As the 2024 baseball season comes upon us, we will roll back the clock a little bit to nearly a year ago when the White Sox were preparing for the 2023 season. They had the talent, both in the batting lineup and at pitcher. It appeared they would win the AL Central. But some of their players may have taken them off course. The internal dysfunction among players and management took a serious toll on the White Sox’s ability to win in 2023.
Dysfunction Undid the 2023 White Sox
2023 was manager Pedro Grifol’s first year helming the White Sox. It was easy to see that he did not have a firm grip on the team. There was internal dissent, players acting out, and players who weren’t on the same page with each other or management. An article from CBS Sports last year outlined some of the team’s issues.
It was fairly easy to see who the main offenders were. From an aggregate of news articles, interviews, and commentary, it appears as if Tim Anderson and Yasmani Grandal, both now gone, were causing some trouble. Some even say that Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada were causing some dissension.
After doing a lot of reading and listening to interviews about this, it’s hard to know what happened unless you were there. It appears that there were rifts in the clubhouse between different players. There may have been rifts between players and the coaching staff. However, it appears that there were many more issues among the players themselves.
The Remedy for the Sox was to Cut Dead Weight
It’s strongly suggested that Grifol lost control of the clubhouse to the stronger personalities on the team like Anderson. The general manager at the time, Rick Hahn, cut loose some of the guys that may have been causing issues. This also included pitcher Lance Lynn. Then, new general manager Chris Getz let guys like Anderson and Grandal walk in the offseason.
It would appear as if most of the “cancer” that was part of that clubhouse had been removed. Additionally, based on interviews and some of the actions taken during spring training, it seems that Grifol may have his hands on the team in a positive way. Maybe now they are listening.
Let’s hope that they are.
If the Sox have a turnaround this season, it would support the theory that they had a problem in the clubhouse last year. If the Sox play even a little better, one can chalk it up to their ability to overcome clubhouse issues.
Leadership Is Important
It all comes down to leadership. This team was a bit leaderless last season. Now, let’s look forward to guys like Dylan Cease, Luis Robert Jr., and some of the newer guys (if they make the team) like Paul DeJong and Mike Moustakas taking the lead. That’s why they brought in some of these older guys, for leadership. They can help voice the wishes of the management staff to the younger guys. They can be champions, evangelists if you will, on behalf of management.
What the White Sox won’t want to see is a repeat of the clubhouse dysfunction in 2023. That would sink this team even further than anticipated. It would also likely cost Grifol his job. Hopefully, the infusion of older players and an emphasis on clubhouse culture will help the White Sox win more games in 2024. This team has a lot of talent and can surprise the baseball world if they keep their clubhouse free of discontent.
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