There is no doubt that the hiring of Tony La Russa after the 2020 season ended was a disaster from day one. To be honest, it turned out to be even worse than originally thought by the time the 2022 season ended. Now, the White Sox have moved on to Pedro Grifol.
Grifol is not a lock to be any better but it is at least a new fresh voice. He also is coming right off a Major League bench instead of being away from coaching for 11 years. There is plenty of hope surrounding what he can bring to the team this year.
So far, he has said all of the right things when it comes to managing this team after what happened last year. Talk is cheap though. We need to see it on the field when things are being done in terms of baseball activities.
Well, it sounds like things are going well so far for this team. Pitchers and catchers have been there for a few days now but position players arrived on Monday. We heard from Pedro Grifol again and he had some powerful words once again.
Pedro Grifol is the perfect manager for this team at this point in time.
Pedro Grifol said he told this to the team today: “We can’t win a championship in the spring, but we can lose one in the spring if we’re not prepared. I truly believe that.”
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) February 20, 2023
This quote about spring training is so true. You can't win a championship in the spring but you can lose one. The fact that Grifol is preaching that on day one speaks volumes about what kind of leader he is right now. This is outstanding news.
Now you know that this team is going to, if Grifol gets his way, bring maximum effort every single day. You might remember what things were like in terms of effort under Rick Renteria. If Grifol can recreate that but be better with strategy, this team could actually benefit from his presence.
If they bring a high volume of effort this year, stay healthy, and play up to their potential, this could be a team that wins the division and is a threat in the playoffs again.
If none of those things happen, however, they will have another extremely disappointing year. Hopefully, Grifol's quote here sticks with the team and he continues to motivate them all season.