Lawrie not distracted by individual success
It has been a bumpy ride full of ups and downs for the Chicago White Sox as they head into the all-star break.
However, as of late the Sox have won five of the last six series and are going into the break with a winning record for the first time since 2012.
The team's recent success can attributed to several different factors, but it's difficult to overlook how dominant Brett Lawrie has been these last couple of weeks.
From June 28 through Saturday, Lawrie recorded at least 1 hit in 11 straight games, which tied for the longest streak in his career. During his hitting streak, the second baseman hit .381 along with 3 doubles, 5 RBI and a home run.
On the year, Lawrie has hit 22 doubles, 11 homers and has driven in 35 runs. He's on pace to have career bests in all three categories, but how much does Lawrie care about any of that or about how many games the White Sox are out from the division lead?
Not one bit.
"That's a lot of side stuff that we can't control," he said. "I think the biggest thing in here, from a great saying that I've heard, is that we can only control what we can control, and that everyone here goes out and plays their butt off every single day and leave it all on the field.
"When we can do that, we put ourselves in a great position. When you leave everything out on the field, great things can happen."
Lawrie's teammates appreciate his demeanor and team-oriented mindset. As one of the most energetic guys in and out of the clubhouse, his impact is felt even when things aren't going their way on the field.
"You can't weigh the value of that (energy) by just talking about it," Tyler Saladino said. "It's just what it does every day. When you play ball every day, same group of guys, traveling to and from different places, it's not the easiest thing to just show up every day and have energy.
"You might land in a city at 2 in the morning and have a day game, and the energy that he brings is enough to pick up everyone the majority of the time, and you can't just say enough about that. Every single day, it's a difference-maker, especially when you're going through stretches where we're not coming out on top."
In addition to being on pace to having the best season in his six-year career, Lawrie's clubhouse leadership certainly is starting to stand out.
But, of course, he's adamant about keeping the personal success in the back of his mind because that's not why he was brought in from the Oakland Athletics last December.
"I'm doing everything I can to contribute offensively and defensively for the team, and that's why I'm here," Lawrie said. "I'm not here for personal stuff. I'm here to win baseball games and win a championship, and what a better group to do it with."