Chicago White Sox: Three takeaways from first exhibition game

3. Tony La Russa is a different type of Chicago White Sox coach.

The Chicago White Sox have had back-to-back managers that you would consider passive. Now, Tony La Russa is back in the fold after almost ten years of being away from the game. It was a rather controversial hire for a lot of different reasons but now it seems to have been accepted across the White Sox community.

The biggest issue with the hire is that it doesn’t sound like it was Rick Hahn’s idea. Instead, it feels like it was Jerry Reinsdorf’s doing as the owner of the team. Regardless, all that matters now is that it works. The White Sox needed a World Series caliber manager to take over this talented roster and that is what they have now.

It was clear in the first spring game that this team would be running a bit differently than they were before. First, it looks like the lineup construction is going to be much better. We don’t know for sure or how consistent it will be because it has only been one exhibition game but it is a good sign with the players that they did use. They clearly were more aggressive on the base pads as well which is a welcomed change.

If La Russa keeps off-the-field drama to a minimum, manages the bullpen the right way, and constructs a good lineup on a daily basis, the White Sox are going to be a very good team. This game resulted in a loss on the scoresheet but that doesn’t even slightly matter. This team is loaded with stories and this game was a good start.