CHICAGO -- The White Sox have yet to accomplish any of their 2021 goals.
But as they get closer to capturing the American League Central title, which would mark their first division crown since 2008 and the first target on their extensive list, general manager Rick Hahn couldn’t be prouder with the path his organization has navigated to get there.
It has not been an easy road. The Friday return of catcher Yasmani Grandal from an injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte left their lineup as close to 100 percent as it has been all season, at the 130-game mark.
“If you had told me at the start of spring this was going to be the path, it would have seemed extraordinarily daunting,” Hahn said during a Zoom prior to the start of the Crosstown series with the Cubs. “The fact we sit where we sit, and it hasn’t been until today we’ve had the vast majority of our projected lineup in place, is a very nice testament to our player-development people, our amateur scouts, our pro scouts, people in the front office, the analysts who have helped plug the holes, so to speak, over the course of the last several months.”
Those last several months have featured significant injuries to key players such as left fielder Eloy Jiménez, center fielder Luis Robert, and Grandal, but the White Sox have been able to fill from within and with shrewd moves from without. Almost everyone is back healthy, with outfielders Billy Hamilton and Adam Engel and right-hander Evan Marshall still healing as the end of the regular season approaches.
“We take as an organization a tremendous amount of pride in the fact that we’ve had eight of our first-rounders contribute at various points over the course of the season,” Hahn said. “That doesn’t include Gavin Sheets coming up and doing what he did. Yermín Mercedes doing what he did. That’s a real feather in the cap of the amateur scouting department as well as player development.
“Being able to add Brian Goodwin, Billy Hamilton and Jake Lamb after the start of Spring Training, and having them play important roles, is a nice testament to our pro scouts and the analysts down in the front office. As I look back in retrospect, I couldn’t possibly be more proud of how the organization as a whole responded to the challenge.”
In-season playoff preparation
White Sox manager Tony La Russa met with his team after the Field of Dreams victory over the Yankees and at the start of a 14-game-run against playoff-caliber teams, ending with a victory in Toronto on Thursday. His message centered upon this two-week stretch being almost a dry run for the postseason in terms of focus.
“It’s difficult, it being August and this time of the year, and the schedule that lay ahead of us,” Hahn said of La Russa’s message. “But at the same time, it’s an opportunity to measure up against some of the more difficult opponents in our league. Focus and preparation needed to rise to the occasion.”
“Teams have more information, they've got four months-plus of looks at you, at your pitching, your hitting and vice versa, so the preparation changes,” La Russa said. “It's an opportunity to be more specific about how you approach scoring runs or getting outs, and the fact that you're playing quality opponents raises the stakes, and it's going to be competitive.”
Both Hahn and La Russa were happy with the showing from the White Sox, who finished 7-7 overall in a stretch also featuring shortstop Tim Anderson out of action for four straight games at Tampa Bay and Toronto.
“It was a great two weeks, it was enjoyable,” La Russa said. “The win yesterday was, I think one of the most important, and not just because we ended up with a win. I was thinking about it a lot. I think it was the most impressive seventh, eighth and ninth innings we've played all year.”
“Tony and the staff and the players to the man all responded to it well,” Hahn said. “With that said, I’m happy to see it in the rear-view mirror.”
They Said It
“We're open to anyone who wants to come in and root for the White Sox. We think there's a lot of fun times to be had watching this squad, not just over the next couple months but over the next several years. And it would be a shame for anyone to miss out. So welcome aboard.” -- Hahn, on if Cubs fans can convert to White Sox fans, and would they be welcomed in doing so
“He looked great walking in, the boys are fired up, everybody's talked to him. … I believe he sets a great example about strike-zone discipline.” -- La Russa, on Grandal