Chicago White Sox fans have been starving for wins this season as they have been few and far between. Wins come when the offense plays better. For the most part, the offense has been lacking for the Sox.
Things have picked up for one player in particular who has had his struggles. Yasmani Grandal, the White Sox starting catcher, has been hitting the ball much better over the course of the last few games.
This is a nice thing for the White Sox because it helps give them more offense at a time when they need all the offense possible.
Anyone that has watched Grandal at the plate when he’s hitting knows that he is usually a patient hitter that doesn’t take every pitch and swing at it. He sees the ball well and makes good contact at times.
The Chicago White Sox have needed more from Yasmani Grandal.
The problem with him lately is that he appears as if he may be rushing to hit the ball to try to make something happen. He was not relying on his skills as a catcher to try to make it at bat and I firmly believe that being a catcher can make you a decent hitter.
You will notice that Grandal appears to be much more patient at the plate now and seems to see the ball better. Maybe he just had to make a few adjustments to his craft to get back to hitting the ball. Maybe there is some motivation that is driving him to hit the ball better.
Perhaps some of that motivation has to do with the fact that his contract is up at the end of this season. Maybe he has finally realized that if he’s going to have a job in Chicago, or anywhere else for that matter, he must pick up his play and hit the ball at an increasing rate.
Maybe he figures if he can finish off the season with better at-bats, he’s going to look much more attractive to the Sox and to other teams out there that might be interested in his services. It’s a legitimate thing for sure and could easily be a reason why Grandal has picked up his play.
In the last seven games (before their first game of the series with the Minnesota Twins) Grandal has been up to bat a total of 18 times and has four hits, four runs, one home run, and five runs batted in. He has struck out eight times and has walked three.
In that first game against the Twins, he was outstanding as well. He hit a two run home run that got the Sox back in the game although they ended up falling way short.
Things have gotten better for Grandal. Some may say it’s too little too late, especially considering where this team is at but anything helps. Plus, the White Sox are not completely out of the AL Central race quite yet although it kind of feels like they are.
If Grandal can continue improving and others can step up and play better, this team could realistically earn themselves a playoff spot.
Maybe Grandal realized that in order to help his team reach their goal of winning the AL Central, he had to play better than he had been. Who knows but it’s nice to see him being much more attentive at the plate and hitting the ball more often.