Garrett Crochet and Andrew Vaughn stand out in Schaumburg workouts

Thursday was the first chance for the media to take in a White Sox taxi squad workout. The taxi squad in Schaumburg is composed of players that are the “next man up” if the major league team needs to fill holes over the course of the season.

It was a cool and breezy Thursday morning in Schaumburg. Boomers Stadium looks major league ready. Roger Bossard has done a wonderful job preparing the field to simulate a real major league experience for the taxi squad.

One interesting note during batting practice is that Boomers Stadium is 355 feet down the lines with high walls and deep fences. This makes the home runs hit during batting practice even more impressive.

White Sox director of player development Chris Getz told the assembled media that Boomers Stadium has been the perfect site for the team’s taxi squad. The White Sox have also added a hitting tunnel for the team that will remain after the team has returned to normal operations.

Getz told reporters that the goal of the taxi squad is to get these players ready for Major League Baseball should they need to be called upon. He stressed that while immediate readiness is the goal, they are trying to replicate the experience of training with a White Sox affiliate. As for players that are not with the group in Schaumburg, Getz noted that these players are checking in with coaches and other staff regularly, including weekly Zoom check-ins.

The workout started with first-round pick Garrett Crochet throwing approximately a 30-pitch bullpen session. The bullpen was outfitted with multiple cameras including a Rapsodo. White Sox staff surrounded Crochet with laptops and Ipads after the session completed.

Crochet was not throwing at 100% intensity, but his breaking balls had good movement, and control of his fastball was strong. It would appear Crochet has simplified his motion a bit, and it does not appear as violent as it did when he was drafted. Crochet could be seen working his coaches and his catchers on his arm slot following the session.

Getz had nothing but good things to say about Crochet so far. He touted Crochet’s coachability and ability to adhere to instruction. This was on full display as Crochet and his coaches huddled after his session and worked on arm slots and pitch grips. Crochet was the only pitcher that got an actual bullpen session today.

The rest of the pitchers on the taxi squad include prospects such as Dane Dunning, Zach Burdi, Jonathan Stiever and Bernardo Flores Jr. Second-round pick Jared Kelley was expected to join the taxi squad later this week.

On the offensive side of things, the media got a chance to take in at-bats from prospects Micker Adolfo, Andrew Vaughn and Nick Madrigal.

Aside from Mazara, who is rehabbing in Schaumburg as he returns from the injured list, Vaughn turned the most heads with his performance. The ball jumped off of Vaughn’s bat and he displayed light tower power to all fields. Vaughn also took a number of groundballs at third base during the session and also took fungo from the staff at third base.

Madrigal may join the major league team in the next few days, but for today he was taking batting practice with the rest of the taxi squad. Madrigal’s batting session was very similar to what fans can expect to see when he joins the big league club. Line drives all over the field, with nothing reaching even the warning track. That’s not to say Madrigal’s hit tool isn’t impressive, but the name of his game will never be power.

Much like Crochet, Getz’s praise of Madrigal and Vaughn was very high. He said Madrigal and Vaughn should be ready to join the big league club “soon.” The assumption is that Madrigal will be joining the club much sooner than Vaughn.

Blake Rutherford also took batting practice. Rutherford didn’t hit any home runs, but seems to be adjusting his play style to maximize his potential power.

There’s a lot of talent working out in Schaumburg, much of which will likely take the field at some point this season. In the meantime, they are staying in a hotel in Schaumburg. Getz mentioned that it is difficult for the club to control too much of what these players are doing, but that monitoring and education are two tools they are using to keep players safe.

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