible on anything that wasn’t a fastball up.
By BP’s metrics–they have 1 measuring ease or difficulty of framing a pitcher and 1 measuring the catcher’s actual results with the pitcher–Giolito was an easy pitcher to frame but got absolutely punished by McCann’s lack of receiving skills. Giolito was just good enough to overcome the disadvantage and did benefit some from the other things McCann does well.
I wouldn’t rush to break up the Giolito/McCann battery. But, I’m really eager to see if Grandal helps Lopez be a more consistently good pitcher.
“Giolito didn’t seem to have much trouble getting strikes pitching to McCann.”
I cited the article. I cited the part of the article that shows how wrong that is.
“Lucas Giolito was the 12th most negatively affected pitcher by framing.”
Ignoring facts doesn’t mean they aren’t still there.
“….framing becomes a less significant concern” False. Losing strikes is measurable. He lost the 12th-most. So it obviously is still very significant.
Whether you “see it” how it “seems” or how you “feel” are immaterial to this reality.
I don’t ignore facts; the issue isn’t a question of fact but interpretation. The very sentence you quote goes on to state that Giolito “went and had a breakout year anyway.” Lucas had 228 strikeouts which is the 7th highest total in team history and the highest by a right-hander since Big Ed Walsh in 1912. The fact that he accomplished this while being the “12th most negatively affected pitcher by framing” might be viewed as evidence that framing isn’t as important to a pitcher’s success as some people think.
So now your argument changes from -he didn’t have trouble getting strikes- to -this is evidence that losing strikes does not matter-.
You’re confusing unsupported opinion with reasoned interpretation of facts.
The proliferation of this in society today is troubling.
All thoughts do not deserve equal weight.
Goodbye.
My argument hasn’t shifted at all. Giolito’s high strikeout total, imo, raises doubt as to the significance of tracking how many strikes are lost by “poor framing.” I’ve offered no unsupported opinion, indeed, I’ve really assert no position. And, establishing a fact entails more than citing a statistic. Your contention that Giolito’s “losing strikes” to poor framing has significance involves assumptions that I think are unexamined.BTW, there’s a circularity to your claim; you can’t establish the significance of framing simply by proving power framing happens.
I don’t know why you view this as evidence of framing not mattering so much and not the difference between Giolito finishing sixth as opposed to top-3 for the CYA. Framing might literally have kept him from being in conversations alongside Verlander and Cole as the best starter in the game.
Yes it might. But quantifying poor framing doesn’t establish that it has that impact. I’d bet McCann doesn’t think that such is the case.
Quantifying framing literally establishes the impact. That’s the entire point of quantifying it.
I’ll confess that perhaps I’m just biased against talk of framing because I think it’s a more trendy than insightful stat. A decade ago maybe there was a huge differences between good and bad framers. But now all catchers are decent framers and I’d have to see a lot of peripheral stats before I’d accept that bad framing actually cost runs or reduces strikeouts in ways that can’t be compensated for through other skills.
All catchers aren’t decent framers. There’s actually more bad framers than are good. Per Baseball Prospectus Framing Runs, there were 33 catchers with at least 1,000 framing chances who produced any sort of positive value, however negligible, as opposed to 40 in the negative. If Zack Collins had as many opportunities behind the dish as Castillo did at the rate he bled strikes he’d have been only slightly better than McCann and Castillo in the stat, and possibly with them in the bottom-10.
But never mind the stats; when the team switched from Flowers to Navarro, we saw a MASSIVE change in how it affected our pitching staff. We went from it never being an issue or a discussion to absolute astonishment over how many obvious strikes were not getting called for our pitchers. The eye test alone told us something was seriously off, and the evidence suggests catcher framing was the primary culprit. Sure, great pitchers can still overcome a bad framer, but they have to labor to do it more with innings getting extended unnecessarily. We’ve seen Sox pitchers burned by it for several years now, and it’s been unbelievably frustrating.
@Denman
You should seek out and study those “peripheral stats” instead of coming to conclusions like- “pitcher has good season throwing to bad framer = framing is meaningless.
That’s 1 + 1 = bananas.
I haven’t argued “framing is meaningless”, indeed, I stated the exact opposite; but, I do suspect that the current emphasis on the importance of framing exaggerates it’s impact. Actually, I don’t need to seek out anything. The burden is on you to demonstrate that “poor framing” has the negative impact that you’re claiming it does and that “good framing” alone will significantly improve pitching outcomes.I would contend that it is your contention that a pitcher who has a good season throwing to a bad framer will therefore have an even better season throwing to a good framer is what stands in need of further support.
This is the most convoluted POS argument I’ve ever read on here or SSS, and that includes BonScottBigBalls’ greatest hits.
@trooper…Stop making sense. It does not help the narrative.
Damn TrooperG, who’d you piss off today? I’ve had to upvote almost every one of your comments to get you back to 0.
Oh, I have a sneaking suspicion it’s the same guy that did it last week.
Think he may have created a rec account or 3, also. Some odd up and down voting going on.
^This^
It’s gotten pretty ridiculous lately and lines up perfectly with a few new arrivals.
it seems like I wake up and find a lot of up and down stuff happened over night.
@lj:That’s what she said.
Walked right into that one.
If you’re lobbing softballs I’m gonna take a swing at em. 🙂
That’s why his balls are soft.
they are nice and firm, and you two Jamokes can’t prove otherwise!
Don’t be so teste.
I thought it was just me.
Anyone who disagrees with a certain new arrival is getting downvoted to death.
Best catcher catching best pitcher, for starters.
Gotta go. Hawks on at 3:00!
This is a very easy decision for the White Sox.
McCann is too valuable to be a part-time backup.
Collins is a student of Grandal.
73 million Bones says it’s Grandal full time with his 1,2,3 starters.
Reading through all the comments, my take away is that Collins is the new Flowers.
Hahahaha….
I read this five times and still can’t quite decipher it. Someone explain (the part after the last comma, mostly).
Boomer might know.
Now that the Sox are competing, hopefully it won’t be the last time that they obtain really good players who push okay players into lesser roles.
Thank you.
Who is Boomer?
KenWo’s slightly less successful White Sox trivia answering brother.
I mean less successful at answering White Sox trivia, I have now idea how successful he is in real life.
Thank you! I was thinking brother-in-law.
Actually I think Boomer might have a slight edge in the trivia department, though. Just going by the last few years of Ted’s Sporcles.
I’m pretty sure Ken wins most weeks. You might be confused because Ken refers to himself as the Bad Guy, a la Razor Ramon.
I had to read it twice. The key to understanding it for me was the realization that the antecedent of the objective pronoun “him” is Renteria.