Korey Lee, the White Sox catcher, made a significant impact in a game against the Kansas City Royals by throwing out a stealing runner, earning praise from pitcher Tyler Gilbert. Together with fellow catchers Matt Thaiss and others, Lee has been instrumental in developing relationships with pitchers and improving game performance. Lee had an impressive outing with two hits and two RBIs in a subsequent game against the Mariners, emphasizing the importance of both defensive skills and offensive contributions in his role. Manager Will Venable highlights the need for catchers to enhance their rapport with pitchers strategically.
"I threw a slider, too," Gilbert said after the Feb. 23 outing at Surprise Stadium. "It was even harder for him to probably throw him out just because of that pitch. I was like, 'That was awesome.' That was cool. It's good to have that behind the plate."
"We really like what our catchers are doing," manager Will Venable said before Sunday's 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. "Obviously, the offense is always great to get from those guys. But it's really about developing those relationships with those pitchers. Helping these guys navigate at-bats..."
Lee made the most starts at catcher last season for the Sox, finishing fifth on the club with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs. Behind the plate, Lee ranked second among major-league catchers in pop time to second base (1.85 seconds) and arm strength (84.7 mph).
"It's what I look forward to in the offseason, talking to them all offseason, what they are working on," Lee recently told the Tri.
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