Liam Hendriks probably didn't set out on all of his charitable endeavors in order to bank goodwill for his own potential time of need, but as he undergoes treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, James Fegan wrote a terrific story about the support Hendriks is receiving from people and organization that he and his wife Kristi have supported.
One by one, Fegan talks to people whose lives and organizations have worked with the Hendrikses -- pit bull advocates, veterans, the LGBTQ community, and children with cancer among them. Many of them struggle with how to reciprocate in a way that will mean as much to him as his actions meant to them.
“It’s unfortunately come full circle in a way where he’s helped nearly 100 sick kids in the Chicagoland area, this is our opportunity to help him,” said Adam Petraglia, a survivor of childhood cancer and executive director of Bricks of Hope, a new foundation that gives LEGO sets to children enduring long hospital stays. With a slide-out table at his locker where he assembles LEGO sets to occupy his mind before games, it sounds like a charity Hendriks might have founded if it didn’t exist already. Instead, Liam and Kristi simply donated 96 LEGO sets to the fledgling foundation, which has given out more than 2,600 sets to children since launching in 2021. In turn, Petraglia gifted Hendriks a 3-in-1 Majestic Tiger set after hearing about his diagnosis. He doesn’t imagine it will take Hendriks all that long to complete, but he’ll appreciate the thought behind it as much as anyone.
Spare Parts
I'd been thinking that Elvis Andrus' market would come to life after Carlos Correa officially signed, but besides the Red Sox, Michael Baumann doesn't see many teams that need to spend $10 million on an OK shortstop. If he's willing to accept other infield positions, the White Sox make more sense, especially as a hedge against another Tim Anderson injury.
New White Sox assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson said his mindset is "We're not up there trying to hit singles," and this post by Ben Clemens indirectly explains why. It's one thing when Anderson drops base hits into right field as a way to generate his OBP at the top of the order, because he's going to swing 55 percent of the time no matter what, but it's far less helpful when Luis Robert expands his zone in the same way instead of doing actual damage.
That is way too moist of a headline for Noah Schultz, who has already changed his fastball approach under the guidance of Everett Teaford. Schultz is now emphasizing a two-seam fastball due to the run it gets from his lower arm slot.
The Automatic Balls and Strikes system will be used in two different ways across Triple-A this season, with half the games having all calls determined by it, and half the games using it for a challenge system backing up live umpires similar to tennis.
Joe McEwing was able to turn a dismissal into a promotion, as Matt Holliday's surprise resignation from Oliver Marmol's staff created a late-winter need.
Nick Madrigal, who is now making $1.225 million as a Super Two, has been usurped in the middle infield by Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner. He doesn't really work anywhere else, as you can tell by your reaction to this quote:
Hoyer mentioned Friday that Madrigal will take reps at third base. He has not played an inning at third in at least the last eight seasons, dating to his freshman year at Oregon State.
“He’s not what you think of a stereotypical third baseman power slugger,” Hoyer said, “but he’s a really good hitter, a really good player and he can definitely do it.”
