When big league spring training began in Glendale in late February, the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t yet in the forefront of everyone’s minds. White Sox players and non-roster types were gathering under the Arizona sun to embark on their individual journeys for the 2020 baseball season. Gavin Sheets was one of the players in big league camp soaking it all in, looking forward to reporting to Charlotte to play with the Knights near his hometown and take one step closer to the big leagues.
The White Sox had to pivot in their player development strategy for 2020 following the cancelation of MiLB’s season. Major League Baseball incorporated a 60-man player pool for the year, with more than half of its players participating at an alternate site. Sheets, the former 2nd round pick in 2017, isn’t in suburban Schaumburg at the Sox’s site. He is the highest ranked prospect in the organization not currently a part of the player pool. When the 6-foot-4 230 pound first baseman didn’t receive the call he was expecting, it perturbed him, especially after being on hand for the big league portion of spring training.
“I don’t have a reason,” Sheets said about being left off the 60-man. “I was fully expecting to be there, especially after being in big league camp. After the year I had last year, I expected to be with that group. I got the phone call from Getz and he said that the game plan from the White Sox was going to be to go pitcher heavy and I guess that’s what they ended up doing. I was obviously frustrated in the beginning, but instead of sulking, I took the time to focus on what I needed to do going forward in terms of athletically and physically to be the best player I could be going forward.”
Speaking of 2019, Sheets began to turn his power potential into actual results in games. The 24-year-old struggled initially in Birmingham, but finished the year with a triple slash line of .267/.345/.414 and posted a 122 wRC+. In 126 games, the lefty slugger produced 16 home runs, walked at a rate of 10.2 percent and led the Southern League in RBI with 83. In 2018, Sheets put up similar totals with a 123 wRC+ in Winston-Salem. He walked at a 10.5 percent clip, but only hit six home runs. Sheets showed his ability to be patient at the plate while not producing high strikeout totals. The power was in question, though, and it was imperative that it become a significant part of his game.
Once Sheets stopped focusing so much on that power and just tried to relax, the results started to come. He also attributed much of his torrid pace to close the year to the Barons’ coaching staff.
“I think that hanging in there early helped,” Sheets said. “Omar Vizquel was very good for me. He always kept it light and never put the pressure on us. Wes Helms and Charlie Poe were great as well and always in my corner breaking stuff down, trying to keep me loose and staying focused while not putting too much pressure on myself early in the season.
“I think hitting home runs was on the top of my mind too much early in the season and I think that I tried to hit a home run every at-bat to get off to a hot start and you just can’t do that. Especially in a ballpark like Birmingham. It’s a graveyard. Once I started to relax and put good swings on the ball and use what I’d worked on all offseason, that’s when the numbers started to happen. I think I just tried to do too much too soon. Once I took a step back and relaxed, the season started to turn around.”
Adding “middle of the order bats” was a priority for Nick Hostetler, the White Sox’s director of amateur scouting at the time who spent the 49th overall selection in the 2017 draft on Sheets. The lefty slugger was the 65th ranked player in the 2017 class according to Baseball America and the No. 60 draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
Pipeline noted that the son of former big league outfielder Larry Sheets possessed a “pretty swing and impressive strength” from the left side. The publication also surmised that while there were some concerns over his bat speed, the “improved plate discipline and pitch recognition” in his junior season at Wake Forest would help going forward.
Being that middle of the order bat consistently is a goal for Sheets. The first baseman understands he must provide power and get to that prodigious amount of thump in actual games.
“Regardless of where I play, hitting home runs has to be part of my game and I understand that,” Sheets said. “I’ve definitely made some adjustments. I’m well aware that home runs is what my game has to be. I think I did a really good job of that from June on last year in a really pitcher friendly ballpark. 16 home runs there is a pretty big feat.”
The success last year is largely a result of Sheets’ ability to understand his flaws while maintaining a work ethic that helped his game translate into consistency.
“I’ve made an adjustment with how to make my swing as fast as possible with how my body moves,” he shared. “I’ve met with some trainers to find out the areas where I lack. My hips have always been really tight so I’ve made an effort to loosen up my hips and loosen up my back and get to that extra power that I haven’t been able to tap into. I’m really excited going forward because I think I’ve made some really, really big steps and I’m excited to see it translate on the field here soon.”
Sheets was looking forward to playing his home games at Truist Field in Charlotte with that fence just 315 feet away in right field.
“I would’ve loved a shot at Charlotte this year with that stadium and those balls,” he said. “I really think we would’ve seen a lot more power.”
It wasn’t just going from the graveyard in Birmingham to a launching pad in Charlotte that was appealing for Sheets. There were other factors in play for the former college star as well.
“I was super excited to say the least,” said the former Demon Deacon. “I have lots of friends and family in Charlotte. Wake Forest is only an hour away. [Playing in] the nicest ballpark in minor league baseball and getting to play for Wes Helms was going to be super exciting for me as well. We have a great relationship and that ballpark is made for hitters. I was excited for the opportunity to really take a step forward and put up some power numbers and really show the progress I’ve made over my minor league journey and it was really disappointing to see the season go away, but we’ll be right back at it hopefully next year.”
His exclusion at the alternate site could be a telling sign to some that Sheets may not factor into the White Sox plans in the immediacy, but the 24-year-old has continued to work toward his big league dream on his own. To add another layer to his game, the first base prospect improved on his defensive capabilities outside the infield.
“Obviously, it’s a weird year for everybody,” said Sheets. “I’ve taken this time and trained a lot harder, changed training coaches and made a lot of steps forward to the point where I feel comfortable playing the outfield now. I’ve gotten stronger, faster and more athletic to feel more comfortable out there to open up that option as well, so a lot of positives have come out of this time.”
One of the more challenging aspects of being away from the game is the inability to work in live situations, which makes it tough to get a feel for progress in terms of development.
“Playing no games is tough for hitters because you can’t replicate live at-bats and live situations,” he said. “Bases loaded, man on third and getting him in, you can’t replicate that stuff. I’ve tried to make this time a positive and I think I’ve done that with the training I’ve been able to do. I’ve been able to really lock in and focus on where my deficiencies are, especially after big league camp and I got to pick up on some stuff there. I’ve accomplished a lot in terms of my body but obviously the baseball side of it — hit, throw, field — it’s tough to replicate those in game situations, but physically I’ve taken a big jump forward.”
Sheets took things into his own hands in order to stay as locked in as possible during his time off.
“I’ve been able to see live pitching,” he shared. “My agency was able to have some guys throw that were on the border of going to the taxi squad and being able to face those guys at least twice a week has been really beneficial. I feel like it’s kept me in a spot where I feel like I could compete with the guys in Schaumburg if I get that call. I’ve made it so I’d be ready to go tomorrow if I happened to receive that call from the club.”
Whether Sheets is counting on getting that call or not is another story. According to the slugger, contact with the White Sox has been pretty minimal since the season started. The White Sox are working with prospects across the organization in various fashions. They have handed out Motus compression sleeves to track the workouts of players, in addition to members of the player development staff organizing weekly Zoom calls.
“I was talking to Howie Clark (Triple-A hitting coach) pretty regularly up until the alternate site was decided, but since the 60-man taxi squad came out, I haven’t had much contact with the White Sox,” he noted.
Sheets did point out that he spoke with director of player development Chris Getz once the decision was made to leave him off the Schaumburg squad. He was told to stay ready because he could literally receive the call at any time. Due in large part to the status of the White Sox roster, Sheets unfortunately isn’t getting the reps players like Jake Burger and Andrew Vaughn are as they participate in Schaumburg daily.
Sheets has been afforded the time to reflect on his young career and he realized that the day-to-day work of professional baseball in general is the biggest impediment to success. Understanding how to manage that aspect of it has helped his process.
“The toughest thing is the daily grind,” he said. “You can talk about it all you want and prepare for it mentally, but until you actually get in it, it’s a different grind. Playing 140 games in 160 days, you don’t know what it’s going to be like until you start doing it.
“I think I’ve acclimated pretty well. Every one of my seasons, the second half was better than my first half and that’s a really big positive. I’m happy that I haven’t slowed down as the season went along, but that’s definitely the hardest part — keeping your body in a good position the whole way through and being able to compete at the plate.”
Sheets was also outwardly excited about some of the changes the organization has implemented on the development side. Ben Hansen has taken over as the official Biomechanical Engineer of the Chicago White Sox and it’s a brave new world for the franchise. Multiple additions have been made to the hitting infrastructure on the development side under new coordinator and former big leaguer Ben Broussard, as well. This is organizational change that the players have been seeking and Sheets shares that mindset.
“I think it’s great what we are starting to do,” Sheets shared. “We’re starting to bring in technology and some of the new age of baseball, but we also still have that ability to teach the game. In the past, we were more old school, but we’re still able to teach it. You can have all the data in the world, but if you can’t teach it, there’s no use for it and I feel like now we have a really good blend of people who have done it, have played in the big leagues and can teach it. I think the White Sox have made some really good moves with the people they’ve brought in and with my four years in the system, it’s really impressive to see how far we’ve come and it’s fun to be a part of.”
With only three weeks remaining in the 2020 baseball season, there are no firm plans as of yet for what’s next for White Sox prospects. Recent reports have indicated that an instructional league could be on the horizon. Something like that should be a benefit for a guy like Sheets.
It’s an important offseason for the Wake Forest product and other members of the 2017 draft class. These players will be eligible for December’s Rule 5 draft for the first time. It’s one reason why getting some work in the outfield was a prerequisite for the 24-year-old. It was also something the organization was willing to try with their numerous options already filling depth chart slots under first base and designated hitter.
“It was a two-way street and I’m excited to open up that possibility as well,” said Sheets in reference to working out in the outfield.
Whether Sheets can be functional in an outfield corner is beside the point at this juncture. What is telling is that the organization is trying to open up possibilities for the slugger and he has embraced the challenge with open arms. Playing the outfield is a potential development to keep an eye on as Pale Hose prospects get back on the field this fall.
This December, the White Sox will have to decide how much they value Sheets. The player thinks that he’ll be attractive regardless after the work he put in this offseason following a strong performance in the Southern League.
Sheets knows that his bat will do the talking. He believes that he has changed his body for the better and that his swing plane is well suited for the offensive profile expected going forward. Whether he spends the 2021 season in Charlotte finally or in another organization’s development system, he won’t be changing his core principles that got him to this point.
“I try not to focus on it too much and I’m trying to get ready for the upcoming season whether I show up this week or even next spring and if the White Sox put me on the 40-man and keep me or it’s a Rule 5 thing, I have no idea,” he said. “That’s all out of my control. All I can control is how ready I am this fall or next spring or whenever that time comes. That’s what I’ve been focused on and I think it’s been a success so far.”
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