The Chicago White Sox could have their third hitting coach in as many seasons after asserting Friday that José Castro wouldn’t return in 2024.
It’s one in all a number of modifications to the teaching employees.
Longtime first-base coach Daryl Boston won’t be again whereas assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson and bullpen coach Curt Hasler have been provided positions within the Sox participant improvement system.
Castro changed Frank Menechino as hitting coach in 2023. He joined the Sox after being the assistant hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves from 2015-22.
The shake-up at hitting coach positions come after the Sox ranked close to the underside within the American League in a number of offensive classes, together with twelfth in hits (1,308) and batting common (.238), throughout a 61-101 season.
Here are three points offensively for the group to deal with.
1. The Sox should produce extra energy.
Luis Robert Jr. hit a liner close to Pesky’s Pole within the ninth inning of a Sept. 23 sport towards the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Robert knew it might keep honest however wasn’t certain if it might recover from the fence. It reached the first-row seats down the right-field line for a go-ahead solo residence run.
According to MLB Statcast, it went 311 toes.
“(Teammates) have been telling me, ‘Remember Baltimore, you hit two good balls and they didn’t leave the yard. Now you hit this one and it went over the fence,’ ” Robert mentioned via an interpreter after the 3-2 victory. “Thank God for that.”
It was the middle fielder’s thirty eighth and last residence run of the season. He suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee the subsequent day and missed the ultimate six video games of the season.
While Robert displayed loads of pop, ending third within the AL in residence runs, the offense as an entire suffered an influence outage.
The Sox completed tied for eleventh within the AL with 171 residence runs and have been twelfth with a .384 slugging proportion. They have been held to 1 or zero residence runs in 22 of the ultimate 28 video games, hitting simply 22 throughout that span.
Robert, Jake Burger (25) and first baseman Andrew Vaughn (21) have been the one gamers on the group with a minimum of 20 residence runs. And the Sox traded Burger to the Miami Marlins on Aug. 1. Only three different gamers — Eloy Jiménez (18), Yoán Moncada (11) and Gavin Sheets (10) — reached double figures.
It wasn’t all that way back that the Sox flexed loads of muscle. They led the AL with 96 homers throughout the pandemic-shortened 2020 season however completed eleventh in 2021 (190 residence runs) and tenth in 2022 (149).
They should discover a solution to flip the ability again on.
2. The Sox want to point out extra endurance.
Every group within the majors had a minimum of 400 walks in 2023 — besides the White Sox, who completed final within the huge leagues with 377. They additionally have been final within the majors with a .291 on-base proportion.
The Sox have been tied for fourth within the majors in walks in 2021 (586), however twenty ninth within the class in 2022 (388).
Left fielder Andrew Benintendi led the group with 52 walks in 2023. Vaughn and Yasmani Grandal have been subsequent with 36 every. Robert and Jiménez have been the one different gamers on the group with a minimum of 30 walks. Both had 30.
A four-game sequence towards the Minnesota Twins in September at Guaranteed Rate Field illustrated the dearth of endurance. The Sox drew simply three walks whereas shedding three of 4 within the sequence.
“We have to bear down on our at-bats and find a way to get to first base and create some free passes and get guys in when we have to,” Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol mentioned after a 4-0 loss within the sequence finale. “It has to be a big part of our game.”
The Sox additionally want to chop down on their major-league-leading 32.9 chase proportion.
3. More consistency up and down the lineup.
Moncada was an enormous contributor throughout the group’s last win of the season on Sept. 28 towards the Arizona Diamondbacks at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The third baseman walked and scored on a two-run residence run by Vaughn within the second inning, then hit a solo homer within the fourth within the 3-1 victory.
“If I’m healthy I’ll be able to do more than I’ve shown,” Moncada mentioned via an interpreter after the sport. “Injuries have been something I’ve had to deal with throughout my career, but hopefully all of that is in the past. If I stay healthy I can do what I know I can do.”
Moncada had two back-related IL stints this season. He produced after returning, reaching safely in 30 of his final 33 video games with a plate look. Moncada slashed .320/.362/.557 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and eight walks throughout the span.
“Honestly it feels good when you’re healthy,” Moncada mentioned. “It’s been a rough season, but you can notice that. The last two months or so I’ve felt good, and that’s good. It’s something I can build on for next year.”
That’s what the Sox will likely be on the lookout for — particularly contemplating Moncada’s contract jumps to $24.8 million in 2024 — together with the consistency the likes of Benintendi (.262/.326/.356 slash line, 5 homers, 45 RBIs) and shortstop Tim Anderson (.245/.286/.296, one residence run, 25 RBIs) usually have supplied of their careers. The Sox have a contract resolution upcoming with Anderson — they’ve a $14 million group possibility with a $1 million buyout for 2024.
Sox proper fielders had a mixed .219/.271/.344 slash line. There have been struggles at catcher (.192/.256/.311) and second base (.215/.253/.348), displaying there’s a lot all through the lineup for group to work on.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com