Despite a strikeout-filled finish to a five-game American League Division Series loss to the Guardians that he admits left ‘‘a sting,’’ White Sox general manager Chris Getz’s tone at his end-of-season news conference was celebratory.
‘‘A lot of people that followed the White Sox or tracked the White Sox, they really felt there was a team within our clubhouse — how they went about their business, how they played for each other,’’ Getz said.
As such, Getz isn’t interested in disrupting that clubhouse atmosphere or in breaking up the group that formed the AL’s best offense. He also is expecting to retain his major-league coaching staff.
‘‘I think about the last offseason and the amount of interviewing and hires that we made, and that certainly has paid off,’’ Getz said. ‘‘Now to have really talented coaches . . . in our locker room is something that is perhaps a separator for us. And now to really stabilize that, to have that going forward, I think is going to benefit us.’’
Hitting coach Derek Shomon and pitching coach Zach Bove were hired last winter in a process that included manager Will Venable and the front office. They likely would have been retained even if the Sox had shown only incremental improvement, rather than a 24-victory jump that enabled them to become the first team to reach the playoffs coming off back-to-back seasons of 100 losses or more, let alone three in a row.
Venable likely will earn AL Manager of the Year votes if he doesn’t win the award outright, and that tends to bring some stability.
‘‘We’ve got a really special manager,’’ Getz said. ‘‘He’s got a tremendous feel for people, and his communication style and his consistency I think allowed our clubhouse to really grow.’’
Meidroth going for Gold
Second baseman Chase Meidroth might receive formal recognition for a big reason advanced metrics rate him as one of the best players at his position. The 25-year-old is a finalist for the AL Gold Glove at second base, alongside Michael Massey of the Royals and Cole Young of the Mariners.
Coaches from all 30 MLB teams — including managers — vote on the award, and sabermetric defensive ratings account for about a quarter of the final decision. Meidroth rates strongly in those ratings. He is third among AL second baseman in fielding percentage (.986) but first in MLB Statcast’s fielding run value.
Murakami talks persist
First baseman Munetaka Murakami was named a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year in the Players’ Choice Awards, which is voted on by members of the MLB Players Association, after posting an .825 OPS and socking 35 home runs in his debut season.
Sox fans can be forgiven for having more anticipation about whether Murakami works out a new contract this offseason to keep him in Chicago past when his current deal expires after 2027.
‘‘We’ll continue to have those conversations,’’ Getz said. ‘‘ ‘Mune’ means a lot to us. And we certainly want him to come back here and be here for a long time.’’
Still looking
Getz said the Sox are still in the process of hiring a replacement for amateur scouting director Mike Shirley, who resigned in September.