When Yasmani Grandal tore a ligament in his knee on July 5, his batting average was south of .200, where it had been since the middle of April.
By then, though, the consternation over that fact had lessened considerably. When he finished the regular season with an average around .240, long forgotten were the days of fans freaking out over Grandal's one-time submergence below the Mendoza Line — not because his .240 number was so robust but because all of his other numbers were.
As the Chicago White Sox wrapped their division-championship campaign and looked toward the postseason, a strong argument could have been made that, despite the nearly two months he missed recovering from surgery on that knee, their catcher was their offensive MVP.
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Whether or not you would have supported that argument — José Abreu and Tim Anderson expectedly vied for the same title, and Luis Robert's scorching two months threw him into the conversation, as well — there's no doubting that Grandal's excellence in 2021 drove a stake through the heart of any lingering questions about the importance of a high batting average in today's game. The veteran catcher delivered on the promise of what remains the richest free-agent deal in club history, showing an ability to not just produce at the plate, not just hit in a featured spot in the order, but to carry a lineup for significant stretches.
Grandal's batting average stayed low, but he was on fire in the on-base and slugging departments in the month of June, with an OPS north of 1.000 to go along with eight homers and 18 RBIs. In his final dozen games before the injury, he slashed .324/.409/.676. Crumpling to the ground in Minneapolis in early July, it looked like an addition to the list of significant injuries that would cripple the White Sox' chances. But remarkably, Grandal, even after surgery, was back within a matter of weeks, and he exploded in his first game back with a pair of homers and eight RBIs.
Playing 30 regular-season contests after returning to the lineup, Grandal slashed .337/.481/.674 with nine homers, 24 RBIs and 27 walks, striking out just 18 times.
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So where does Grandal go from there?
He's constantly held expectations in a White Sox uniform, plenty of fans non-plussed by what he did during the shortened 2020 campaign. That all changed in 2021, but it's now on Grandal to keep it going. He's got a track record long enough to make it seem possible, and his contributions at the plate should be expected to be great, even if his numbers in certain categories don't end up as astronomically high as they were in 2021.
The difference figures to be health, of course, and missing a sizable chunk of last season had its obvious impacts. Even if the nearly two-month absence didn't force Grandal to miss a beat, his mere presence for more of the season than last year should yield more positive results spread out over the White Sox' attempt to repeat as division champs. Steps have already been taken to ensure a healthier 2022, with Grandal having a knee procedure after the season.
"Yaz had his knee cleaned up right after the season ended," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in November. "That, we think, will help alleviate some of the pain that he played with, as well as hopefully improve some of his lateral movement because of the relief of that pain and some of the restrictions that were there in his knee."
As Hahn alluded to, it was an atypical year behind the plate for Grandal, who carries a reputation as an elite player back there. He was a Gold Glove finalist in 2020. The White Sox, in general, struggled behind the plate in 2021, whether it be controlling opponents' base-stealing ability or handling pitches gone awry. Grandal wasn't alone in making more trips than anticipated to the backstop, with Zack Collins and Seby Zavala doing the same, signaling a need for tightening things up defensively back there, even as all three continued to receive rave reviews from their pitchers.
Grandal, specifically, was not in his usual playing shape for a time, spending much of the first half of the season getting over the effects of a springtime injury, a separate malady involving his knee. That limited his involvement in Cactus League games, particularly behind the dish, and he was upfront about it lingering into the regular season.
But even after all that, the White Sox have no plans to cut down on Grandal's time behind the plate, increasing his use as a first baseman or DH, for example, to keep his bat in the lineup but ease the workload on his body.
"I think a lot of his value comes from what he does behind the plate," Hahn said. "This year, between needing two surgeries on his knee — and in the postseason he bruised his thumb in Game 1 (of the ALDS), which might have impacted a little bit of the receiving you saw over the course of the playoff games. We're hopeful that with this offseason to recover, he comes back in a good spot, health-wise, and he’s able to display more of the defensive prowess he’s displayed over the bulk of his career."
With full health, both before the start of the regular season and during it, Grandal might not face the same hurdles to the defensive aspect of his game. With full health, too, Grandal could get to showcase his offensive contributions for the full six-month stretch of the regular season.