Though Tyler Saladino and Alexei Ramirez only spent almost half of a season together with the White Sox, Ramirez made a strong impression on the rookie.
When he was called up in July, Saladino transitioned over to third base after spending almost all of his time in the minors as a shortstop. Going from the minors to the starting lineup in the majors is hard enough. But to learn a new defensive position on the fly at the highest level made it even more difficult.
Luckily for Saladino, Ramirez proved to be a calming influence on the diamond and the 26-year old wants to apply some elements of Ramirez's game to his own as he takes over the starting role.
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"He knows the speed of the game is different," Saladino said of Ramirez. "It's not necessarily fast all of the time. There are certain guys that aren't running as well and things like that. It was calming being out there with him."
Saladino believes heading back to his natural position at shortstop will let him run around a little more" but the key to the White Sox having a great infield defense may be the relationship Saladino builds with the new guys, third baseman Todd Frazier and second baseman Brett Lawrie.
"There are a few new faces and that's always important to me, to have that kind of relationship so we're working together well and taking care of the ball on that side of it," Saladino said.