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White Sox hitting director assesses the lineup, from Luis Robert Jr. to rookie Edgar Quero

LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune on

Published in Baseball

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Miguel Vargas got behind in the count 0-2 in a fifth-inning at-bat Friday against Athletics starter Luis Severino.

The Chicago White Sox third baseman took a sweeper for a ball. Severino threw another sweeper just off the plate, and Vargas drove it the other way for an RBI single to right-center.

Vargas doubled in his next at-bat. It was his second multihit performance in the last three games.

Vargas recently made adjustments at the plate. And there have been immediate results. He is 7 for 16 in his last four games, improving his batting average from .139 to .189.

“His confidence builds with each at-bat and it’s a credit to Aaron (Trunt), our biomechanist, (hitting coach) Marcus (Thames), (assistant hitting coach) Joel (McKeithan), and working together, putting a plan in place,” Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller said Saturday morning. “Here’s an issue: We believe it’s going to continue to be an issue with four-seamer, anything in the middle, top of the zone. Let’s make a change. We all believe in it.

“The real credit goes to Vargy, saying ‘OK, this is something I need to work at. I have to make an adjustment.’ And then being able to jump right in. Not wait and say do a little bit of this and it takes a week or two, but to go out there and make a big change and execute right away, that’s not always how the process is. It’s usually you make a change, you have two weeks where it’s kind of, ‘Eh, OK, getting there.’ Then you have that upward trend. But for him to have success right away, helps us know it’s going to be a better choice for him.”

Vargas collected another two hits in Saturday’s 10-3 win over the Athletics in front of 8,832 at Sutter Health Park.

“Obviously it’s always good to have good results,” Vargas said. “I’m happy for that.”

Michael A. Taylor had three doubles and three RBIs while Jonathan Cannon — who entered in the second after Tyler Gilbert served as the opener for the second straight day — allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks in 7 2/3 innings for the win.

“Just getting ahead, staying ahead,” Cannon said. “Change-up was really good, I think the sweeper got better as the outing went on and just some great defense behind me.”

The Sox got ahead before Cannon entered the game thanks to four runs in the first, including a solo home run by Luis Robert Jr. Vargas singled and scored in a two-run second.

Fuller provided updates on several hitters, including Vargas, before Saturday’s game.

He described Vargas’ adjustments as: “Being able to have where his hands could go to with his first move stay a little bit higher to cover the top part of the zone when they were going high to low, his barrel was underneath. He crushed the bottom part of the zone but a pretty good hole in that middle, top part where he was getting attacked swinging to find a solution for that part of the zone.”

Robert (.148 average) and Andrew Vaughn (.155) are seeking the consistent results they are accustomed to. Robert was four for his last 39 (.103) with 20 strikeouts in his last 11 games entering Saturday.

“(It’s) going in there, being able to understand here’s what I’m trying to do every at-bat,” Fuller said. “I’m going in with a clear plan of attack knowing I have to give up something in order to get something too. Understanding the pitches he can cover, the lanes he wants to attack, and then if he’s getting dotted on a down and away pitch, being OK if that wasn’t part of the plan.

 

“But again, keeping him confident and helping him stay on time as consistently as possible because he’s one of the most special players. Really loud skill set, so the more consistent we can be with the preparation, the work every day, then giving him confidence to go out and execute and hit balls hard in the air, it’s going to be great.”

Robert homered in his first at-bat Saturday. He finished 1 for 4 and scored three runs.

“Luis is a pro,” Fuller said. “He’s seen really high level hitters with the White Sox over the years and how they have handled success and failure too. He knows there’s one way out, and that’s continue to work. And we’re going to keep working with him every day and get it right.”

Fuller said that mindset is also the case for Vaughn, who had hit safely in eight of his last 11 games coming into Saturday. He went 0 for 3.

“These guys are workers too,” Fuller said. “It would be one thing if they were coming in and just putting a little work in here and there. But they want the right answers. They want to get it right and we are going to keep working with them every day until it gets there.”

Robert and Vaughn are among the more experienced players on the roster. Rookie Edgar Quero has been turning heads with his approach and results.

The switch-hitting catcher went 2 for 3 Saturday and is hitting .357 (10 for 28) since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte on April 17.

“What stands out with Q is his ability to believe in himself,” Fuller said. “He goes up there and he knows I’m going to give the team a quality at-bat here. And you see with a lot of young guys coming up here, you’re on TV every night, there’s a lot more people in the stands. It can speed up.

“He slows the game down so well and especially, it’s not just early in the count, but when there’s two strikes, he moves his point of contact a little bit deeper. He knows I could go through that six-hole when he’s hitting lefty, knock through that six-hole that they’re leaving open. So (it’s) his ability to slow the game down and let it come to him. So just a really impressive young player.”

He continued to impress Saturday.

“This is the top level,” Quero said. “It’s hard here. Everybody here is really good. I’m just trying to get in the box and trying to hit my ball. I’m trying to get good pitches, take good ABs.”

The Sox had several good at-bats up and down the lineup for their first win in the Sacramento area.

“We hit a lot,” Quero said of the 11-hit attack. “And Jonathan was phenomenal. Really good.”


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