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