The Chicago White Sox are a very good baseball team and it is exciting to know that they start in a week. The reason that they are good is that they have great players. Continuing the countdown of the top ten most important players going into 2022, we land at number seven with Yasmani Grandal.
Grandal was one of the more polarizing players in 2021. In the first half of the season, he was fine on defense but not great. He had a low batting average but hit a lot of home runs and walked at an elite clip. Then, he had surgery to repair an injury and things got even better for him.
The home runs started to come in bunches and he didn’t give up his good eye in order to do so. The swing just looked so much more natural for him and the results were showing as a result of that.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t recovered enough to be considered a good defensive catcher. People stole bases all over him and there were some bad passed balls. That part of his game needs to be back to normal in 2022 otherwise he should just DH or play first base.
The Chicago White Sox are in good hands with Yasmani Grandal behind the plate.
The problem with that is that there isn’t necessarily a better option. Neither Zack Collins nor Seby Zavala is defensively amazing so Grandal is actually the best defensive option. He is also an elite hitter which makes him an incredibly valuable player to this team.
Grandal has also displayed tremendous leadership to the younger guys. Young power hitters like Gavin Sheets have openly admitted that he has been tough on them by helping them train but it has paid off. It is good to know a guy like that is in the clubhouse leading the way in that sense.
Another thing that Grandal has going for him is his teammates. He would be much higher than seven on a lot of lists across Major League Baseball. The White Sox are so deep so there is no extra pressure on one individual like Grandal.
The lineup protection that he is going to have will serve him well. As long as he stays healthy as does the team around him, he will have an elite hitter before and after him in the batting order. That is something that the White Sox should be proud of. Expect a big year from their star catcher.