GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The 2022 White Sox were not an enjoyable baseball team.

It wasn’t strictly about the defending American League Central champions playing .500 baseball, as much as being tough to watch with the plethora of injuries, fundamental mistakes and stretches of underperformance. But through three days of 2023 Spring Training under new manager Pedro Grifol, those difficulties now fuel future success.

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“You probably heard multiple guys in the clubhouse say we have something to prove to ourselves, to the fans, to the league,” White Sox starting pitcher Michael Kopech said. “We should have had a better season last year.

“We have the talent. We always seem to have the talent. It’s a matter of coming together and doing the little things right. So far, the way Pedro has organized camp, we’re really focusing on the little things and taking it one step at a time.”

Even teams with little chance to contend possess the highest level of optimism before Cactus League games begin, but the White Sox can meld that upbeat attitude with an abundance of talent when fully healthy. It was a group in need of a change after an 81-81 finish in a season that saw the White Sox never more than five games under .500 and never more than five over .500.

The team needed to be far better in Year 3 of the competitive window following a rebuild. Enter Grifol, who has made the early workouts a little more intense, a little closer to game speed. It’s something the White Sox players requested through offseason conversations with their new manager.

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“We had an hour of [pitchers fielding practice], like six different stations,” White Sox reliever Joe Kelly said. “But it’s PFPs that I’ve never done. This is my 13th camp. We’re getting these light Wiffle balls, trying to get grounders. Responding without looking. It’s been interesting, and it’s been fun, so far.”

Said Grifol: “They’re doing an unbelievable job. All we can do is prepare ourselves to have success. Right now, I’m pretty happy with the work they’re putting in and the intensity.”

Players came into camp in outstanding physical condition, with eight White Sox players getting going early this offseason to prepare for the World Baseball Classic. By Friday, almost everyone had arrived in Glendale, Ariz., although position players officially report on Monday.

Leadership has been a White Sox talking point with former AL MVP José Abreu gone to Houston via free agency. For nine seasons, Abreu not only developed into one of the greatest players in franchise history but also led by example through his intense and unwavering work ethic.

So, who replaces Abreu in that leadership role? It might not be just one player, and they take their cue from Grifol.

“That’s the main thing is how are we going to go about our business. How are we going to play? What’s going to be expected of us every day?” White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn said. “How are we going to be held accountable not only in the clubhouse but from the coaching staff? We get all those things ironed out, and we are going to be good.

“You can’t force it. Players see that. So if you show up every day and play the game hard, people will naturally kind of follow. That’s the way I was taught to do it. Do things the right way and compete. If you do that, everything else will take care of itself.”

Lynn provided an example of practicing what he preached Friday during a bullpen session, yelling in displeasure when he missed on a couple of pitches. He wants to be perfect, even in February.

“Being a good person, being there every day and playing hard. If you do that, then nobody can ask anything else from you,” Lynn said. “We’ve got a lot of guys capable of a lot of things. But they have to take care of their stuff individually. And if they do that, then everybody can come together.”

When asked about personal expectations, Lynn said: “We expect to be healthy and win a lot of games and do everything we can to be a playoff team.”

The big right-hander doesn’t like talking about himself, but this statement represents the belief of the whole organization especially following last year.

“If you needed last year to have a chip on your shoulder, then you got one,” Lynn said. “But I’ve had one my whole life.”