3 reasons to be concerned with Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol
By Todd Welter
Jake Burger lineup issues.
Burger has been mashing the ball this season. He has 16 home runs and a .551 slugging percentage. He is second on the team in OPS.
You would think Burger would be in the lineup every day batting third or fourth. For some reason, Pedro Grifol either has him riding the bench or batting as low as eighth. His reasons do not seem to make much sense.
He has also gotten testy when asked why Burger was hitting so low in the order.
It was absolutely fair for reporters to ask the testy, frustrated Pedro Grifol about why Jake Burger was batting 8th in the White Sox's lineup, @stevestone says.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) June 19, 2023
Listen to Stone's full segment on @mullyhaugh: https://t.co/50Ts8p2X3C pic.twitter.com/9EAylWfayg
Burger has a 122 wRC+ and is on pace to have a 1.4 fWAR this season. His defense at third base might not be better than Yoan Moncada, but Moncada has been on the IL for the bulk of the season.
Burger needs to be playing third base or DH as long as he is feeling physically capable that day.
Instead, Grifol plays the matchups and the splits with Burger.
Burger is a better hitter at home than he is on the road. He does tend to chase pitches outside the zone. He is also the lineup’s most consistent run producer.
Keeping him out of the lineup or in the order where he will only get three at-bats is borderline criminal. Thinking Gavin Sheets is a better option than Jake Burger might mean Grifol is not the best at assessing talent.