This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The Phillies began defense of their National League crown with two resounding victories over the D-backs in the National League Championship Series.

Philadelphia's strong showings didn’t dampen the pride for Josh Barfield, who worked for Arizona over the past nine seasons -- including the past four as the director of player development. The youthful D-backs’ 5-0 start to the 2023 postseason also strengthened Barfield’s resolve to get things right with the White Sox, where he took over as assistant general manager under GM Chris Getz on Sept. 22.

“Everybody is sharing their ideas and being open and fostering that sort of environment is how you get the best out of people,” Barfield told me during a phone interview three days before the start of the NLCS. “It’s the best way to get to where we want to go. It's been a lot of fun so far.

“All gas, no brakes right now. We are all very excited about getting going, getting this thing headed in the right direction. It’s been a lot of evaluating where we are, how we got here, what are the next steps to getting to where we want to go. There’s a lot of work to be done … we know it’s going to be a process.”

Part of that initial process focuses upon replacing hitting coach Jose Castro and first-base coach Daryl Boston, who won’t return to the White Sox. Bullpen coach Curt Hasler and assistant hitting coach Chris Johnson have been offered positions in the organization’s player development system, leaving two more White Sox staff openings.

Barfield spoke of filling these vacancies with “the best people from a knowledge and experience standpoint, but also from a culture fit.” White Sox fans were disappointed after the mediocrity of 2022, and understandably upset by the 61-101 showing in ’23 -- so they want to hear about wins more so than culture.

But these two concepts can work together.

“Wins are outcome, that’s result,” Barfield said. “You can’t always control that, but if you are doing all the things right, you have the right people, all on the same page, good lines of communication, you are holding people accountable, there’s that culture, that environment that breeds winnings. You see it in a lot of good organizations.

“They don’t win by just accident. They don’t win by getting the best player. They have a good process in place, and everybody is on the same page and pulling in the same direction. That’s what we want to make sure that we have here. I just lived it. I saw that in play out in Arizona. That’s a big part of where we are trying to go and why it gets talked about so much.”

Arizona standouts such as Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo and Alek Thomas, to name a few, developed under Barfield’s guidance. The 40-year-old lives in Arizona with his family and has witnessed a buzz around the D-backs comparable to the Suns’ run to the 2021 NBA Finals.

D-backs veterans Evan Longoria and Tommy Pham also have played important roles in Arizona’s growth as a team. It’s an intricate puzzle to put together, which Barfield currently is arranging with the White Sox.

“You want to make sure all the puzzle pieces fit,” Barfield said. “We are going to be very calculated in the type of guys we bring in and that we acquire, whether it’s through free agency and trades. 

“Pieces that you think in November maybe that’s not big a piece or not really going to make that big of a difference, you would be surprised how much of a difference they can make once you get into the season and down the stretch … we are going to look in every avenue. We are going to listen on anything and do whatever it takes to put together a winning roster.”