South Side Sox Podcast 90 — Yasmani Grandal Q&A — 2022-03-10

Wouldn’t you just know it, after weeks of waiting for our EXCLUSIVE Q&A with Yasmani Grandal, baseball has to go and end its lockout as he and I are talking. Still, as Yaz was getting pelted by marshmallows from his daughter and votes to play were pouring in from the players, the White Sox catcher and I spoke on a number of topics from past and present: Yaz talks of his devotion to the Force3 catching gear, equipment so protective he invested in the company! Grandal has been mostly lucky to sidestep concussions (“only” one) but the Force3 is especially helpful with mask trauma, as in the past he’s taken so many hits to the jaw he “got tired of drinking his food out of a straw” Yaz laughs off his low-BA criticism; he knows his offensive game, and that involves run production by getting on base — and putting balls over the fence The return to using in-game video to study his at-bats was the key difference in Yaz’s huge offensive uptick for 2021 As for corralling a diverse and talented pitching staff, Yaz details his strategies, and as always sees more value in observing and listening than talking to pitchers We passed with a slightly light hand over the labor negotiations, but two things were clear: Yaz feels one side was trying harder for a deal, and it’s enormously important to leave the game in better shape for young players than he came into it Grandal sees himself as a future coach or manager, but you might be surprised at what level he’d most like to work at YES the basketball jersey will be back for 2022, and Yaz does not balk at it replacing the 1983s as the Sunday alternate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices