Tony La Russa continues to be wrong manager for White Sox

A lot of eyebrows were raised when the Chicago White Sox hired Tony La Russa as their manager. It was fair to wonder if the game had passed him by, especially as he had not been in the dugout in a decade. Even back then, there were questions about how he handled younger players, something that was going to be an issue with the young and dynamic roster in Chicago.

Those questions have popped up throughout the year as La Russa’s old school mindset and adherence to the unwritten rules of the game has clashed with the youthful roster. That occurred again when Yermin Mercedes teed off on a 47 MPH pitch from Willians Astudillo on a 3-0 count in a lopsided White Sox victory.

Tony La Russa wrong man for Chicago White Sox

This marriage is doing well in the standings. The White Sox held a 3.5 game lead heading into Tuesday night and owned the best record in baseball. But one has to wonder how much of that is in spite of La Russa’s presence.

It is clear that Mercedes’ teammates have his back. Tim Anderson commented on the NBC Chicago Instagram story about La Russa’s comments, saying that Mercedes should continue being himself. There is clearly a divide in the clubhouse as to how that homer was perceived.

Frankly, one cannot blame the White Sox’s designated hitter for teeing off on that pitch. Mercedes spent a decade in the minors and in independent ball before getting a real chance this season. Ironically, it was La Russa who led to this chance, as Mercedes caught his eye during spring training.

To this point, Mercedes has made him look brilliant in terms of his eye for talent. He leads the majors with a .364 batting average, having hit six homers and seven doubles in 139 plate appearances. That part has worked out well.

But he refuses to change his mentality. The days of the unwritten rules are fading, especially as younger players refuse to adhere to such antiquated nonsense. Bat flips, celebrations on the mound, and showing emotion are a part of the game. Players swing on 3-0 now. The only people that have a problem with this are those who feel that players should be robotic entities devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

To this point, it has not been much of an issue. The White Sox have gone forward despite those differences in philosophy and have roared back up the standings. But if La Russa continues to make those types of comments, and the players essentially regard him as an old man yelling at clouds, one has to wonder if the White Sox will fulfill their potential.

Tony La Russa is steadfastly trying to hold on to the unwritten rules of the game. Doing so makes him a bad fit for the Chicago White Sox.