CHICAGO (670 The Score) — All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson is the beating heart of the White Sox, a leader who has endured the challenging years of a rebuild, a rise to the top of the AL Central and then a disappointing downfall in 2022.
Anderson knows well the potential of the White Sox, and he's sick and tired of dwelling on what has gone wrong.
"We only talk about this year," Anderson said.
The White Sox are mostly the same group from last season, when they went 81-81 and finished 11 games back of the Guardians for the division crown. While the White Sox didn't showcase any improvement in a 12-3 loss to the Giants in their home opener Monday afternoon, they remain confident that a sharpened edge under new manager Pedro Grifol can be a difference-maker for them this season.
Grifol was hired to replace Tony La Russa this past offseason and change the way this team approaches the game.
White Sox starting pitchers have been asked to call their own games through PitchCom technology, a step toward taking more control of their outings. Relievers have been tasked with being ready for any high-leverage situation at any time in a game, as Kendall Graveman found in working three of the four games in Chicago's opening series in Houston. Grifol's lineups rely more heavily on analytics and information than La Russa's did the past two years.
Grifol has emphasized to players to take the extra base and make the added effort to do whatever it takes to win. He intends to bring accountability back for the White Sox.
The White Sox have quickly found that Grifol is setting a new standard.
"I'm going to have fun," Grifol said. "I'm going to have a smile on my face. (But) I'm going to be intense. I'm going to challenge them. They're going to challenge me. So, that's the environment we're trying to create here."
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn sought out the stylings of a leader like Grifol after La Russa stepped away from the game late in the 2022 season due to ongoing health issues. The Hall of Fame manager La Russa came out of retirement prior to the 2021 campaign and guided the White Sox to an AL Central title in his first season before overseeing a major disappointment in 2022. His tenure was marked by an inconsistent approach and the regression of several talented players.
Hahn's review of the 2022 White Sox season confirmed the need for improved leadership. It led him to the 53-year-old Grifol, a baseball lifer who spent the last 10 years as a coach with the Royals, including the previous three seasons as bench coach.
Throughout spring training and now in this first week of the new season, Hahn has seen the White Sox embrace the changes that Grifol has brought to the clubhouse.
"The energy has been fantastic," Hahn said. "The communication has been really good.
"You got a focused, high-energy staff that's really getting the most out of these guys."
Early on in a rebuild that began in earnest in December 2016, the White Sox believed they were heading toward a run of success the franchise had never seen before. Hahn stated the goal was to compete for and win multiple championships, not just one. The potential and promise grew as each prized prospect arrived in Chicago.
But over the last year, the concept of potential focused on whether the White Sox could overcome their injury woes, whether underperforming players could regain their best form and whether a clubhouse full of talent could come together as one. When a leader like Anderson turns away from reflecting on the past, he's acknowledging the frustrating shortcomings that have haunted his team.
Hahn came to accept the previous chapter before turning the page to what's next. As part of his 2022 post-mortem, he sought out necessary solutions. Now, the White Sox have made key investments just outside of their home clubhouse doors.
Along the third-base line in the lower bowels of Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox have added new technology such as pitching and hitting labs and made sports performance additions. The key investments have helped bring the White Sox's infrastructure up to par with the rest of baseball.
The goal for Hahn and his brass is to increase performance, decrease injury woes and maximize what the White Sox have on this roster.
"It's important," Hahn said. "We made that clear at the start of our search, that we wanted to get a different look at who we were, what we were doing and ways to get better.
"Changing it up helps reinvigorate some of the guys who were held over from the last player group. So, it's definitely been a positive, the fresh eyes, the fresh approach, and certainly the energy and communication have been great."
The White Sox are counting on more consistent production from third baseman Yoan Moncada, designated hitter Eloy Jimenez and catcher Yasmani Grandal, who each struggled with performance and health last season. They need right-hander Lucas Giolito to pitch like an ace again and not a fifth starter, and they're hoping right-hander Michael Kopech's ugly start to the season is just a blip. Their bullpen depth will be tested without All-Star closer Liam Hendriks, who brought the only good news Monday in announcing he's starting his final round of chemotherapy.
Will it all make a difference for the White Sox in 2023? That much remains to be seen in a season filled with intrigue.
The White Sox are hoping their best is good enough in a new season — and that there's still untapped potential that will help put the past away.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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