Happy Friday, Sox Fans. We’re now into the third day of Spring Training as pitchers and catchers are in full swing along with a good amount of the position players. Here is the latest White Sox news to round out the week:
Cease Making Mechanical Adjustments
In a meeting with the media this morning, Dylan Cease reflected back on 2019. He said towards the end of last season, Reynaldo Lopez pointed out that the rookie was getting too rotational. This has been an area Cease has been working on in his overall efforts to improve mechanically. Here is the full clip from that portion of the interview:
Cease finished last season with a 4-7 record, 5.79 ERA, 81 strikeouts, 35 walks, 1.548 WHIP, and -0.2 WAR over 73.0 IP. He will be a key part of this rotation in the upcoming campaign and should be a player to watch especially with these improvements to his delivery. For more on his quotes from this morning, check out Daryl Van Schouwen’s article for the Chicago Sun Times.
New Details on Abreu Extension
Some interesting, but not really surprising new details came out about Jose Abreu‘s negotiations for his contract extension this offseason. The veteran said he had no conversations with other teams and his sole focus was to return to the White Sox. “My agent and I were focused on the White Sox. That was our focus through the whole process,” Abreu said. He went on to add, “I don’t care about the money.”
It’s hard to say what other teams would have offered the first basemen, but it might be even harder to imagine Abreu playing elsewhere. He has expressed his desire to stay and has been a solid bat in the lineup ever since he stepped foot on the South Side. And, like everyone else, he also expressed his desire to start winning.
Moncada Lists Lineup Preference
Yoan Moncada discussed his role in the White Sox lineup for the upcoming season. While he saw his fair share at the leadoff spot in 2018 and 2019, the third basemen actually prefers hitting a spot below at number two. Ultimately, he said he will hit wherever he can best help the team.
For reference, Moncada had 449 plate appearances in the leadoff role in 2018 and 41 in 2019. During those two years combined, he slashed .246/.320/.428 with 14 home runs, 51 RBI, and a .748 OPS. When he’s hit in the two-spot during his career, his slash drastically jumps to .316/.381/.554 with 24 homers, 59 RBI, and a .935 OPS. The splits are apparent and his aggressive translates into higher numbers in all major categories.
Ricky himself said on Wednesday that he would try to have a consistent lineup in 2020 so it will be interesting to see if Moncada will find himself just a tick below the leadoff role.
Gio Gonzalez Throwing Despite Minor Injury
The other day, Gio Gonzalez was part of a trio of players who suffered minor injuries. He suffered from mild shoulder soreness, an injury considered minor and one that shouldn’t prevent him from being out a prolonged amount of time. Renteria said that today he played catch and was “feeling good.”
Yasmani Grandal suffered a mild calf strain and Lucas Giolito experienced a mild chest strain earlier in the week. Like Gonzalez, these other two injuries are very minor and will not keep the players from missing any time at the beginning of the season.
AL Central News
- Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger underwent surgery today after he suffered a partial tear of the meniscus in his left knee this week. He is expected to return to Major League game activity in 6-8 weeks, which is around the first few weeks of the season.
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Featured Photo: Chicago White Sox/Twitter
