White Sox: What to Look for When Watching Spring Training Games
White Sox have many intriguing storylines to follow throughout Spring Training with top prospects developing and veterans working to earn a roster spot.
With Chicago White Sox Spring Training games underway in earnest, it makes sense to ask a question? How important are the actual results of these contests to you? For many, they would say if the Sox were to lose all the time it means nothing to them. Mostly because their record is wiped clean come the start of the regular season. So what makes the most sense to evaluate while viewing one of these games?
First and foremost, the last area to focus on is the final score. When you watch a spring training game for nine innings, it is rare that a teams’ regulars play for a significant portion of the game. On top of that pitchers are on pitch counts. This will bring hurlers into a game who are not major league quality on most occasions.
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A key part of any contest is not actually the results of a player, but what he appears to be working on. This means a pitcher could be throwing all fastballs, a hitter could be trying to lay down a bunt when he rarely does, and so on. While it may not be evident to the naked eye without knowing a certain players tendencies, the better you know your team (and potentially any media reports) the better you will be at identifying this aspect of spring training.
This is exactly why no one should focus on statistics during the spring. While certain players might be more interested in results, others could be working on parts of their game for the regular season. When you have players working towards a multitude of goals, it makes things a lot different than if the entire team is attempting to achieve the same one.
So, what should we as fans evaluate the most? To be honest, it makes sense to look at two things. First, as I mentioned above, what is the player working on achieving? And second, is he going to be prepared for the regular season? The latter refers to pitchers especially, considering that they have to get their arms built back up regardless of what role they will be in.
Next: White Sox Lose Two Games in Split-Squad Action
Overall, spring training is a lot of fun for many but especially the fans. The purpose of this article is to say that while a player may seem invincible in Glendale, Ariz., he may struggle mightily at his regular season destination. So try not to fret if your favorite player is having difficulties at the plate in March, as I have seen and heard this on numerous occasions. Hopefully, we won’t have to fret over any of our players in April, Sox fans.