After suffering a twisted knee early in camp, Yasmani Grandal played in his first game of the spring today. Grandal was in the White Sox lineup as a DH, and it isn’t yet known when he might return to his usual spot at catcher. Grandal told reporters (including NBC Sports Chicago’s Vinnie Duber) that he is focused on his catching preparation, saying “right now, repetition behind the plate is probably No. 1. I could (not) care less if I start off the season hitting or not. I know the bat is going to come through at some point, and once that happens, then it’s a done deal.”
Given the length of time between now and Opening Day, it doesn’t seem like Grandal will require any sort of injured list trip to allow him another week to get fully ready. With James McCann now signed with the Mets, Chicago’s backup catching options include the inexperienced Zack Collins and veteran Jonathan Lucroy (in camp on a minor league deal), and Grandal is expected to take more of the catching load in 2021.
More on some injury situations from around the league…
- Brandon Belt’s readiness for the Giants’ opener is more of a question, as he got a late start on Spring Training and still hasn’t played in any games. Belt told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that he spent several weeks recovering first from a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and then a case of mono almost immediately afterwards. Beyond these twin illnesses, Belt’s readiness for Opening Day was already a bit up in the air due to his heel surgery from last October. While Belt is a major contributor to the Giants’ offense, the team at least has quite a bit of first base depth — Darin Ruf, Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater, Tommy La Stella, or even Buster Posey — to fill the gap until Belt is ready to play.
- Brad Miller was a late scratch from today’s Phillies lineup after suffering a ribcage injury during a running drill. Manager Joe Girardi told NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury and other reporters that Miller suffered a “tweak” and will get further testing done to determine the extent of the injury. There certainly appears to be some concern that Miller has hurt his oblique, which would require at least a few weeks out of action and an IL stint. After initially playing for the Phillies in 2019, Miller spent last season with the Cardinals before signing a one-year, $3.5MM deal this winter to return to Philadelphia. The 31-year Miller brings both multi-positional value and a solid bat (.247/.343/.510 with 20 home runs over 341 plate appearances in 2019-20) to the roster, making him a difficult player to replace for the Phils if indeed Miller does end up on the IL.
- Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama left tonight’s game with a tight left hamstring and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. In his first MLB season, Akiyama hit .245/.357/.297 in 183 PA, though he hit significantly better in September and October once he became more adjusted to Major League pitching. Between this improved bat and some solid glovework, Akiyama was being counted on for at least a big part-time role in Cincinnati’s outfield, though those plans could be altered should his hamstring injury prove serious.
Mono symptoms tend to be severe when you contract it as an adult. I had it at a similar age as Belt. It took about two months to fully recover.
True story. I had it when I was around 20. Missed most of a semester getting over it. Worst thing about mono is you often feel perfectly fine when you get out of bed in the morning then within an hour or two you’re crawling right back into bed. Goes on like that for weeks.
I did the sensible thing & came down with Mono when I was in high school. It was during football season. I was so tired & sore. Constant headache. Only game I missed. But a fella can’t play like that (well, I couldn’t anyway), serious.
I’ve not yet – that I know of – had Covid 19. But the two people I know that have had it, make it sound like a truly lousy experience. That whole “could hardly breathe” thing is something I’d rather not go through, uh?
I’m trying to picture what Mono + the absolute worst case of the flu (& then some) would feel like. Mercy. I loathe being sick, man. Sounds like Belt had an absolutely miserable few weeks.
Get healthy, man.
Yeah, I got mono and meningitis in HS and neither are any fun
Meningitis can kill you and made me so sick I seriously wished for death
Before that I got mono so bad, which made my tonsils swell so much, that it actually dislocated my jaw
Then after returning to sports as a senior (as a RB/WR/CB in fb and sprinting varsity track all 4 years) I tore my achilles…ahhh memories
Yikes, especially on the meningitis.
oof…
Brandon Belt. LOL
What does that even mean, tony gwynn?
I’m confused why fox471 is confused
I confused by the “lol” as well
Get well soon Belt. It was nice to see you play at your peak levels last year. I hope this isn’t too much of a roadblock to a return to that.
I wonder what Belt’s stats would have been playing in a smaller park. he has hit so many warning track-flyball outs at the Giants ball park with its ridiculous dimensions…
If I remember correctly, Casey Kotchman’s, career took a severe hit after he caught mono.
wasnt he with the Giants when that happened too or was it the Angels?
1. I could (not) care less
You put an extra word in his mouth. Maybe he could care less! At least a little?
I didn’t know Akiyama had such a good OBP last season.
I didnt know he had such a bad slugging %.
First Miley and now Akiyama. Who’s pulling these guys legs?
Is this an opening for Mark Payton or the ex Indian outfielder whose name is escaping me?
Jonathan India will get the roster spot. They will move Suarez between short and 3rd. You’re thinking of Tyler Naquin who signed on a minor league deal.
Suarez’s sprint speeds scare me at short. It is one thing to Moustakas at second but to have 2 guys in the bottom 30 percentile speed as your middle infielders is just a disaster.
I thought the same thing which I would’ve moved Senzel into the infield. But you’ve got Votto and his albatross contract so you’ve got to play him. Suarez, Senzel, India and Moose makes for a decent infield.
Geez who was Brandon Belt hanging around with lol
More like who’s he kissin?
That’s what my GF wanted to know when I got mono and she didn’t
Funny that Grandal doesn’t seem to know he’s one of the game’s streakiest hitters and his postseason performance has been far from a done deal.
Funny
Whee
Grandal was never going to live up to his contract. everyone got way too high on thr start he had in 2019 and he’s been meh since then.
Agreed. I never was big in him. He’s good, not great.
I am not a huge fan of Grandal yet, maybe he’ll grow on me. Having said that, he has had an OPS+ of >100 in every one of his 9 seasons, one of the best pitch framers in the game, playing a premium position and only got a $2.5M/year increase from his previous contract with the Brewers (although obviously a 1 year deal is different). He’s consistently one of the best offensive and defensive catchers, and as such, he is the 3rd highest AAV. Again – none of that seems off to me.
That’s why a short 2020 season shouldn’t even be looked at in terms of having a good or even a bad “season”. Sixty games should not make or break a career because it’s simply too short a sample size.
Every year, a few players get off to really slow starts. 0-25, 5-50, yet by then end of the year, they are much closer to career trends.
Same goes for hot starts. We have all seen the spring training surprise or the hitter who gets his first shot and hits ten homers in 80 at bats and the baseball world thinks he’s the next guy to hit 50 bombs.
Simple law of averages. You’re never as bad as when you are struggling and never as great as when you are locked in. It all evens out.
Let’s see what Bauer does over 30 starts without 2/3 of them contested against sub .500 AAA rostered teams. Will he be closer to a Cy Young contender or inning eating 4th starter with a 4.00 career norm era? I know which way I’d bet.
I put his first explosion right around July 4th.
its not about 2020, its about every year prior. like ive said, he’s a very good catcher but simply not worth his contract. his perception was pumped up with a good start to 2019, but in general is a good defender who hits a few homers, which mighg be quite good, but not worth the money he’s being paid.
He is literally one of or the best pitch framer in the game. A good to treat defender who still can throw out runs and he has some pop. He definitely deserves his contract.
What does he have to do to live up to that contract? From 2016-2018, he was the best catcher in baseball, and even with Realmuto’s emergence in the last 2 years, he is still second best. A 120ish wRC+ and 10-15 DRS a year from a catcher just not cutting for you anymore?
best? are you kidding me? he was a good defender who could hit some homers. hardly the best in the game.
He’s one of 19 players with an fWAR since 2015 of 25+. He’s the only catcher to have an fWAR of 25+ since then as well. He’s a top tier defender who hits 23-28 home runs, gives you 115-120 wRC+ a year. He isn’t just a home run hitter. He gets on base at a well above average rate.
We have stats to look at, Darkside. We know he was the best. Your opinion means nothing.
Please stop while you’re ahead. You’re really not helping your cause.
I’m not so sure; seems by all accounts that he’s done nothing but live up to his contract with a few exceptions. He’s been a premier catcher during his entire tenure.
I guess, taking his performance in a vacuum one can argue he’s underperforming based on subjective standards, or compared to a peak year.
All in all, I opine that he’s still in the top tier of catchers, unless he demonstrates a noticeable decline this year, ie, last year becomes the new norm.
He’s doing fine.
People keep forgetting he’s a catcher. He consistently provides above average offensive production, contributing power and a high OBP, and is solid overall behind the plate.
There are a lot of teams with catchers who can either barely hit, or who are barely passable defensively. That is why his is worth his contract.
The WS problem is that they have no reliable depth behind him in case he needs to take a break.
Don’t sleep on Jonathan Lucroy. He more or less recruited Tony La Russa and the White Sox this offseason rather than the other way around. Lucroy claims he is finally 100% after undergoing surgery following the 2019 season to replace a herniated disc in his neck.
White Sox beat writer James Fegan wrote an article about Lucroy shortly after he signed his minor league contract with the team: https://theathletic.com/2376333/2021/02/09/chicago-white-sox-jonathan-lucroy-mlb-free-agency/. It requires a subscription but I included the following quotes:
Lucroy said. “When you have nerve damage, it affects strength, it affects reaction time. It affects a ton of things. Now that that has been released, now that I’ve healed up, all that stuff has come back.
“I’ve had bad habits that come from overcompensation, muscle weakness, all kinds of stuff,” Lucroy said. “Now I’ve got my strength back, I’ve got my bat speed back, I got a lot of things back. Now this whole offseason was about getting rid of the bad habits, working on things and I finally feel like myself after three years.”
Lucroy will reunite with catching guru Jerry Narron, whom the White Sox recently added to their coaching staff and was in Milwaukee with Lucroy when he was regarded as one of the best framers and blockers in the game.
As opening day nears, Lucroy is a virtual lock to be the White Sox primary backup catcher to Yasmani Grandal per the team’s mlb.com beat writer Scott Merkin. Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes are battling for the #3 catching position and the final 26th man-roster spot along with utility infielder Danny Mendick. Much of this outcome will revolve around the health of Grandal, 2B Nick Madrigal and whether Andrew Vaughn makes the opening day roster as the White Sox primary DH. Merkin believes Vaughn will claim the DH role and predicts both Grandal and Madrigal will be ready by opening day which means La Russa will have to choose between a third catcher or another reserve infielder for that 26th roster spot assuming he starts the season with 8 bullpen arms on his pitching staff.
Grandal consistently provides a 115-120 wRC+, 25-28 home runs year in year out. He’s also a fantastic defender. He’s third in DRS and first in framing runs saved in baseball by a large margin among catchers with at least 2500 innings caught since 2015. Sure he’s a streaky month-by-month hitter, but he’s extremely productive with the bat for a catcher.
he’s hit 25 homers twice and that’s basically tbe entirety of his offensive profile.
He also gets on base and is a switch hitter with pretty even platoon splits, but don’t let that ruin your narrative lol.
He gets on base a ton. He has the 9th highest walk rate and 54th highest OBP among the 171 players since 2015 with at least 2000 PA’s. He’s one of just 19 position players with an fWAR higher than 25 in that time as well.
Grandal can be VERY streaky but his value is in his excellent pitch framing (consistently near the top), as well as power from both sides of the plate – when he connects. I saw him homer from both sides of the plate in the same game as a dodger on two separate occasions. We all know that’s pretty rare for a catcher!
I get that he can be frustrating at times but look at his catching metrics to really get the full picture of his true value
He is a very streaky hitter and the only way to see him as a good defensive catcher is to be a true believer in pitch framing. He has lead the league in passed balls many times over the years and has made more than his share of defensive errors.
Good points. As a fellow dodger fan, believe me, I’ve had my fair share of frustration with Grandal. And while I’m not a real believer in pitch framing (which will obviously go away completely once the robots move in), in the current games climate a good pitch framer can be the difference between ending an inning and walking in a tying run.
But again, I completely get what you’re saying and can’t really dispute any of it. I was just tossing some positives in there for a fanbase who might not be all the way familiar with him yet
I never was a member of the Yasmani Grandal Marching & Chowder Society. And don’t get me started on pitch framing. It seems to be one of the baseball black arts. It just exists, completely apart from any explanation of why or how.
Live up to his contract? I don’t even understand what you’re getting at. His 2020 stats were what we expected, plus he has a four year contract. People act like he has some Stanton type deal that could sink a franchise lol.
I mean, he’s not going to sink a franchise but $19 million is $19 million. And considering he’s the 2nd or 3rd highest paid catcher in baseball, yeah, he has a contract to live up to
And he has lived up to it thus far. It will likely look bad the last season, but that is the tax you pay for a contending team.
I would not have been concerned about Grandal’s contract, had McCann not gotten better in his time with the White Sox. One could argue that McCann was the better catcher last season (albeit a short season) and just looks in better shape than Grandal does.. Maybe if Grandal’s conditioning program gets better he will be better.. I dunno. Just wish the Sox would have found a way to keep McCann, especially if they really are in ‘Win now’ mode.
Belt’s illness sounds horrible. Sports + respiratory illnesses are incredibly difficult to get through.
He had a good season and hopefully he recovers well enough to make another good run.
Looks like it’s time for Zack Collins to shine.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
The Sox may regret letting McCann walk. He outhit Grandal last year and will do it again this year. I’m not counting for much from Grandal behind the plate either. It opens the door wide for Collins. Let’s see what he can do.
Get real. Grandal is the 2nd best C in baseball.
Right now Grandal is just a wounded and overpaid schmuck- with three more fat years remaining on his contract. That real enough for you? We’ve got the talent and better pitching so let’s go get ’em Sox.
Use a little critical thinking.
Why is he “overpaid”.
And where are all these catchers that hit, catch and manage pitchers well?
Why are people acting like Grandal had a bad year in 2021?
In a short season, his OPS+, OBP and slugging were pretty much around his career averages, and he was solid defensively.
I honestly think a lot of WS fans who don’t follow other teams have no idea who he was, and expected Johnny Bench.
He hits for power, not average, but makes up for it by walking. And he’s great defensively and with pitchers.
And he’s a catcher.
You want something to complain about, keep asking for a full season of Zack Collins behind the plate.
Big Sox fan here since the 50s. I honestly hope Grandal still comes thru. I don’t think he will. Sure can’t compare him to Lollar or Fisk. And you have no idea what Collins can do. Let’s win 100 this year.
It’s 2021, grand pa. And comparing Grandal to HOFers is just plain dumb.
Not surprising Belt caught COVID, he lives in Texas. I’m sure the mono was secondary to the COVID. He’ll be gone next year anyway.