![]() The point of mentioning the canceled 2020 minor-league season is that the short-season rookie ball level in between the Florida Complex League and Low A - the logical assignment for a 19-year-old Gladney in 2o21 - never returned afterward. It’s in that in-between where I feel like I am (old) but I’m not at the same time.” “When in reality, I’ve been doing (it) for about five years now. ![]() “Teammates and everybody is like, ‘Aw man, you’re young, man! You’re 21!'” Gladney said by phone. Even before the minor-league season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, or the alternate site, the ACE product’s big power and exceptional exit velocities were generating excitement among White Sox player development staffers. You get him here, go down get the work in, improve on what you need to improve on after tasting it here, then once you come back up it’s time to go, it’s time to make adjustments here in the big leagues.”įor comparison’s sake, DJ Gladney has been in the White Sox organization longer than starting catcher Yasmani Grandal, and was drafted out of Illiana Christian High School (Ind.) in June 2019. “One thing we have to be sure of as an organization, players like him you can send him down, but they can’t become that yo– yo guy. “You focus on the at-bats, the qualities of the at-bats, the pitch selection,” said Pedro Grifol of how they’re evaluating when Colás is ready to return. ![]() ![]() The White Sox want a prolonged stretch where he shows a process that will make him reliable. There is nothing Seitzer and coaches at Charlotte want to see more than Colás coming up in late-game, high-tension RBI situations and executing the game plan they mapped out for him in pregame hitters meetings.Īnd as has been shown by Adam Haseley, Billy Hamilton and Jake Marisnick all being retained for part-time outfield roles while Colás has remained in Charlotte, the rookie’s return to Chicago is not contingent on simply a roster spot opening, nor a quick hot streak against Triple-A competition. Clearly for him, and others, there is no simulation that can recreate the challenge of maintaining a plate approach in the heat of the moment. Of course, Colás is coming off a month in the majors when he swung at 43 percent of pitches out of the strike zone. But Seitzer also likes opening up swing decision practice with flip work, immediately identifying where the ball is out of the hand and making a call on whether to fire or not. Even now that he’s in Charlotte, Seitzer says they have Colás working off an iPitch machine daily. Colás already spent the offseason working with White Sox coaches on simulating at-bats, using pitching machines to recreate the low, borderline breaking balls that he needed to lay off to thrive at the major-league level. Spanish-speaking hitting coordinator Andy Barkett is also currently in town to assist, but Seitzer also says his Spanish is good enough for him and his newest charge to understand each other in the batting cage. So, really just honing in on his tempo, his approach, direction. “Because when his approach goes a little bit overly aggressive, then his body and mechanics get out of whack as well, just like anybody else. “At this point, it’s more so his approach,” Seitzer said of the focus of their work with Colás, rather than mechanics. While the 24-year-old was optioned in part to pare down an aggressive approach that had become inhibiting, Seitzer raved about the simplicity and professionalism of Colás’ batting cage routine. ![]() 429/.468/.714, with 10 of his 18 hits going for extra bases. If the White Sox erred in believing that Colás was ready to be a major-league regular, it doesn’t appear to be because Triple-A pitching still presents a huge challenge to him. ![]()
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