CLEVELAND — This season has been about embracing the unknown for Mike Vasil.
Vasil joined the White Sox after spring training, when the club claimed the right-hander from the Rays. Joining as the season was starting made for a quick transition.
He said he isn’t surprised at how he’s performed in the majors, but that he’s pleased with how it’s worked out. He entered Saturday with a 2.53 ERA over 92 ⅔ innings. He’s also served as the Sox’ opener, bulk pitcher and closer on occasion.
“It’s working out in terms of a dream scenario of how I’d want my season to go,” he told the Sun-Times.
Vasil has been able to adjust and acclimate to different roles and has ingrained himself in the clubhouse. His gregarious personality and natural affability have been welcomed in the Sox clubhouse. Manager Will Venable said Vasil has been a “vocal leader,” which is rare for a young guy.
“We’ve asked him to pitch in a number of different roles, and it seems like he always comes through,” Venable said. “The bigger the moment, the more he comes into himself and wants the challenges of those late-inning assignments.”
Vasil has picked up four saves, three holds, and pitched three innings or more 15 times this season. Oscillating between different roles has required Vasil to learn various routines. When he knows that he’s going to be operating in a bulk role, Vasil makes sure to throw right as the first inning starts if there’s an opener in front of him. When he’s in a reliever role, his routine is lighter, ensuring he’s at his best later in the game.
Figuring out that daily balance has been a feel thing for Vasil, depending on his workload and how he feels each day. He said that being in a big-league locker room has taught him that no one routine works for every player. Instead of inquiring about other people’s routines, he’s more focused on how to endure his first full season
“If I throw multiple innings, I know I’m not gonna pitch for probably a couple [of] days,” Vasil said. “You want to finish as strong as possible, so a lot of it is like managing [my] throwing as well. [During] pregame, it’s about when I’m touching the mound, and for how many pitches you have so you don’t lose the feel off the slope.”
Vasil relishes the variability of his role.
“It looks different every day, but at the same time, I like having the unpredictability of when I’m going to [pitch] because I get a big adrenaline jump, and then I’m really ready for the outing,” Vasil said.
During the second half, Vasil, who operated as a starter last season at the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, has primarily operated in two-inning stints after the club used him in bulk roles more in the first half.
Vasil has good stuff, but he doesn’t strike out many batters — his 19.3% strikeout rate entering Saturday was in the 25th percentile among major league pitchers. But Vasil knows how to maneuver around hitters and induce a ton of groundballs — his 51.4% groundball rate is in the 87th percentile.
Vasil, 25, has enjoyed seeing the Sox finish the season strong after a rough first half. That he’s become a guy that can be relied upon late in innings is just another twist in the journey of his first major-league season.
“[Since] the start of spring, I’ve had a wild ride and now, all of a sudden, it’s September,” Vasil said. “It’s crazy to think [about] that.”
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