Tyler Saladino, and his mustache, are becoming White Sox fan favorites

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — It's merely a coincidence that Tyler Saladino showed great improvement at the plate last season after he grew a mustache for the first time.

But both thrived and became fan favorites in 2016, the White Sox infielder and his handlebar mustache. Roughly a year old and inspired by the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' character Splinter, the latter has also become a curiosity for fans, teammates and opponents alike.

Twice in the last week, White Sox third baseman Todd Frazier has displayed a keen interest for Saladino's soup saver, first grabbing and twisting it during a staring contest and later pretending to be a reporter to ask him a question about it's makeup.

"It's weird because it's so light, it's not thick at all," Frazier said. "It's funny to me. (Saladino) can make little designs out of it now. It doesn't seem like it's growing any more, though. You've got to marvel at it a little bit and touch it and feel it. I think it's fake every time and I try to yank it, but it's there. It's very light hair. It's not thick and voluminous."

After providing little value in 2015 short of a hot streak to start his career, Saladino's bat also was there last season. In his second run through the league, Saladino increased his OPS by 123 points after hitting .282/.315/.409 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 319 plate appearances.

Prior to the season, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn suggested Saladino had a track record from improvement whenever he repeated a level. And that's exactly what Saladino, who provided outstanding defense in 2015, did. Saladino said he attributes it to a better book on opposing pitchers.

Saladino's improved play and finding him playing time is one reason the White Sox waived Brett Lawrie last Friday.

"In the beginning I was having some success and it just was all on heaters," Saladino said. "Last year seeing plenty of guys I've seen before helped.

"Just knowing I have seen plenty of the guys, that was enough to build a little bit of confidence.

"Just that little bit of confidence goes such a long way."

Apparently, so does a little bit of gel.

Never having grown a mustache before, Saladino decided to let it go last spring. He'd always wanted a Fu Manchu and was immediately pleased with the results. So too have fans and his peers.

"You hear it a lot, 'Nice mustache,'" Frazier said. "He loves that. It's really not a nice mustache if you want to know the truth. It's ugly. If it was thicker it would be a different story. But he's been working on that hard."

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Saladino has learned some lessons along the way. For starters, Saladino said the two sides don't always grow evenly, which has led to extra maintenance. Next, he's learned how important it is to have extra napkins when he's eating — "If it's something saucy, extra napkins, preferably the wet ones to keep it clean, otherwise it's a mess," he said.

Lastly, Saladino has found his mustache to be a base stealing deterrent at times — and not because it creates greater wind resistance. Turns out that just like Frazier, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera likes Saladino's mustache, too.

"He grabbed me by it," Saladino said. "I was trying to leadoff and he was just hanging on to it.

"I was thinking about how I could get it back, but he's a little bigger than me."

Saladino thinks his mustache is a hit because it's a rarity. Whereas most players are clean-shaven or have short hair, his mustache or the hair of Noah Syndergaard catch people's attention.

"It just stands out as something different than what they're used to," Saladino said. "Everybody is usually clean cut and for whatever reason something different kind of sparks interest."

Frazier, whose mustache grabbing in the middle of a staring contest was prominently featured on the team's SnapChat last week, has a different theory. He said he notices it because Saladino pays so much attention to his facial hair.

"Before, when we had picture day he was in the bathroom looking in the mirror for about 20 minutes because it wasn't in the right way," Frazier said. "That's pretty weird, but I respect him for it. Everybody has their niche and his is his mustache."

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