'We have to battle': Thames shares belief in offense

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- It would be easy for Marcus Thames, or any other Major League hitting coach, to be front and center when his offense is knocking the baseball around the field, or his top players are hitting .330 with 30 home runs.

But Thames understands the job becomes most important when his charges are struggling, as the White Sox are dealing with across the board. “Struggling” is an understatement for a team that’s been held scoreless six times over a franchise-worst 2-14 start, and for a group having been limited to five hits or less nine times.

“I’ve always been that way. I really care about the guys. That’s why I do this job,” Thames said this past weekend. “When they are in the box, I’m on the top step and in the box with them. I want them to know I’m with them.

“I want to give them that confidence. When they are not at their best, I’m with them. When they are at their best, I’m with them. The easy thing to be is on their side when they are going well but not when they are not going well. For me, it’s just trying to make sure I’m there for them, and continue to watch video and make sure mechanically they are sound. Trying to get these approaches tightened up a little bit.”

Nothing has gone great for the White Sox, who are nine games out of first place in the American League Central, including just 1-10 within a division where they thought competing for the postseason was possible. It’s the offense, though, at the core of the issues, leaving all eyes on Thames during his first year in charge.

Of course, this is not Thames’ first rodeo, as he has held the same role for the Marlins, Yankees and Angels. He’s trying to get the White Sox players to not collectively press, avoiding the thought of getting three or four hits in every at-bat, instead of just the one possible.

“It’s hard when you are looking at the scoreboard and the numbers aren’t where they are supposed to be,” Thames said. “Trying to make them focus on the main thing, and the main thing is having good quality at-bats and trying to move the line.

“Whenever we can do that, good things are going to happen for us. We’ve had opportunities and I think guys are putting pressure on themselves instead of just really focusing on the at-bat quality. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. This game is tough, but at the same time, we have to battle and compete.”

Andrew Benintendi is hitting .169 with one extra-base hit, while Andrew Vaughn has a .172 average with two extra-base hits and three RBIs. Those are two key components in the White Sox offense, especially with Luis Robert Jr. (right hip flexor) and Yoán Moncada (left adductor) sidelined for an extended period of time.

Nobody aside from Gavin Sheets (.932 OPS) and Dominic Fletcher (.256 average) is really hitting among the White Sox starters, with the group ranking last in the Majors in home runs (eight), runs scored (34) and OPS (.568) and second-to last in average (.196). Thames is trying to keep this group positive, waiting for that season-changing “a-ha” moment to get things clicking at the plate.

“[Sometimes] you feel something in your move, and you are like, ‘Oh, there it is,’ and you go on a tear. Hopefully, we can get some guys going,” Thames said. “We have guys who are capable of being better. Control what you can control. Control what you are doing. Once we get to that point individually, good things will happen.”

“You’ve got to trust the work we did in the offseason, trust who we are, trust how we got here and who we’re going to be,” manager Pedro Grifol added. “And you realize you’re probably going to end up chuckling at this thing, saying I worried for no reason, I pressed for no reason or whatever’s going on in their mind. Everybody here wants to have success, and they work every day to do it.”