1. For a franchise in a ‘prove it’ season like the White Sox are in, pressure is felt across the organization. But as manager, Robin Ventura is sitting in the position to feel it first and strongest. In terms of on the field action, accountability runs up the chain to him, but in terms of altering the spiraling direction of the franchise, he’s the most fungible leadership position. The first place to change something for the sake of changing something about a clearly broken operation.
Once the initial shock that any Sox leadership is facing potential job insecurity subsides, Jon Heyman’s report that Ventura is on the hot seat seems obvious. Managers on the last year of their contracts with experienced in-house replacement candidates trudging about, who are also running a team amid an incredibly quick collapse tend not to be safe.
Would it make anything better? Tactically yes, provided the current mess is not already a result of a collaborative process. Internal reaction–heartbroken mutiny or shocked into action–would be less predictable.
Without specific information, pegging when the Sox would make their move would be blind speculation, but like the trade situation, it’s at the point where if the Sox feel it could be helpful, it would behoove them to not blunt that effect by stalling. In other words, do it or don’t do it.
2. In that vein, Tim Anderson leading off, seemingly nonsensical and reckless at the beginning of the week–and possibly reckless-seeming again after Anderson meets Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco this wekeend–stands to stay in place. The Sox offense, and their manager, have been at the point of sticking with anything that seems like it’s working for a while now, and Anderson’s spurt of success has magically coincided with returns to form from Adam Eaton and maybe even Jose Abreu, which will likely earn this arrangement plaudits that outlast the actual correlation.
However, if there’s one thing Ventura has shown a willingness to do consistently, it’s switch around the batting order on a whim. Dioner Navarro, Alex Avila, Brett Lawrie, Melky Cabrera and Abreu have all started at four different spots in the batting order. Austin Jackson has seen five and poor Avisail Garcia has been at six separate spots (rare does someone find work as both the cleanup hitter and the No. 9 slot in the first three months of the year).
There is not exactly a stringent plan in place here.
3. The Twins, in their curious disinterest in untapping Oswaldo Arcia‘s potential and even more baffling fascination with Danny Santana‘s, designated the former in order to call up the latter this week. Santana hit .319/.353/.472 with a .405 BABIP in 430 plate appearances 2014, but has never shown any evidence of being a decent hitter before nor since, and lacks a true position.
Arcia, on the other hand, liquefied opposing pitching at every level of the minors and holds a roughly average offensive line for his major league career, and the Twins are bailing on him at age 25. They certainly have their reasons. He responded horribly to a Triple-A assignment last year and has struck out in 46 of his 114 plate appearances this year, but they’re the ones who responded to a 23-year-old smacking 20 home runs in barely over 400 plate appearances by cutting his playing time.
His defense is similarly close to unplayable in an outfield corner as Garcia’s, and he would provide a chance, definitely not a certainty to outplay Garcia. But the Sox are also giving corner outfield and DH at-bats to J.B. Shuck and Jason Coats. They’re in a position to be curious, and Arcia wouldn’t require a commitment of any kind.
4. Just in case feelings that the Sox were in the process of spurning a golden opportunity to feast upon a weakened and injury-ravaged AL Central were beginning to subside (they’re about to face the 35-30 first place team that is missing Michael Brantley and has the rest of its outfield suspended or jailed or whatever), J.D. Martinez broke his elbow slamming into an outfield wall Thursday night, prompting the call-up of Professional Massive Dude Steven Moya.
Martinez was hitting .286/.358/.520 this year and would easily be the best hitter in the White Sox lineup, but is just one of the many studs the Tigers have to offer, even though Victor Martinez‘s ageless bat is currently getting little cooperation from his very 37-year-old body. The Tigers are dealing with this along with a rotation that has seen Anibal Sanchez crater and get booted to relief, Daniel Norris yet to emerge from a difficult rehab path through Triple-A, very foreseeable Mike Pelfrey results, and has potential issues like Jordan Zimmerman striking out less than six batters per nine innings on the horizon.
They are a game ahead of the Sox.
5. For a capper, fellow Jamaican Eno Sarris has an update on Jeff Samardzija‘s revival in San Francisco. Despite leaving the Sox, he is now throwing his cutter more than ever, but the thing he apparently missed more than anything in Chicago was pitching inside. Sarris claims the Sox pitching staff threw inside less than any other team last year, which is simultaneously baffling and something to watch for in future cases of huge pitching acquisitions transforming into unmitigated disasters.
Lead Image Credit: David Banks // USA Today Sports Images
Arcia, make it happen Hahn!