Yasmani Grandal has played with four teams, none longer than four seasons with the Dodgers. He would like to break that record with the White Sox.
DETROIT – Yasmani Grandal has played with four teams, none longer than four seasons with the Dodgers. He would like to break that record with the White Sox.
“I’m excited to be here till the end of this contract and hopefully after that,” said Grandal, in the second year of a four-year, $73 million deal that makes him the highest paid Sox player. “I’ve been with five different organizations, it’s time to stay in one for longer time than three or four years.”
Grandal, 32, said he saw the young talent, the Sox’ vision and “where these guys were going” when he signed. He’s seeing young organizational talent doing enough to keep the Sox comfortably in first place at the midpoint of the season, despite a rash of injuries.
Meanwhile, the organization has seen him doing what they signed him for, putting up a .190/.388/.441 hitting line with an OPS of .830 that leads all Sox regulars. One of the best framers in the game whose numbers this season have improved after he ditched catching on one knee to protect a once-sore knee, Grandal’s total package adds up to wins above replacement figures that rank him second behind Yoan Moncada among Sox position players.
Because of a sore calf, Grandal sat out the Sox’ 11-5 loss to the Tigers Saturday that halted a five-game winning streak and won’t play Sunday in the rubber game of the series, but he expects to be back soon.
Triple-A catcher Seby Zavala joined the team’s taxi squad in case an injured list stint was necessary, but Grandal said not to worry.
“Nothing big,” he said. “I can catch, it’s fine. We’re just being safe more than anything.”
It’s probably a good thing, because the Sox need him badly.
Grandal could be named an All-Star for the third time Sunday, and is having his best streak of the season hitting safely in 10 of his last 11 games with four homers, 14 RBI and a 1.129 OPS.
“In the past two or three years people have started to understand analytics a little more,” Grandal said. “It takes a long time to get rid of a bad habit and that one is thinking a hitter has to hit .300 to be productive. I have never hit .300 in my life and I’ve been one of the most productive hitters in the league.”
Aided by 59 walks, Grandal is second to Moncada on the Sox in on-base percentage and second to Tim Anderson in runs, even though he is the slowest runner on the team.
“There’s still some of that old time thinking that .300 with 30 homers and 100 RBI [is the standard for excellence] but to get those RBI you have to have men on base,” Grandal said.
Grandal likes how his swing is locked in now.
“But I’ve had stretches where it was way better,” he said.
The Sox were in a good stretch until left-hander Dallas Keuchel gave up a two-run lead in the first and a 5-3 lead in the fifth.
“It started out pretty good and then it was terrible. That really sums it up,” Keuchel said.
Leury Garcia homered against left-hander Tarik Skubal and drove in another run beating out a double play, and Tim Anderson doubled twice and scored both times on singles by Jose Abreu. In both instances, Gavin Sheets moved Anderson to third grounding out to the right side of the infield.
The five runs for the Sox (49-33) was their lowest input since their win streak began. They have averaged eight runs in their last six games. Grandal has been in the middle of it.
“I’ve been doing exactly what I want to do with the ball,” he said. “I’m pretty locked in but I’ve been even better than that. It’s not locked in 100 percent. It can be way better.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/36iHlYF
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