McCann’s adjustments produce hot start
White Sox catcher James McCann recently recalled advice he received during his rookie season from former Tigers teammate Torii Hunter.
“No matter how good or bad you start in April, when you look up in September, if you’ve done everything you’re supposed to do over the course of the season (and) you’ve stayed strong, you look up in September and the numbers will be there,” McCann said.
His numbers so far are eye-popping.
He entered Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field hitting .373 (25-for-67) with six doubles, three home runs and eight RBIs. McCann had a .417 on-base percentage and a .597 slugging percentage.
McCann’s slash line in the last seven games was .448/.484/.690, and he had two hits in each of the first two games of the Red Sox series.
“He’s been very consistent early on here,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Saturday. “He’s been driving the ball as well. He’s doing a nice job with us behind the plate. He’s multifaceted right now.”
McCann, 28, signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the White Sox in December. He has produced early as part of the catching rotation with veteran Welington Castillo.
McCann recently said the success starts with his routine.
“I try not to do too much,” McCann said. “I think back over last year when I had a down year (.220 average with the Tigers), when things aren’t going your way and you start trying to do too much. You’re not staying within yourself; that’s a recipe for failure.
“One of the things I focused on in the offseason and the spring was staying within myself, taking what’s given to me and not trying to make more of what’s not there.”
McCann has made adjustments at the plate. And he’s adjusting to working with a new pitching staff after spending his first five seasons in Detroit.
“Spring training into the season, you can sit down and have meetings all you want,” McCann said. “You can talk things through all you want, but it’s really not until you get in the fire, not until you get out there in game situations (like) second and third and one out. How do you work together? They might throw that ball in the dirt. How do you block it? How do you receive it?
“All those little things that build trust. I can do all the stuff I want off the field to build that trust, but it’s that in-game experience that builds trust.”
Covey slated to start Sunday: Dylan Covey was ready for any role after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday.
With Carlos Rodon on the injured list, Covey is in line to start Sunday against the Red Sox. Renteria indicated it will likely be a bullpen day.
Covey is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two relief appearances spanning 1 1/3 innings. He was optioned to Charlotte on April 3. Covey had a 2.51 ERA in five games (three starts) with the Knights. He spent most of 2018 with the Sox, finishing 5-14 with a 5.18 ERA in 27 games (21 starts).