Manager Pedro Grifol took the fall, but the White Sox organization is dysfunctional - The Boston Globe (2024)

There seems to be little chance of the White Sox catching the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who were 20-134 in their first season. But that can’t be said for sure. Starting Monday, 24 of the White Sox’ remaining 43 games are against postseason contenders.

“Obviously there was something that was broken,” general manager Chris Getz said.

Grifol had a .319 winning percentage over 279 games. Only three managers in history were worse over the same number of games or more, none since Doc Prothro guided the Phillies to a 138-320 (.301) record from 1939-41.

Grifol was on Kansas City’s coaching staff from 2013-22, the last three as bench coach. But he was passed over when the Royals hired Matt Quatraro as manager. That seemed telling, but the White Sox hired Grifol anyway.

Grifol took the fall, but it’s really an issue of organizational dysfunction that became cemented in place.

The White Sox have not won a playoff series since winning the 2005 World Series. The next manager will be their third in four seasons and the fourth in six years, not counting interim skippers.

Getz said the next manager will come from outside the organization. That makes sense. But Getz has been in the organization since 2016 and 88-year-old owner Jerry Reinsdorf greatly values the counsel of former manager Tony La Russa, who returned to the organization as an adviser this season. Will they allow for somebody with fresh ideas about running a team?

The White Sox have taken some steps in modernizing their baseball operations staff, in particular the hiring of Brian Bannister as senior adviser for pitching. But there is still more work to be done, especially in a division where the Royals are on the rise and the Guardians and Twins are established contenders.

The White Sox need a counterpart to Bannister for hitting. Their .617 OPS isn’t just the worst in baseball, it’s a canyon away from the league average of .713.

The defense is dreadful, too.

There’s no reason to feel sorry for Andrew Benintendi, who has a World Series ring and a $75 million contract. But the same player who once had a game-saving catch in the 2018 ALCS for the Red Sox looked almost embarrassed to catch the final out of the streak-breaking victory Tuesday.

“We won a game, nothing more than that,” Benintendi said with his usual reserve. “A win’s a win. We’re all excited obviously, but this is no different than any other win.”

Well, except that the previous win was 26 days before.

DOUBLE DUTY

Jansen can make history at Fenway

Danny Jansen is a guaranteed winner when the Red Sox face the Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Aug. 26 in the completion of a suspended game.

“That’s one way to look at it,” he said.

Jansen was the starting catcher for the Blue Jays on June 26 when the game was suspended by rain in the second inning. He was then traded to the Red Sox on July 27.

If Jansen plays for the Sox on Aug. 26, statistics will show him playing for both teams. That has never happened.

Jansen was at the plate when the game was suspended, down 0-1 in the count with a runner on first base against Kutter Crawford. He will have to be pinch hit for.

This is where it gets wild. Reese McGuire was the catcher on June 26 and is no longer on the Red Sox roster. So Jansen could well be behind the plate while the Jays pinch hit for . . . Jansen.

Because Jansen was one pitch into his plate appearance, the pinch hitter will be credited with the plate appearance. Sadly, Jansen can’t strike out or draw a walk while Jansen is catching.

Rule 7.02(h) allows teams to use players to complete a suspended game who were not on the roster when the game was suspended.

There are examples of players making their major league debut then technically appearing in a game that was before their debut. That happened with Juan Soto in 2018. But Jansen could be the first player to play for both teams in the same major league game.

“I heard about it when I traded. It’s kind of funny,” Jansen said. “I just hope we win.”

And, yes, he means his new team.

A few other observations on the Red Sox:

▪ The fans who came into Kauffman Stadium when the gates opened for the Red Sox-Royals game Tuesday got to see Liam Hendriks throw an inning to hitters on the field.

The Sox moved their batting practice inside and used their time on the field to set up a simulated game for Hendriks, his first since having Tommy John surgery.

Hendriks did not hold back. When a few of his pitches missed their mark badly, he let loose with a loud string of curses. At one point he missed badly with a pitch and caught the return throw from the catcher with his bare hand while muttering to himself.

The Sox players and coaches hadn’t seen that side of him and were quite amused.

▪ The Sox will have an interesting decision to make once Triston Casas is deemed ready to come off the injured list.

He’s a lefthanded-hitting first baseman. So is Dominic Smith, who has been one of the team’s best hitters since July 1. He’s also a very well-respected teammate in the clubhouse.

With Masataka Yoshida a lefthanded-hitting DH, that spot is filled. Casas only plays first base. Smith has experience in left field but not since 2021. The Sox also don’t need any outfielders.

Rosters expand from 26 to 28 on Sept. 1, with a limit of 14 pitchers. Casas is expected to be ready long before that.

▪ The Sox went into the weekend sixth in the majors in stolen bases with 108. They haven’t been anywhere close to the league lead since 2018 when they finished third with 125.

Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. had 68 of those. Jarren Duran, David Hamilton, and Ceddanne Rafaela have 71 already this season.

▪ Umpire Bill Miller made Duran take the white tape off his wrists before the first game of the series in Kansas City, which led to a brief discussion with Alex Cora.

Per MLB’s uniform regulations, Miller was correct:

“No player is permitted to wear white wristbands or bandages, because of the possible difficulty in distinguishing the baseball from the wristband or bandage. This prohibition extends to white wristbands with a stripe insufficient to permit the distinction.”

Still, it’s fair to wonder if the league isn’t thrilled with Duran’s habit of writing expletives on his wristbands.

▪ If your eyes tell you Duran is one of the most improved outfielders in the game, the statistics prove the point.

According to Defensive Runs Saved calculations, Duran is plus-22 this season, tied with Padres catcher Elias Diaz for the biggest jump from 2023.

Duran was minus-5 last year. He now has the best DRS among center fielders. His improved range and more accurate arm account for the jump.

Duran’s nine assists are tied for the major league lead with Miguel Andujar and Bryan Reynolds.

▪ Bullpen catchers do a lot of work without any glory. But Mike Brenly and Charlie Madden got a bit of attention Tuesday.

Brenly doubles as the replay coordinator, watching the game in the clubhouse and advising Cora which plays should be reviewed.

He encouraged Cora to challenge the call when Smith was out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. Cora and bench coach Ramón Vázquez thought Smith was out, but Brenly was confident in his call.

He was right, the call was overturned, and the Sox won, 6-5.

Brenly has been right with his challenges 64.7 percent of the time, fifth best in the majors. The average is 55.2 percent.

Madden caught Hendriks before the game. His final pitch was popped up behind the plate. Madden, a former minor league catcher, tossed his mask, drifted back, and smoothly made the catch next to the backstop as all the Sox players and coaches cheered.

▪ This is the greatest note of the season. Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia is known as “Password” at High A Greenville.

Password can hit. He had a .959 OPS and 21 homers through 74 games with Salem and Greenville. The Sox signed Garcia out of Venezuela in 2019.

▪ Jarrod Saltalamacchia spent the summer coaching with the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League. It was his third season.

“I do a little bit of everything,” he said. “Working with the pitchers and catchers, the hitters. Whatever is needed.”

Saltalamacchia, 39, finished his playing career in 2018 then took some time with his family before getting back into baseball. He’s had offers from major league organizations, but “I like the idea of working with a college team and helping players at that level.”

Saltalamacchia would have a lot to offer. He was a supplemental first-round pick who had highs and lows throughout a 16-year professional career that included stops with eight organizations.

▪ Metallica played Gillette Stadium twice last weekend. On Sunday, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo played an impromptu version of “Sweet Caroline.”

So that’s it then, there is no avoiding it.

ETC.

Witt has become Kansas City royalty

Fans at Kauffman Stadium have started chanting “MVP” when 24-year-old Bobby Witt Jr. comes to the plate.

It may not be wishful thinking.

Aaron Judge is having an incredible season and could well hit 60 home runs and drive in 150 runs for the Yankees. Fangraphs has Witt with 8.1 WAR and Judge at 7.7. Baseball Reference has Judge (7.8) just ahead of Witt (7.6).

“I think that kid is the best player in the game right now,” Red Sox reliever Chris Martin said of Witt.

Alex Cora is convinced.

“That kid is special. He’s special the way he conducts himself, the way he plays the game. It’s a joy from our dugout,” Cora said after the Sox played the Royals this past week. “I hate it but I love it. He’s so polite and I think the game is in good hands, man.”

Cora believes Witt will get even better once he gains more patience at the plate and doesn’t expand his strike zone.

“This kid, when he starts walking, I don’t know what’s going to happen because he’s a force right now,” Cora said.

Witt is a well-above-average shortstop, has stolen 25 bases, and is the clubhouse leader of a team contending for a playoff berth after losing 106 games last season.

“Just taking it day by day,” he said. “Come in ready to play then get ready for the next one. It’s been a fun season.”

For the Royals, Witt is their Patrick Mahomes. The team store has three different Witt jerseys for sale along with several varieties of T-shirts, hats, stickers, magnets, and other items with his name and/or image.

Extra bases

Xander Bogaerts hit .410 with a .959 OPS in his first 19 games after coming off the injured list July 12, helping get the Padres into contention for the NL West title. He had missed 7½ weeks with a shoulder injury . . . Blake Snell has a 1.15 ERA in his last six starts with 49 strikeouts over 39 innings. Opponents were 12 of 125 (.096). Snell will be a free agent again after the season . . . Kiké Hernández and his .603 OPS batted cleanup for the Dodgers on Wednesday night in a 9-4 loss against the Phillies. He was 0 for 3 with a walk. All those smart guys who run the Dodgers came up with that? . . . Jackson Holliday made his major league debut at Fenway Park on April 10 amid great fanfare. He then went 1 for 30 with 16 strikeouts in nine games and was shipped back to Triple A. The 20-year-old returned on July 31 and is seemingly ready this time. Holliday was 9 for 24 in his first seven games with four home runs and 10 RBIs. The Orioles also called up 22-year-old Coby Mayo, another highly regarded prospect. With Jordan Westburg on the injured list with a fractured right hand, Holliday is playing second base with Mayo at third . . . David Ortiz Jr. signed with the Rangers for a reported $50,000 bonus and a college scholarship. The 17-year-old outfielder and first baseman from the Dominican Republic emerged as a prospect within the last year. Another son, D’Angelo Ortiz, was drafted by the Red Sox in June and is in their system . . . The Royals are doing some interesting things with their scoreboard. During batting practice — just for the home team — the scoreboard is split in half. The bottom half shows a live feed of the batting cage with boxes for pitch speed, launch angle, spin rate, exit velocity, and distance. There’s also a strike zone showing the location of the pitch. The top half shows the same information of the previous pitch. The idea is to give the hitters instant feedback as they prepare for the game. During the game, a scoreboard in right field shows pitch type, pitch speed, vertical break, horizontal break, launch angle, and exit velocity. Players, managers, coaches, and executives use this information every day to inform their decisions, so why not make it accessible to fans who want to understand the game at that level? . . . Max Scherzer (Rangers) and Justin Verlander (Astros) are making a combined $86.66 million this season and are 5-6 over 18 starts with a 3.92 ERA over 96⅓ innings . . . Casey Kelly, once a notable two-way prospect with the Red Sox, is now a 34-old-old pitcher whose baseball journey included six successful years pitching in Korea. He left the LG Twins in June and this past week signed with the Reds. Kelly is now with Triple A Louisville playing for his father. Pat Kelly, 68, has managed 35 years in the minors and is one of seven managers to win 2,000 games at that level . . . Sean Sullivan, a 22-year-old Rockies prospect from Andover, was promoted to Double A Hartford this past week after going 7-2 with a 2.16 ERA in 14 starts for Single A Spokane. The lefthander played at Tabor Academy in Marion before going on to Northwestern and Wake Forest. He was a second-round pick in 2023. Sullivan worked four scoreless innings in his first start in the Eastern League . . . Happy birthday to Michael Chavis, who is 29. A first-round pick in 2014, Chavis played 168 games for the Red Sox from 2019-21, hitting .234. He gave the 2019 team a spark after being called up but never gained much traction after that season and was traded to the Pirates in 2021. He has since been with the Nationals, Mariners, and White Sox organizations.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.