It was a full day of press conferences for the White Sox on Wednesday, with Rick Hahn, Mike Clevinger, and Pedro Grifol all answering questions about the club and its direction heading into Spring Training.
Here are some of the main topics Grifol discussed in just under 10 minutes with the media.
Mike Clevinger’s role with the team
Having had both Rick Hahn and Clevinger himself talk before him, Grifol was rather brief when it came to talking about Clevinger. He reiterated that Clevinger did address the team in the clubhouse Wednesday morning, while also stating that Clevinger will not affect how the team prepares for the season ahead
Regardless of what happened with Clevinger, Grifol praised the team’s “high energy” and execution of their day one game plan, which was the topic he was most interested in focusing on.
Grifol was not willing to discuss any contingency plan for Clevinger at this time in the case that he be suspended by Major League Baseball but said that if necessary, the team would address things at a later time. However, he was pretty straightforward in his message that Clevinger is a part of the team’s projected rotation as of now.
“We signed him to be a part of the rotation. He’s here in camp, and he’s working to be a big part of it.”
Results of the first day of team workouts
As previously mentioned, Grifol was most excited to talk about how the team was preparing day-to-day, as well as the energy and focus the team brought out on day one.
“What we went through today is that we are going to focus on the next ten days… and our expectation is to ramp up the energy… and attack the margins. We need to come out here and attack the running game, attack our PFPs, and make sure we don’t give up 90 feet – and that starts today, and we need to remain consistent.”
Grifol has consistently mentioned working through reps at game speed as being essential for the White Sox’ preparation this season, and that started in the bullpens as well today – anyone who threw a bullpen was already subjected to a pitch clock, which will be implemented by Major League Baseball starting this season. In a day of pretty sobering messages regarding the Mike Clevinger situation, it was nice to get some positive news about the team’s preparation and energy on day one.
Replacing Liam Hendriks in the Bullpen
Much like Rick Hahn earlier in the day, Grifol believed it was too early to get into the specifics about how the White Sox may be replacing Liam Hendriks as he recovers from his cancer diagnosis. Grifol praised the experience of the current group in the bullpen, adding that he believes he and the staff are going to be prepared to leverage different pitchers in specific situations. He did not say whether the team would ever be prepared to commit to a sole closer in Hendriks’ absence.
“The good thing is the makeup of this bullpen is that we have guys with experience that we can feel can pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings.”
This will likely be an ongoing question for the White Sox throughout the Spring, so look for many guys to get chances at the back end of the bullpen early on.
Second Base Competition
Rick Hahn and Pedro Grifol are clearly in lockstep right now, and while Hahn did mention that there are still conversations ongoing elsewhere regarding second base, Romy Gonzalez is getting rave reviews from anyone you ask in the organization. For now, Gonzalez appears to be the frontrunner for the job.
“There’s some good competition there. Romy [Gonzalez] had a good offseason, he looks really good. Obviously, [Lenyn] Sosa is a pretty good player, and Leury Garcia has some experience there. I’m looking forward to the competition at second base. But I can tell you that Romy has been here for about a week, and he really looks good right now – he’s strong and he’s gotten some good work in defensively… It’s a competition, it’s open for whoever wants it.”
Further clarification on Eloy Jimenez’s role on the team
As in previous conversations, Pedro Grifol would not commit to Eloy Jimenez’s full role with the team beyond saying he might see time in the outfield a few times a week.
“I want Eloy [Jimenez] to come to Spring Training ready to play the outfield. Now that doesn’t mean he’s going to… he might play two times a week, three times a week, I’m not sure. He’s gotta be prepared to play the outfield, he has to stay athletic. We’re going to play that by ear.”
The point Grifol is making is clear, however: the club wants Eloy Jimenez to remain focused and athletic without boxing him into the designated hitter role – even if that is what they ultimately decide to do. This allows Jimenez to remain in good shape that would allow him to play the outfield if the team deems it necessary. But, still, there is no indication that, for the long run, Eloy Jimenez is the team’s right fielder.
For Grifol’s full comments, click on the tweet below from our friends at NBC Sports Chicago!
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Featured Image: Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) / Twitter
