PEORIA, Ariz. -- Speed is the name of the game for White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor. Speed, and accuracy.
Actually, for a pitcher who touched 101.2 mph with his fastball on Feb. 23 at Surprise Stadium, it would be more about velocity and accuracy. But in this case we are talking about solving a Rubik’s Cube and not pitch selection.
Remember the color-coded 3D combination puzzle that became popular in the '80s? Well, in a recent video from the White Sox social media team, in which they asked for an unknown fun fact from each White Sox player, Taylor was one of a few who said he could solve the Cube.
Taylor was put to the test -- and aced it -- putting the square in order in exactly 45 seconds. Impressive, but not his best time.
“I had a fifth grade teacher, she just whipped [the Cube] out in class one day and did it,” Taylor said. “Me and my buddy were sitting there and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
“We went home and bought one at Target and learned how to do it. Me and him got a little competitive. We would go back and forth trying to solve it faster than each other. We got down to 25 seconds. I’ve just had one lying around ever since. Picked it up every once in a while.”
There’s definitely a method to Rubik’s success, according to Taylor. You have to get the cross, then you go layer by layer, move to the top and then you orient the pieces. Maybe Taylor’s intensity toward learning these answers and then his precision with the puzzle transfers over to the mound?
It took Taylor a second or two to come up with an answer, but the No. 8 White Sox prospect, per MLB Pipeline, found a way to tie them together.
“You could say a little -- it’s methodical,” said Taylor, who struck out two in a scoreless eighth Saturday during an 18-9 victory over the Mariners in Peoria, reaching 98 mph on the radar gun. “You are studying different scenarios to figure out what the best option is. You could say that for pitching. You are studying different hitters for what the best scenario is. You are studying your mechanics for the best moves.”
Ultimately, the Rubik’s Cube is just for fun. Though, for Taylor, it's also for unspoken bragging rights over Jonathan Cannon, who he topped in the competition.
Thorpe stays on track
After throwing a 31-pitch bullpen session on Friday, Drew Thorpe wouldn’t exactly count himself ahead of schedule as he works back from offseason soreness related to surgery on Sept. 7 that shaved down a bone spur in his right elbow. But he’s certainly making progress.
“That was the plan all along,” Thorpe told MLB.com Saturday morning. “Week to week it’s getting better. I’m less sore this Wednesday than I was last Wednesday.
“I feel honestly a lot better today than I thought I was going to feel. I know obviously I’m going to feel some things throughout the buildup process. We are in a good spot right now.”
After going just fastball/changeup through his first couple of bullpens, Thorpe mixed in some sliders on Friday after using them while playing catch over the week.
“They were a lot better than I thought they were going to be,” Thorpe said of his sliders. “That was a good sign. Build up from there.”
Things are still being looked at as day to day for Thorpe, making sure he responds to each challenge. Manager Will Venable talked about a couple of “up/downs” for Thorpe possibly on Tuesday’s off-day, with some sort of game action loosely targeted for the last week of Spring Training.
“Obviously you don’t want to be hurt,” Thorpe said. “I knew it was going to take some time coming back but I feel like the plan right now is kind of working and we are feeling good. So, hopefully just stay on the same path.”
Third-to-first
Chase Meidroth walked in each of his first three plate appearances Saturday against the Mariners in Peoria, scoring twice. He also doubled home a run, seeing 21 pitches in total.
The White Sox scored 10 runs over the first three innings, including an eight-run third. They had scored 19 runs total over their 1-6 start to Cactus League action.
Shane Smith struck out three over two perfect innings as Saturday’s starter.
“I'm still working on some things, sequencing and executions,” Smith said. “But other than that, stuff felt good."