Super Joe Speaks: Kid Keuchy is bringing the heat
While bench coach Joe McEwing doesn't need a guaranteed White Sox win to outshine the sun in his postgame remarks to media, it apparently doesn't hurt, as he greeted us all with ANOTHER GOOD DAY! ANOTHER SOX WIN! on Friday afternoon.
Before waxing rhapsodic on his usual smattering of Chisox stars, the No. 2 took care of some business as the No. 1.
First, McEwing wished Ricky Renteria godspeed as he attended a family funeral, unsure of his bosses return but vowing to hold the line until then.
Also, we got updates on two of the more missing faces from camp. Evan Marshall, apparently OK and just a bit slow to get revved, threw live BP on Thursday and should see his first intrasquad action over the weekend. "Nothing new" per Joe on José Ruiz, who appears to be the second man of the failed intake-testing duo, as both he and Yoán Moncada were placed on the 10-day injured list today.
And then, the waxing began.
Dallas Keuchel, who threw 2 ⅓ perfect innings today: "Wow, it’s been unbelievable. Talking about Dallas, you don’t have enough time in the day to discuss the positives he brings to the table. He builds chemistry in the clubhouse, and takes guys under his wing. History shows he’s a winner in every aspect. We’re very, very fortunate to have him in this clubhouse.
"He's 1,000% an Abreu type. He’s the ultimate professional, and just the way he goes about everything ... it’s crisp, to the point, and done the right way."
Biceps Cordero, who threw two pretty solid innings himself: "Jimmy's got plus-plus stuff, biggest thing is controlling his strike zone. One of the top pitchers in the game with getting ground balls ... he was so efficient in the second inning, 11 pitches. At the 11-15 [pitches] clip, he puts everyone in position to be successful."
Luis Robert: "There's nothing on the field he can’t do. He’s gone 0-2 quickly a couple of times, and battled back ... I’m extremely excited. I know with the mask you can’t see how excited I am about this kid."
As always, there's a lot of good stuff here from McEwing, so watch the full session below, courtesy of the White Sox:
Actor (final credit: murdered by Albert Einstein in "Carnage Hall"), musician (Ethnocentric Republicans), and Nerf hoops champion, Wiffleball aficionado and onetime bilingual kindergarten teacher, Brett Ballantini also writes about baseball, basketball and sometimes hockey, for the NBA, MLB, NHL, and Slam, Hoop, Sporting News, the Athletic, SB Nation and others. He was CSN Chicago’s Blackhawks beat writer when their 49-year Stanley Cup drought ended in 2009-10, and took over the White Sox beat after that. He currently is the editor-in-chief of South Side Hit Pen and beat writer for Inside the Rays. He also wrote a book about Ozzie Guillén but is running out of space, so follow him on Twitter @BrettBallantini and he'll probably tell you even more about himself than you ever wanted to know.
Follow BrettBallantini