All about confidence for White Sox' Sanchez
SEATTLE — White Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson isn't afraid to admit that he wondered about the mental stability of rookie Carlos Sanchez earlier this season.
Sanchez endured a demotion to Triple-A, then got the call to the major leagues and suffered through two months with his batting average never climbing above .200.
That seems like a lifetime ago.
After going 2-for-4 and driving in a career-high 4 runs in the White Sox's 11-4 win over Seattle on Friday night, Sanchez brought his batting average up to .241 — thanks in large part to a four-game hitting streak that has seen him go 6-for-14 — while getting an even bigger spike in confidence.
“It's all about the confidence,” Sanchez said through an interpreter after driving in four of Chicago's 11 runs in Friday night's win. “If you work hard every day, you can see the results sooner rather than later.”
Steverson said Sanchez has worked plenty hard in the batting cage, but his biggest battle was in the steel trap between his ears.
“As hitters, as baseball players in general, you have to figure yourself out,” Steverson said. “It's really a soul-searching time. I just told (Sanchez): ‘This is how you do it, you know how to do it, now do it.' You've got to clear your brain.”
What most impressed Steverson about the 23-year-old rookie's early season struggles was that he never let his lack of offense affect his defensive play. Sanchez's glove kept him in the lineup and allowed him to work his way out of his offensive funk.
“Slowly but surely, he gained his confidence back in terms of hitting,” Steverson said.
Having hit safely in 20 of 21 games heading into Saturday night, Sanchez was finally reaping the rewards.
“Now he believes he's a big leaguer,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He knows he can survive here; he knows he can compete. That's a big step for a young kid. This game can bring you to your knees, and that was almost the case with (Sanchez).”
Rookie growth, Part 2: Saturday night starter Carlos Rodon has had his share of opportunities to learn this season and the 22-year-old southpaw went into the game with some momentum.
Rodon's previous two starts included a 1.20 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings.
The Next Unit: After another outstanding performance from White Sox starter Chris Sale on Friday night, Ventura was asked Saturday whether he's able to compare the 26-year-old left-hander with any other pitcher, past or present.
Sitting inside the visiting dugout at Safeco Field, in a city where one of the best left-handers in baseball history once worked, Ventura dropped the name Randy Johnson.
“You look at (Sale's) numbers right now, he's probably better off than Randy” was at the same stage in his career, Ventura said. “Even though he's a Hall of Famer and all that, that's a fair comparison.”
Sale struck out 14 batters in Friday night's win, giving him a franchise-record 29 in back-to-back starts and an American League-high 222 this season.
Sale is on pace to strike out 300 batters this year, a feat that hasn't been done since 2002 when Arizona's Curt Schilling and, yes, both surpassed that mark.