Following up: White Sox mostly on schedule after injuries
The three most new and noteworthy injuries the White Sox dragged into camp are almost resolved, which is never a guarantee when guys hit the shelf in spring training.
Yasmani Grandal: He stretched a single into a double and stole a base against the shift in a B game on Wednesday, then caught three innings and came to the plate three times against the Cubs on Friday, drawing a walk and striking out twice.
He described the cautious handling of his calf injury in an ominous fashion after his first appearance of the season …
“My main concern was that the doc said if it happens again, especially this early, it can be eight weeks,” Grandal said. “Him saying that kind of stays in the back of your head. . . . So far, so good, and hopefully we won’t have to be talking about this for much longer.”
… so hopefully that won’t be a Chekhov’s gun of sorts.
Lucas Giolito: A chest muscle strain delayed the start to his spring, but he made his debut against the Cubs on Friday and it didn’t tax him. He faced four batters, going groundout, hit by pitch, backwards K and flyout. He threw 20 pitches in the inning, and 10 more in the bullpen afterward.
You might have noticed that his first start in a Cactus League game overlapped with Grandal’s.
‘‘He presents a great target, very relaxed back there,’’ Giolito said. ‘‘We didn’t get deep into sequencing and things like that because I was pretty much throwing all fastballs and mixed in a couple of changeups. I was a fan of the 3-2 changeup call, for sure. That was something I like going to. But we’re going to keep working, for sure.’’
Gio González: His shoulder stiffness posed the greatest threat to 2020 plans out of all of these injuries because he had a shoulder issue with Milwaukee last season. That said, he appears to be sustaining progress, and everybody involved still seems to be projecting him to be ready for his first regular season start.
González threw 30 pitches Friday in a simulated game, getting up and down a couple of times. He will throw a bullpen Sunday and then will be slotted in somewhere to pitch Wednesday.
The White Sox need González more than they would like, because their pitching depth remains shaky beyond Michael Kopech. Jonathan Stiever’s spring was interrupted by a forearm injury. That’s usually cause for greater alarm, but Rick Hahn downplayed it.
As for the other options, Bernardo Flores didn’t cover himself in glory Saturday. He gave up hits to all four San Francisco Giants he faced in the eighth inning, capped off by a Darin Ruf homer.
Adalberto Mejía hasn’t fared much better in either of his last two outings, unless you’re a fan of consistency no matter what shape it takes.
The hope is that González makes the sixth-starter issue moot, and Kopech makes it a seventh-starter battle over the coming weeks.
Author
Madrigal interview on Fangraphs: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-nick-madrigal-doesnt-try-to-hit-home-runs-anymore/
Jim talked Sox with Joe Ostrowski of the Score last week in case anyone missed it:
https://670thescore.radio.com/media/podcast/joe-ostrowski-show
Ostrowki’s Score show is available on ITunes, also.
Thanks for the link tt. Jim in fine form as usual.
Heuer looks really really good. I do not understand how the sox found another lefty that can chuck a 97MPH Sinker, but he should start on the big league roster. I have high hopes.
Jim, Not that you need advice from a pleb from myself, But I’d love to read a deep dive into the 3 batter minimum and how you think the sox may be prepared for it.
Just looking at our bullpen I think we are in a position to really benefit from the 3 batter minimum. IE -from a pitching perspective we are set to not have any major setbacks We have a lefty that can get everyone out and also go 1+ in Bummer. Cishek can go 1+ and gets both sides out. Colome historically is not a afraid of Lefties. If Heuer can be another lefty that can get both sides out, we could be looking at an extremely strong pen in perspective of the 3 batter minimum.
Compare that to a team like the Indians who have more Righty/Lefty specialists, and I’m excited.
Offensively, our bench is not in a great position to take advantage of the 3 batter minimum. I believe bench bats are going to be more important in 2020 than they ever have been. IF you put a Platoon masher into a beneficial matchup, you now know the manager cannot react to subbing out his pitcher. Watch the Rays and A’s both break the AL Record for pinch batters this year. Wish I could place that bet in Vegas. Its gonna be huge, and I think could be why somebody like Delmonico may have a back door to a roster spot, potentially taking mendicks spot when Madrigal arrives
FYI: Rivers Casino near O’Hare is opening Illinois’ first legal sports book tomorrow (Monday). Others are following soon, but I’m not sure how funky they’ll get with prop bets at first.
I like Heuer’s stuff a lot too, but unless I’m hallucinating he’s a RHP.
This is a very common misconception about Heuer! Until this spring training I thought he was a lefty as well.
I think he may have been misidentified as LHP on some prospect list back in the day b/c way too many of cams into the spring thinking he was a southpaw.
Wait, this can’t be true. Heuer is a lefty, my entire world view revolves around this indisputable fact.
great article on it from Jayson Stark at the Atheltic
https://theathletic.com/1656469/2020/03/06/stark-managers-react-to-the-new-three-batter-rule-thats-not-fair/
I enjoy seeing Francona freak out about it, because he’s basically the guy the rule is targeting.
Did Stiever hurt himself practicing his slides?
Is he planning on batting often enough to get on base enough to need to slide?
As for any injury issues – he missed about 3 weeks as a sophomore at Indiana with shoulder inflammation but otherwise has never had an injury in high school, college, or pro ball until now.
And he pitched 145 innings last year, his first full pro year, while just getting better as the year went on. So I’m not too worried my favorite pitching prospect will still be a healthy workhorse.
“Side” = “Side session.”
How did he manage to injure all 4 of his arms?