Chicago White Sox 2021 Season Preview: Yasmani Grandal
With a lot of these pitchers that the Chicago White Sox have accumulated over the past few years, there needs to be someone awesome to catch them on a daily basis. It is Yasmani Grandal who is going to have that job for a little bit. The nice thing for the White Sox is that Grandal is also a very good hitter and plate presence offensively. In a good year, he is the best catcher in the league and he is consistently in the top three. 2021 is going to be a big year as he tries to help this team along.
The Chicago White Sox needs the very best from Yasmani Grandal in 2021.
2020 was the first year Grandal spent with the White Sox. He split the time behind the plate with James McCann who is a top-ten catcher himself. McCann left for the New York Mets as he wanted to be a full-time starter. Based on what he did with the White Sox, he deserves that opportunity and he deserves the money he is being paid now. The White Sox committed to Grandal so it had to be done.
That will force Grandal to play more games this season behind the plate. It should be something he is up to as he has in the past. He has performed admirably throughout his career on both the offensive and defensive sides of the baseball. His pitch framing, defense, and hitting are all that make him an elite catcher.
On days that he isn’t behind the plate, Tony La Russa might want to get him an at-bat or two. He is perfect as a designated hitter on those days and he has shown that he can play some first base as well. It is perfect to have a player like him ready to go for a big 2021 season. The White Sox need to make sure he is playing well and feeling good about himself as they try to take the next step.
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2021 Expectations:
You should expect Yasmani Grandal to be one of the very best all-around catchers in the league. He is going to get a lot of playing time due to the departure of McCann and that should be a good thing. He is going to help them produce a lot of runs with his bat and he is going to help them with run prevention as a defensive catcher. His pitch framing is as good as any catcher going so that should help the staff they are trying to build as well. Grandal needs to be one of the White Sox’s best players.