Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has caught a lot of flak from baseball fans since he stepped back into the dugout last year … but Lutherville native and Gilman graduate Gavin Sheets doesn’t want to hear it.
Sheets broke into the big leagues in June 2021 and made a splash with the White Sox, hitting .250/.324/.506 with 11 home runs in 179 plate appearances as a rookie. The 26-year-old has been a regular part of the Chicago lineup this year and is hitting .244/.296/.404 with nine home runs entering play Aug. 24.
La Russa has been with Sheets every step of the way in the big leagues. The Hall of Fame manager has mostly played the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Sheets, a first baseman by trade, in a corner outfield spot with José Abreu and Andrew Vaughn also on the roster. La Russa has mostly given Sheets opportunities against right-handed pitchers.
Sheets has enjoyed learning from La Russa, a three-time World Series winner.
“He’s taught me some things that he saw players that he’s coached do. When you’re a Hall of Famer, you obviously have an incredible resume, but you’ve also coached some incredible players,” Sheets said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 24. “Hearing stories about Albert Pujols and Larry Walker and guys like that and what he saw them do that he thinks can help me, that’s always special as well. I know he’s made some old-school moves lately. I enjoy playing for him. He’s been tremendous to me. We’ve got a great relationship.”
Sheets also mentioned that he learns from players like Abreu and Tim Anderson by observing how they prepare. Abreu has been one of the best first basemen in the big leagues since debuting in 2014 and earned 2020 American League MVP honors. Anderson turned into one of the top shortstops in the majors in 2019, when he won the big league batting title, and has remained so.
Sheets admires how both are able to bring it year after year.
“Obviously the amount of work it takes to get to the big leagues is incredible, but one of the hardest things is staying in the big leagues and being successful every year,” Sheets said. “You watch these guys get to the ballpark and the way they put in their work, just from working out and the swings they take, even in August. That’s the special thing that you see that really doesn’t even need to be said. You’re watching these guys with MVP’s being the first one on the field and the last one to leave. It’s stuff like that that’s really cool to see.”
Sheets is trying to establish himself in the major leagues the way Abreu and Anderson have, but he’s grinding through some struggles this year (though he has managed to mash 25 extra-base hits). He is learning to adjust throughout the course of a 162-game season.
Chances are Sheets will figure it out. He hit .282/.357/.428 with 39 home runs in 1,552 minor league plate appearances after being drafted in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the White Sox. He’s done nothing but hit his entire life.
“You have to be able to go 0-for-4 one night and come back the next day and have the ability to go 4-for-4,” Sheets said. “It’s a hard, hard sport and you have to be able to adjust. Obviously the longer I’ve played now the more the scouting report gets bigger. It’s a game of constant adjustments. If you don’t adjust, you’re going to get crushed here. It’s kind of the fun part of it.”
It might help if Sheets got to play against his hometown team more often. He put together a two-hit effort against the Orioles Aug. 23 before being lifted for a pinch-hitter. In eight career games against Baltimore, Sheets is hitting .308/.400/.577 with two home runs.
The White Sox won all seven games against the Orioles last year, but it’s been a different story this year, with the Orioles winning four of five thus far. Sheets said White Sox players noticed a different Orioles team when the two played a four-game series in late June.
“We were like, ‘Man, this is a different Orioles team than we’ve played,'” Sheets said. “They don’t quit. They’ve got an unbelievable bullpen. They’ve got a lot of dangerous bats. They play extremely hard. Obviously being from Baltimore, I’ve always kept a close eye on them. What they’re doing this year is incredible. It’s great for baseball. It’s great for Baltimore, obviously. But baseball in general, with a franchise like the Orioles being back and being competitive, it’s exciting to see.”
For more from Sheets, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox