White Sox: 3 people or groups to blame for the struggles in 2022

Ownership

The Chicago White Sox needs to make a big change with their ownership group.

If there is one part of the organization that needs to be answering questions, it is the ownership group. This team has been underperforming at an embarrassing rate. Accountability falls on the man who sets the pieces in order. Jerry Reinsdorf hired Rick Hahn and gave him the keys to fix this team. Or did he?

Tony La Russa was not his number one choice to lead this team to glory. It seemed as if all the steam and momentum the team had after finally cracking the playoffs in 2020 was stopped abruptly in its tracks after the Renteria firing and La Russa hiring.

Hahn had put together a future super-team with a strong core locked up long-term. He put all the pieces that he could together and then was told to give the keys to a retired Hall of Fame manager.

If La Russa were not making headlines and letting his players play along with a winning environment, maybe Sox fans would be content with Jerry hiring his old buddy who is out of touch with modern baseball.

The facts are that La Russa is making negative headlines, he is responsible for a number of losses, and the team is losing.

Nobody can remember when fans were happy with Jerry Reinsdorf’s decisions except when he let Rick Hahn rebuild the team.

There is an extensive history of players who they missed out on in free agency or walked for a little bit more money. There was a glimmer of faith in 2020 but it seems that Jerry has since taken back control and has done the opposite of what winning organizations do.

Management

The White Sox are a poorly managed baseball team and it is costing them wins.

After ownership, accountability falls on management. The manager is the heart and soul of a team. They are the motivator, a strategist, and a respected leader.

Ownership trusted an already inducted Hall-of-Fame manager to be that leader but unfortunately, that manager is a 77-year-old man who didn’t manage for ten years.

On numerous occasions, La Russa has made the wrong decisions that lead to losses and head-scratching calls, like intentionally walking a batter facing two strikes on two separate occasions.

Perhaps those mistakes could be overlooked had there not been numerous occasions when he has admitted to not knowing the current rules that lead to losses.

With side stories like the Yermin Mercedes incident or the falling asleep in the dugout moment, Tony has made the White Sox a laughing stock around the league.

It’s not a secret that players will play better for a leader they respect because they want to win for them. Ricky Renteria had his issues but he commanded respect and his players left everything out on the field for him.

That was clear to see. That fire has not been present since 2020 and it’s apparent Tony La Russa needs to go. The question then becomes, who else?

People want Joe McEwing replaced stating he is a liability as a third-base coach ‘Super Joe’ is not the problem.

Others want hitting coach Frank Menechino gone as well. The team’s approach this year has been atrocious and the hitting coach should answer for that.

Keep in mind the different baseballs used in 2022 compared to 2020. This White Sox team has been all Warning Track Power this year on some hits that could have been dingers last year.

Menechino has success stories like Andrew Vaughn and brought out the best in Tim Anderson and Jose Abreu during his time here.

Wanting Menechino gone might be a premature overreaction to a bad year. Clearly, there is a lack of motivation among the players and the manager takes the blame for that.

Players

The White Sox players need to be better in almost every way going forward.

Once there is committed ownership and motivating management, the players must perform at a World-Series-contention level.

Some players are exempt from blame but it is not a long list. The biggest disappointment has been the highest-paid player in franchise history.

Yasmani Grandal signed a four-year 73 and half-million dollar contract in 2019. This signing shocked Sox fans making them think ownership took on a “by any means necessary” mentality.

Grandal was considered a top-five catcher in baseball and the signing sparked that momentum in 2020. A great season put him at the top for arguably the best catcher in baseball.

Fast forward to 2022 and the contract is starting to look like a flop which might make ownership even more hesitant in offering a big long-term contract in free agency. Grandal has not seen the ball well at all. His one thing is that he gets on base but not this year.

Another disappointment comes from the bat of Yoán Moncada. He was acquired to be part of the core but has not had an OPS above .790 since 2019.

His defensive efforts at third are gold-glove worth which makes him less of a disappointment than Grandal but his .581 OPS this year is just flat-out bad.

There are many underperforming players on this 26-man roster and the IL stents have made this year borderline unwatchable.

The players brought to this team for their ability and who have been underperforming need to be accountable. There are a few more than just Grandal and Moncada but a shift in ownership and management could motivate the players in the way they need to be contenders again.