Jeff Passan on White Sox head trainer Herm Schneider, who's leading the pack, objectively:
The White Sox’ secret weapon
David Banks
Either the White Sox happen to have come upon an inconceivably healthy group of players for more than a decade, or Schneider leads a training staff more than twice as good as the rest of the league's.
That's not an exaggeration. According to data compiled by the team, from 2002-2012, White Sox players spent a total of 4,026 days on the disabled list. The average across baseball was 9,496. The next-closest team in the American League over that time span was Minnesota, with 7,805 days. The Texas Rangers had 12,803, more than three times as many as the White Sox.
The numbers are impressive, and Passan goes on to list some of the things Schneider actually does: massages, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, functional stretching, and manual strengthening. Also, he talks to guys.
I suspect that other trainers do exactly the same things. It’s possible that Schneider’s better at his job than most trainers. It’s possible that the White Sox have been exceptionally lucky. The truth is probably a little of both, along with a healthy dollop of pitching coach Don Cooper.
However it’s happened, it has happened. And considering how healthy the White Sox have been, you can’t help wondering why they’ve won only two division titles in those last 11 seasons.
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