The White Sox’ 3-22 start could not have been what general manager Chris Getz imagined when he was hired in August.
The Sox are below average in all three phases of baseball. Their offense is last in home runs (14), runs scored (56) and batting average (.192). After working to improve the pitching staff and defense, both units still rank near the bottom of the majors in most statistical categories.
This season has been a disaster, and manager Pedro Grifol’s job security is the topic of conversation after his 64-123 start to his White Sox tenure. The club’s focus has to remain on player development and Grifol is partly responsible for that department.
When asked on Friday how he felt the players were developing, Getz said, “I look forward to seeing better performances from our players.”
Given the team’s performance thus far, Grifol hasn’t elicited much confidence in his abilities in the second year of a three-year contract. Any scrutiny that comes his way is warranted. He knows the pressure he’s under as the louses mount and frustrations rise.
Despite the team being decimated by injuries, there has to be some accountability for the worst start in team history. It’s needed, considering this team is following up a 101-loss season in 2023 with an even worse performance. The 2024 season will likely test the organization’s patience.
“When you’re in professional sports, accountability is certainly a big part of our evaluation and what we do,” Getz said. “The decisions in terms of — do we need to make changes to leadership roles? — all those types of things, that will happen over time when needed. We’ve got our work cut out for us right now.”
The words Getz said may ring hollow considering that Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf hired him after a quick search in part to get the team back to winning more quickly. Instead, the opposite has happened and the team looks further away from contention than before.
As the losses continue to pile up, Getz still takes a measured approach when evaluating the team, including the manager. He evaluates Grifol on his in-game tactics and his communication with players. But one aspect of Grifol’s job takes precedence over the rest in Getz’s mind.
“I really focus on the development of our players and are we on the right track to getting those guys to be productive major league players,” Getz said of how he evaluates Grifol. “That is the most important thing right now.”
Catcher Korey Lee has shown improvement so far, being one of the lone players who can provide offense for one of the worst offenses in baseball. But veterans Andrew Benintendi and Andrew Vaughn have struggled. The Sox have one player with a wins above replacement (WAR) at 0.5 or above, according to Fangraphs. The Minnesota Twins, who are second-to-last in the AL Central, have five.
If player performance is part of a manager’s duty, then Grifol has been subpar.
Getz said he has faith the club can maintain morale amid a difficult start and that the front office will continue to improve the amateur and pro scouting departments. But having a sound process doesn’t take the sting out of losses for fans. Change could be on the horizon if the team doesn’t accumulate wins soon.
“He’s been steady,” Getz said of Grifol. “There’s always a high level of scrutiny with leadership positions. And really, the measure of success is going to be our players and how they’re out there performing and our players getting better on a regular basis.”
