White Sox catcher Kyle Teel has been devouring any food in sight this offseason.
‘‘I’m eating everything, dude,’’ Teel said Friday at SoxFest Live. ‘‘Literally everything. It doesn’t matter what it is.’’
Bulking up during the offseason was one of Teel’s goals. He has added 20 pounds of muscle by being dedicated in the weight room and increasing his calorie intake. He hopes that added strength will help him hold up over a 162-game season and unlock multiple areas of his game.
‘‘I feel like [that added muscle] takes care of a lot of things that I’m working on — hitting the ball for power, especially,’’ Teel said. ‘‘Defensively, I’ve just been working on my receiving, I know we have the [automated ball/strike system] this year, but I still think that framing balls into strikes is going to be huge in this game.’’
Teel, shortstop Colson Montgomery and second baseman Chase Meidroth are the foundation of this Sox rebuild, the success of which will be judged on how well they develop in the majors. Be it the new coaching hires or the free-agent signings, everything general manager Chris Getz has done this offseason has been aimed at improving the infrastructure to better support the Sox’ young players.
‘‘I love the energy that we have,’’ right-hander Davis Martin said Saturday. ‘‘But all of us know, at the end of the day, that wins matter. You’ve got to win baseball games. You’ve got to go do your job. And so I think trying to blend that is going to be the early challenge for us, [along with] having all these expectations for the first time in probably two years.’’
What plagued the Sox’ previous rebuild was the stunted development of their prospects at the major-league level. New hitting coach Derek Shomon is good at connecting with young players after his work with the Marlins, and the Sox think they will benefit from the exposure to the big leagues they got last season.
Teel impressed at the plate during his rookie season, posting a .786 OPS with eight home runs. But his work behind the plate could use some improvement.
With a year under his belt, Teel said he learned about the importance of ‘‘understanding who you’re catching.’’ That will pay dividends for his blocking and framing because he’ll understand where his pitchers are trying to locate the ball.
Teel also confirmed Friday that he will play for Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic, so he will miss the middle part of spring training. It’s a great opportunity for him to learn from Team Italy coaches and former major-league catchers Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli.
Then there’s Meidroth, whose steadiness was key for the Sox last season. He finished in the 80th percentile in outs above average defensively and showed a mature approach at the plate with good bat-to-ball skills.
Meidroth dealt with hand injuries for most of the season but often played through them, batting .267/.324/.356. There’s room for improvement against breaking balls, but Meidroth’s approach is mature for a player of his age. The Sox also valued his positional versatility and grinder mentality.
Sox players also have taken notice of the investment Getz has made in the roster. As soon as news broke that Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami had signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the Sox, Teel went to YouTube and watched highlights of his new teammate. Meidroth said he can’t wait to meet Murakami at spring training.
This season will be the first time the Sox have had legitimate expectations in years, in part because they improved from 32-65 before the All-Star break last season to 28-37 after it. Still, they know they have a lot of work to do to return to the top of the American League Central.
‘‘We’ve got a really good chance to shake some things up this year,’’ a confident Meidroth said Friday.