At the dawn of the Tony La Russa era, I was fairly convinced that he wasn't as anti-analytic or staunchly old-school as he'd presented himself over the previous decade, because it seemed to fly in the face of a manager who built a reputation for seeking as much information as possible, and pursuing edges no matter how aesthetically unpleasing. Whatever disdain he displayed seemed more generated by the idea that normies felt comfortable participating in the discussion at all
I'm not as confident in that assertion anymore, what with his ardent defenses of bunting, avoiding his closer in tie games on the road, and condoning retaliation against his own player for swinging 3-0 up big. But the low-level indignation he emits about being questioned remains, and James Fegan has been the guy asking those questions.
Fegan wrote a good piece at The Athletic about his inadvertent role in prompting La Russa's more defensive moments, which, when paired with Yankees beat writer Lindsey Adler discussing her discomfort with Zoom conferences as clippable content, makes me wonder about how conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are shaping the first months of La Russa's return.
In a world with pre-pandemic levels of access, there'd be small talk, sidebars, and post-scrum exclusives, rather than raising hands and asking questions through screens in different rooms. La Russa might be just as defensive in person, but there would probably be a better understanding of intent all around.
As it stands, La Russa is operating at a remove from media, not to mention fans and even the White Sox's own voices. There was no SoxFest, there was no normal spring training, and even the broadcasters aren't traveling with the team (although Len Kasper and Darrin Jackson just started). He and the 2021 White Sox operate behind a glass wall -- in plain sight, but with a barrier that prevents feedback from being received. That's almost always the case for fans and outside media, but it's new for those paid to talk to them. Everybody's locked into the same focus group.
It makes La Russa's job easier on the whole, but it doesn't do him any favors when it comes to being understood. His Hall of Fame ring suggests he doesn't crave validation, but his annoyance suggests that there's a guy who'd like some benefit of the doubt. The conditions under which he was hired gave him less than usual to start with, and the lack of access makes him harder for everybody to figure out, even for those paid to spin it positively. We're dissecting his decisions as usual, except he's not afforded the same natural channels of defense, regardless of whether he'd even want to take advantage of it.
Fortunately for everybody, the standings stand in his favor. Just read the label about the nutritional label of results-based discussions, because Renteria's 2020 season shows how that works until it doesn't.
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Andrew Vaughn's season has the typical markings of a right-handed rookie slugger -- a slow start, followed by gains tilted toward pitchers throwing with the opposite hand, followed by adjustments made toward undercutting Vaughn's newly honed strengths.
La Russa opted for a highly conservative deployment early, which drew a lot of scrutiny when Nick Williams was the guy on the other side of the platoon. Once Vaughn started taking advantage of his selectively curated sample, La Russa started adding to the burden. Vaughn's numbers have suffered as a result, as he's hitting .214/.288/.408 since the start of May.
Yet he's also avoided the agonizing slump. He's had a 1-for-13 here, and an 0-for-10 a couple weeks later, but he's avoided the oppressive drought that somebody like Yermín Mercedes is trying to endure. It'd be nice if Vaughn had some monster performances interspersed to offset the dips, but instead everybody's just going to have to accept a modest, stable adequacy.
Vaughn's OK production (and La Russa's handling) are easier to appreciate when seeing what happened to top outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic, whom the Mariners reassigned to Triple-A Tacoma after going 8-for-83 over 23 games.
Kelenic, whose debut was preceded by gross service-time manipulation admissions from a Mariners executive and a knee strain in spring training that spared the organization arguments over Opening Day rosters, had the benefit of six Triple-A games before his MLB debut. He did not benefit from selective usage. Kelenic appeared in every game but one during his first crack at the majors, with Seattle's front office eventually cracking after his hitless streak extended to 42 plate appearances.
Perhaps Vaughn would have been sent down to the minors during his April struggles if Adam Engel returned from his hamstring strain in two weeks versus two months. But Engel couldn't resurface in Chicago until this week, when he replaced a different White Sox outfielder with an injury of his own, so Vaughn isn't going anywhere. Thankfully, Vaughn supplied enough immediate production to make it less of an issue. The lack of a dominant stretch also means that my fears of an outdated opinion from the height of the Nick Williams furor have gone unrealized.
If La Russa sees every left field option as a zugzwang, then maybe he sees his role as picking the one that shifts the fallout to him. It’s the opposite of fun, but it’s more about crossing off the days on the calendar until Adam Engel returns and represents the clear best chance for immediate adequacy. Vaughn doesn’t appear to gain anything from this arrangement, but he also doesn’t gain anything from hanging out in Schaumburg either. His lack of regular action will only become an issue when Birmingham or Charlotte resume being viable options for a player in his position, so maybe there’s value in letting him go along for the ride and picking his spots carefully, even if it results in Williams, Hamilton, García or anybody else starting way more than they should.
Of course, there’s the real possibility that Vaughn will get a few starts over the remainder of the week and show why the White Sox planned around him. La Russa will get nailed for wasting games on Williams, La Russa will probably smile inwardly and believe the slow rollout had something to do with it, both sides are right to some extent and this post ages terribly.
(Photo by David Richard / USA TODAY Sports)
