Small ball: Madrigal helping White Sox with consistent contact
During his first run as a major-league manager - at 33 years, it was more like a marathon - Tony La Russa developed special relationships with quite a few of his players.
Albert Pujols, Dennis Eckersley, Yadier Molina, Dave Stewart, Carlton Fisk and Rickey Henderson are among those still being name checked by La Russa, who is off to a 9-9 start after returning to manage the White Sox this season.
David Eckstein is also on the list.
"What you look for first is the willingness to compete," La Russa said. "That really is the difference in this game, and you apply it to David Eckstein. That's why he's a two-time champion."
Eckstein won his first World Series ring with the Angels in 2002. The second one came in 2006, when La Russa was his manager with the Cardinals.
At 5-foot-6, 170 pounds, Eckstein was never a power threat. He only hit 35 home runs in 5,705 career plate appearances over 10 major-league seasons.
Eckstein was a standout contact hitter, fierce competitor and an A+ student of the game. La Russa sees many of those same qualities in Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal.
"He's an artist," La Russa said. "The more guys you have in your lineup who know how to play the game of baseball, they know how to play the score and they know how to manipulate the bat and direct the ball to different parts of the field, you can play whatever game you want to play with them. You can dictate a chance to win all kind of games, you don't have to win a game when the wind is blowing out."
At 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, Madrigal is not a power threat. He's been to the plate 169 times since joining the White Sox's lineup last season and has yet to clear the fences.
That's not to say Madrigal isn't a threat with the bat.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft hit .340/.376/.369 in 2020 and he's slashing .283/.350/.358 this year.
While most hitters are obsessed with exit velocities and launch angles, Madrigal is just looking to make contact and get on base.
"I've said this a bunch of times before, if I put the ball in play I feel like I can beat it out," he said. "I don't think there's any magic thing to it. I'm just trying to compete up there every single pitch. No matter who is on the mound, I feel like I have a chance at least to put the ball in play."
The 24-year-old Madrigal has already established himself as a master of putting the ball in play.
He struck out only 7 times in 109 plate appearances last year and only 2 times in 60 plate appearances this season.
Equally impressive, Madrigal is batting .347 (25-for-72) with two strikes and he's a .433 hitter (13-for-30) on 0-2 counts.
"I think it's more of a mental thing once you get to two strikes, you have to understand, 'I'm not trying to leave it in the umpire's hands at the end of the day,'" Madrigal said. "If it's a borderline pitch, sometimes I'm trying to foul it off to see another pitch. It's little mind games like that you have to have in the back of your mind. It's something I've always played with. I feel more and more comfortable every year with two strikes."
Last season, Madrigal missed most of August with a separated left shoulder. He had surgery in early October and was limited to 10 games in spring training.
That led to a slow start (3-for-17) at the plate when this season started, but Madrigal is locked back in and is 8-for-21 over his last six games.
"I'm feeling good," Madrigal said. "The first couple of weeks I was kind of not feeling my best, I was missing pitches I should have hit. Just little things. But lately, I'm starting to see the ball a lot better. I'm feeling a lot better in the box."