The White Sox have yet to make much of a splash during free agency outside of signing Mike Clevinger to a one-year, $12 million deal. However, the signing may not have happened if not for the White Sox grounds crew.
The Clevinger signing became official on Sunday, and during his introductory press conference, the 31-year-old gave a shout-out to the White Sox grounds crew.
When asked why he signed with the White Sox, he cited Guaranteed Rate Field’s pitcher’s mound as one of the reasons.
“The roster is, I think, fully set up for doing special things and having a long season. But also, I said this from day one when I was with the Indians- before I ever thought I ever had a chance to play with the White Sox because we were in-division rivals, so I didn’t think that was a possibility- but that’s one of my favorite mounds in all the big leagues. So I’m excited to get back on it.”
Clevinger has spent a fair amount of time on the Guaranteed Rate Field rubber while playing in Cleveland. In four starts, Clevinger holds a 3.13 ERA at Guaranteed Rate Field.
He went on to say:
“I can’t wait to talk to the grounds crew over there. It’s just perfect. Like, I don’t know whether it’s the height, the way the slope goes down. I feel like that was the first day, when I was doing all that work in between ’16, ’17, ’18 trying to get my velo back up, and all the work I was doing with Ruben Niebla (the former Indian’s pitching coach), getting help from other pitchers around in that organization. And it was like, it clicked on that mound, so I think that was something that stuck with me.”
The numbers don’t lie. Clevinger does love the mound in Chicago. His average four-seam fastball velocity during his career at Guaranteed Rate Field is 94.7, which is tied for the second highest at any ballpark in baseball, behind only the Rogers Center in Toronto. Guaranteed Rate Field is also where Clevinger had his second-highest overall pitch velocity.
The White Sox can thank Roger Bossard for their excellent field conditions. Bossard has been the White Sox head groundskeeper since 1983. He is the longest-tenured groundskeeper in MLB history. Known as The Sodfather, Bossard is one of baseball’s most influential groundskeepers. The White Sox even had a bobblehead giveaway of him to prove it.
If Clevinger wants to discuss the mound, then Bossard is his guy. His resume speaks for itself. The Sodfather designed and built the playing fields for the Camelback Ranch – Glendale, the White Sox state-of-the-art spring training complex in Glendale, Arizona. that opened in the spring of 2009. During the 2007 offseason, he designed and built a new playing field at Wrigley Field after performing the same task at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis in 2005 and Boston’s Fenway Park. Among the highlights of Bossard’s resume, he is a consultant for 14 Major League Baseball teams and four NFL teams. In 1984-85, Bossard even designed and built the first natural turf soccer fields in Saudi Arabia for the Royal Family.
Bossard’s field conditions seemed to be a significant selling point for Clevinger, and for a good reason. While Clevinger had nice things to say about the White Sox roster, the 2023 season is about rebuilding his stock. He wants to get paid. So, making the majority of his starts from his favorite mound in the MLB should help him return to his elite pre-surgery form.
Before getting traded to the Padres, he was one of the best starters in the American League. From 2017-20, he produced a 2.96 ERA over 489 1/3 innings. The former fourth-round draft pick also posted an excellent 19 K-BB%, placing him amongst the game’s best pitchers. In 2018 he pitched 200 innings posting a 3.02 ERA. He won 13 games and racked up 207 strikeouts.
Clevinger is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and coming off the worse season of his career. In 2022 he posted a 4.33 ERA and 1.198 WHIP in 23 games (22 starts) with the Padres. Some of his struggles can be attributed to a right knee sprain he dealt with throughout the season.
His postseason struggles didn’t help matters. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) in 2 2/3 innings, including a start in the NLCS where he didn’t record an out. After an ugly final impression, a one-year prove-it deal makes perfect sense for the Jacksonville, Florida native. He has a chance to rebuild his stock on a mound that he is comfortable with and can pitch for a relatively competitive team in the process.
