WASHINGTON — New general manager Chris Getz has been busy piecing together components to bolster the White Sox front office, including the addition of Josh Barfield as assistant general manager, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times Tuesday.
Barfield has been the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm director since 2019 and was a Diamondbacks scout for three seasons prior to that.
The Sox are also expected to add Gene Watson to Getz’ brain trust in some capacity, Giants Director of Pitching Brian Bannister. Bannister is expected to serve the Sox in a similar role.
Watson has close ties to manager Pedro Grifol and Getz. He re-joined the Royals in 2022 as vice president of major league scouting/assistant GM after spending most of the 2021 season as the Los Angeles Angels’ senior advisor to the GM/major league operations.
Watson worked for the Royals from 2006-20, as a major league scout from 2006-08 and coordinator of pro scouting from 2009-11 and director of pro scouting from 2012-17. He was senior director of pro scouting/assistant to the GM from 2018-20.
Robert approaches 40 homers
Luis Robert Jr. is wrapping up an historic season, and while not exactly in blazing fashion — he was 1-for-20 entering Tuesday — he hit his 36th homer in Monday’s 6-1 win against the Nationals and his 37th Tuesday, putting 40 homers within reach with 10 games to play.
“I wanted to [get 40 home runs], and I still want to, but I have to be realistic,” Robert said Monday through translator Billy Russo. “It’s not that I feel good enough with the season I’ve had, but to be honest, I’ve reached most of the goals I had for this season already. Whatever happens the next couple [weeks], it’ll be OK.”
Robert is the only player in club history with at least 35 homers, 35 doubles, 75 RBI, 85 runs scored and 15 stolen bases in the same season. No other player in the major leagues has done that this season.
Robert, 26, has untapped ability,” manager Pedro Grifol said, with 50-homer ability.
“It’s important that he gets as many as he can this year, to drive himself to have a better year next year,” Grifol said. “Because he can do that.”
Lee’s throwing second to none
Grifol raved about catcher Korey Lee’s defense again, citing the trade-deadline acquisition’s blocking, game prep and especially his throwing.
“He can really catch and throw,” Grifol said. “He’s got as good an arm as I’ve seen and I’ve had [Martin] Maldonado and Salvy [Salvador Perez]. This guy can really, really throw.”
Grifol said Lee could compete for the starting catcher’s job next spring. He also said another catcher could be signed or traded for in the offseason.
“That’s a possibility, too. There’s going to be a lot of competition here,” he said.
This and that
When CJ Adams led off the Nationals first with a triple and did not score, it was the first time since George Brett tripled against Ken Kravec on Aug. 7, 1977, that the Sox allowed a leadoff triple and did not allow a run in the first inning, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Chris Kamka.