CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox administration on Monday refuted claims by former reliever Keynan Middleton that the downtrodden group had a tradition with “no rules,” permitting a rookie reliever to repeatedly go to sleep throughout video games and different gamers to overlook conferences and practices.
Middleton, dealt to the New York Yankees for minor league pitching prospect Juan Carela simply earlier than the Aug. 1 commerce deadline, made the statements in an ESPN report printed on Sunday.
Before Monday’s recreation towards the Yankees in Chicago, White Sox common supervisor Rick Hahn and first-year area supervisor Pedro Grifol stated Middleton’s claims have been inaccurate. But each admitted their disappointing group had confronted its share inside points, centering round constructing a profitable tradition.
“I’ve been talking about culture here since Day One and brought it up again about three or four weeks ago,” Grifol stated. “I feel like we’re not even close to where we need to be, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
The White Sox, anticipated to contend, entered Monday at 45-68 and in fourth place within the AL Central.
Hahn emphasised that no reliever had been dozing within the bullpen, whereas including the White Sox have a place participant with critical sleep problem who’s permitted to take naps within the clubhouse per medical path.
“I was surprised to see the report this morning,” Hahn stated. “At no point during the course of the year had there been a reliever sleeping in the bullpen during that game. That’s just wrong.”
Hahn and Grifol stated there have been occasions when gamers have violated group guidelines, however they confronted self-discipline that wasn’t disclosed underneath a typical baseball coverage of “what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.”
Hahn stated Middleton was a kind of gamers.
“Quite frankly, it’s a little bit ironic that Keynan’s the one saying this, because my last conversation with him face-to-face was a week ago in the clubhouse where he sought me out to apologize for his unprofessional behavior Pedro had called him out on,” Hahn stated. “At the time I figured that was a one-off.”
Hahn stated Middleton advised him earlier than the commerce to New York that he would possibly need to return to Chicago as a free agent after the season.
When advised of the White Sox managers’ replies earlier than Monday’s recreation, Middleton stood by his authentic story.
“I said what I said and I stand on that,” the 29-year-old right-hander stated. “I actually don’t need to touch upon it any extra.
“Right now my sole focus is being a Yankee, my future being a Yankee moving forward and making the playoffs and all these things.”
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