Rick Renteria is fired up.
The White Sox manager has been since the end of the 2019 season, after the White Sox finished 72-89. And that was before they invested more than $200 million in player contracts over the next four seasons.
Renteria’s excitement over Sox possibilities for 2020, about a chance to finally be a winner after seven straight losing seasons and three in a rebuild, crescendoed with each passing offseason addition — right fielder Nomar Mazara, catcher Yasmani Grandal, left-handers Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and right-hander Steve Cishek.
And after being stationed at the Sox’ spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz., the last three days, with bats cracking and players chattering during a hitters camp, with Grandal working in the cage with first-round draft picks Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn, Renteria continued to bang the Sox drum.
“We want to fight for the postseason,” Renteria said on a conference call Wednesday. “We either want to win a division [or] be a wild card, whatever the case might be.
Either one will do. Anything shy of that shouldn’t be a goal.
“Again, I’ll repeat this,” Renteria said. “If anybody is afraid of setting expectations, this is not a place to be. It’s about winning, ultimately, and the organization has done a great job to put us on better footing to give us a chance to do that.”
A blend of young talent featuring left fielder Eloy Jimenez, shortstop Tim Anderson, third baseman Yoan Moncada, right-handers Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech and left-hander Aaron Bummer and with veteran first baseman Jose Abreu, closer Alex Colome and catcher James McCann paints the picture of a rebuild on better footing. Ticket sales are up, fans are eager for SoxFest next weekend and expectations are higher than they’ve been since Renteria took over for Robin Ventura after the 2016 season.
What’s more, top prospects Luis Robert, who signed a $50 million extension, as well as Madrigal and Vaughn, are waiting in the wings to jump on the Sox victory train. Robert figures to make the Opening Day starting lineup, Madrigal figures to get called up early in the season to play second base.
“Wow,” Renteria said. “Watching him swing the bat yesterday, I’m amazed at his bat to ball skills. It’s incredible.”
Vaughn might be just a year away from everyday first base and DH duties, but for now, it’s Encarnacion, who slugged 414 homers in his career.
That will do.
“You can’t see me but the smile on my face is pretty big,” Renteria said of his new DH.
And what of Keuchel’s and Gonzalez’ veteran presence added to the rotation? “Oh, gosh,” Renteria gushed. “Again, more experience and success. Guys that have been in a lot of battles.”
Renteria, who has come under some scrutiny for using the bunt at a time when successful teams bunt sparingly if at all, says his managing philosophy isn’t going to change with a better roster.
“I still love limitless baseball, which means you want everybody able to do anything they are capable of doing,” he said. “That is simply players performing, whether it’s stealing a base, bunting, hitting the ball out of the ballpark, moving the runner. My philosophy is not going to change.
“What changes now is the confidence in some of the veteran players to come in … to kind of move the line along [offensively] and on top of that, the pitching now we hope will be solidified.
“Hopefully we are in situations where our offense puts us ahead and we have the pitching that minimizes the damage from the other side.”
In 2019, the Sox ranked 25th among 30 teams in runs saves per FanGraphs, and defense will be a point of emphasis in spring training, which begins in less than four weeks.
“We are going to talk about [defense] from Day 1 here in camp,” Renteria said.
All in the name of winning, which hasn’t happened on the South Side since 2012 when the Sox were 85-77.
A postseason hasn’t happened since 2008.
Renteria says it’s time. And he is more than ready to win.
“Everyone in major sports wants to win and that’s what we want to do,” Renteria said. “Our expectation is to win.”
