Strikeouts the down side of White Sox's home run barrage

Making any kind of comparisons in this COVID-19 shortened season is probably a futile exercise, but let's attempt one anyway.

The present day White Sox are looking a lot like the 2000 Sox, one of the more entertaining teams I've chronicled through the years.

Both teams had/have offenses that "demolish baseballs," as pitcher Gio Gonzalez described the 2020 White Sox.

That is true.

This year's edition features a long line of sluggers - Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal and Edwin Encarnacion.

The 2000 Sox, a team that racked up 95 wins and won the AL Central under manager Jerry Manuel, had Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Paul Konerko, Jose Valentin and Carlos Lee bashing home runs.

Frank Menechino was a reserve infielder for the Oakland A's 20 years ago, just three years removed from playing in the White Sox's minor league system.

The Sox's first-year hitting coach, Menechino is aware the 2000 team pounded the ball all season before scoring 7 runs in 3 games while being swept by the Mariners in the American League Division Series.

The Sox batted .185 in the playoffs and failed to connect on too many big swings.

"It's like we were trying to hit every pitch out of the Grand Canyon," said Von Joshua, the White Sox's hitting coach in 2000.

Menechino wants the Sox to make the playoffs, and wants them to avoid the same fate from two decades ago.

There's no doubt he is pleased with the impressive power the Sox have shown throughout the lineup. It was on full display during the weekend series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

The White Sox went deep 12 times in the three-game set - Abreu had six of them - and they rank second in the major leagues with 55 home runs.

On the other hand, the Sox are third in baseball with 278 strikeouts.

Being aggressive at the plate is one thing. Chasing bad pitches is a habit Menechino is trying to break.

"You need to be able to see the ball in the lane, where it's going to end up in the strike zone," said Menechino, who the White Sox drafted on the 45th round in 1993. "You need that information ... is it a ball or a strike? Because a lot of good pitchers, everything's going to start out as a strike and then be out of the zone. So we've got to maybe change our eyesight, change the lanes we're looking in, up and down, in and out, to beat that ball to the spot. It's the typical stuff."

Can't live, die with HRs

When the home run barrage lulls, the Sox have to be able to manufacture some runs if they hope to keep their current playoff spot.

Menechino wants to make sure they are capable of playing small ball when needed.

"Everybody's starting to barrel balls, guys are starting to hit balls out of the park, and I'm (complaining), saying, 'We've got to stop striking out,' " he said. "That's the tug and pull that's going on. Sometimes I'm the killjoy. 'Hey, what are you talking about? We're hitting home runs.'

"If we're only going to score with home runs, we're in trouble. So it goes back to approach, it goes back to letting that come to you. Let them come to you, don't try to go to them."

Rookie Luis Robert, among others, is testing his hitting coach's patience at times.

The 23-year-old center fielder crushed 2-run homers Friday and Saturday, but struck out three times in the series opener and was 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts Sunday.

"It is very important to have a good pitch selection," said Robert, who is tied for fifth place in the majors for most strikeouts (39). "If you are able to recognize and select a good pitch, you're going to be able to create more damage and be more productive. I think that's the mindset we have right now as a team."

Menechino was a maximum effort player and he is taking the same approach in his job as hitting coach.

"My guys are working hard. I'm throwing a lot of different things at them, stuff they never really thought about," he said.

"I think that's a lot of it, the mental part of an approach. Where are we looking? Where are we hunting? And I'm actually making these guys think. Sometimes they don't respond well to it, but they are getting it and working at it. That's all I can ask from them. So far, relatively pleased.

"I'm hard on them. Some guys respond different than others, but my job is to stay on them and push them to the edge and keep them going in the right direction."