Chicago White Sox: Day Two in Glendale was a treat

The Chicago White Sox are oozing with confidence as they head into the 2021 season. Spring Training is fully underway for pitchers and catchers now as day two has come to an end and day three is a few hours away. On that day number two, there were some notes that should make all White Sox fans smile. They believe in one another, they believe in themselves, and most importantly, they believe in the team as a whole. This has the making of a very strong and very confident baseball team.

One of the key quotes from the day came from Yasmani Grandal. He had some very nice things to say about Dylan Cease. We all want Dylan Cease to hit his stride but it may take a few more starts. He was better in 2020 and it looks like 2021 is going to be a good year for him. He has incredible stuff but he just needs to harness it more consistently at the Major League level.

Grandal said that this kid can become a Cy Young finalist and possibly a Cy Young winner if they get him to where they think he is going. That is some high praise from a catcher who has caught some of the very best pitchers this game has offered over his career. It makes sense based on some of the things we have seen from him in the past.

Cease is also, like every other pitcher on the squad, going to be working with Ethan Katz who has been magnificent with pitchers in a similar situation. There is also so much less pressure for him as there are so many good starters around him in the lineup.

This was also a day that we heard Tony La Russa speak. He gave some quotes that should also excite some people. He has high hopes for Garrett Crochet like the rest of us. He sees him as a guy that hitters are not going to want to face at the big league level. We saw a small glimpse of him last season and it was an electric factory every time he was out there. It is going to get even better as he develops and gains more experience.

Crochet wasn’t the only pitcher that La Russa had nice words about either. He praised a few players but he had some more nice things to say about Lucas Giolito. Everyone is always going to praise his play because he is so good. It was nice to hear La Russa comment on his skills away from pitching as well.

According to La Russa, when Lance Lynn went out there to throw his first pitch, Giolito made sure he was there to see it. He praised him as a teammate and called him the “entire package”. That is exactly what you want to hear for a pitcher as good as Giolito and someone who is so important to this team’s success.

Every day now, people in the organization are going to have quotes out there that get people excited about this team. It is fun to know that our team is this good and has this good of expectations for themselves. It is one thing for us to predict things but it is another to see them bold enough to predict good things as well. That confidence was apparent again on day two of pitchers and catchers being at Spring Training.