(670 The Score) New White Sox manager Pedro Grifol wasted no time detailing his vision for the identity he wants his club to have.
“It’s an extremely talented club on both sides of the ball,” Grifol said. “Without getting too deep into some of the other things, here are some of the things that you can expect from the 2023 White Sox. We will communicate … We will be fundamentally sound, we will play with passion, pride for this uniform. This means something. We will respect the game, our fans and earn their trust. We will be prepared to control the strike zone on both sides of the ball. We will work hard and play winning baseball every night. And we will definitely hold each other accountable. I truly see great things happening here. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
Grifol, 52, was officially introduced Thursday as the 42nd manager in White Sox history. He worked in the Royals organization for the past 10 years, including the last three as their bench coach. Prior to that, he worked in the Mariners organization in various roles for 13 seasons.
Grifol’s appointment ended a month-long search for the White Sox after former manager Tony La Russa stepped away due to health reasons and after a disappointing 2022 season in which Chicago went 81-81 after holding championship aspirations.
There were myriad reasons for the White Sox’s struggles this past season, including the offense’s lack of power and a club-wide lack of fundamentals that was often reflected in their poor defense and bad baserunning. Grifol made clear his team will play smart baseball.
“We’ve got to improve defensively, obviously,” Grifol said. “And I feel that fundamentally, we got to improve. And again, I go back to the intensity level and the energy that we’ve got to bring to our preparation. This is a very good club. It’s a club that’s prepared to win, to do great things. I personally am going to be a stickler to the preparation, the energy, it’s going to get us where we want to go. These guys are going to come to play every single night.”
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