Conor Gillaspie has been frustrated all season but wants to maintain a positive outlook for his new team.
The ex-White Sox third baseman knows he has a chance to make another a good impression on the Los Angeles Angels. So even though he has struggled since the start of the season, Gillaspie -- who has a .227/.268/.361 slash line in 231 plate appearances -- is focused on doing what he can to help contribute to a potential postseason run.
“It’s a struggle and it has been a hard year for me,” Gillaspie said. “But I’m not going to let anybody in this organization see that and see the frustration because its pretty obvious I was frustrated a lot of this year and I don’t want to bring that baggage over here. What’s done is done and you contribute to a team that’s in a playoff race and you do well and there’s no telling what can happen.”
[SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]
Gillaspie isn’t surprised to find himself in a different uniform.
Unlike 2014, when he had a .752 OPS, Gillaspie never found an offensive rhythm with the 2015 White Sox. On top of that, Gillaspie’s defense made him a liability as he committed as many errors (12) in 52 games that he did in 127 contests a season ago.
Gillaspie’s defensive woes led to reduced playing time as Gordon Beckham replaced him and then rookie Tyler Saladino was promoted last month. The White Sox designated Gillaspie for assignment on July 19 and traded him to the Angels on July 24 for cash considerations.
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“At the end of the day this is a business and I didn’t play very well,” Gillaspie said. “It’s part of this business, unfortunately. It doesn’t make it any easier. But sometimes you’ve got to be accepting of the way you perform and if you’re not playing well than you’re not going to play very long in this game. It’s nothing personal, that’s the nature of this game.”
Gillaspie went home to Wichita, Kan after he was DFA’d. He had enough time to unpack before he and his family packed again and headed to California. While he’s off to a slower start than he’d hoped for, Gillaspie likes his new home.
“This is a great group of guys and a lot of really good teammates,” Gillaspie said. “You try to make the best out of every situation you’re in.”