SARASOTA, Fla. — The ball got to Jordan Westburg so quickly that he stumbled backward as he fielded it. It took less than one second, according to Statcast, for the ball to leave right-hander Jacob Webb’s hand, careen off the bat of Nicky Lopez and find itself nestled in Westburg’s glove at third base.

He settled himself, threw to first and then took a deep breath. Lopez was out, and the Chicago White Sox’s other baserunner during the seventh inning of the May 2024 game remained on second. But Westburg felt the slight embarrassment that goes with a stumble on a national stage — it hadn’t been a slick play.

“It didn’t look pretty. It didn’t feel pretty. But I get up, I make the throw and he’s out,” Westburg said. “I remember feeling like, ‘Holy cow, that probably looked nothing like a major league infielder.’”

Maybe it wasn’t smooth. But when Westburg got to the dugout at the end of the inning — the runner successfully stranded with the help of Westburg’s play — infield coach Tony Mansolino singled out Westburg. He high-fived the infielder and said something that has stuck with Westburg ever since.

“Hey, man, it doesn’t have to look pretty over there,” Mansolino said. “Just remember that.”

Westburg will never forget it, because it’s now an ingrained philosophy for how the 26-year-old plays the game. He’s boring. And Westburg is OK being boring. Boring is good, even.

Westburg grew up as a middle infielder, but this season he is expected to make third base his home more than ever. Manager Brandon Hyde said Westburg will still take repetitions at second to keep himself fresh there, but third base will be his predominant focus.

It’s not a new venture. Westburg has moved around, but third base has been a frequent role throughout his rise in the organization. He has learned what it takes to play the hot corner.

“I’ve learned that third base is not a pretty position,” Westburg said. “When you look at a lot of middle infielders, it looks smooth, right? It’s very poetic, in a way, and rhythmic. I’m not saying I’m one of those guys. My rhythm is horrible. I can’t dance. But I learned that third base is an ugly position, and all that matters is you make the play. It doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as you field ball, throw ball and get the ball to the first baseman and the umpire says out. That’s all that really matters.”

That’s not to say Westburg doesn’t prioritize defense. It’s quite the opposite. He knows his performance at the plate will dictate whether his name is on the lineup card, but when he’s in the field, Westburg wants to be dependable — no flash, all substance.

Last year at this time, Westburg was still fighting for a place in the lineup daily. He said early in spring training that he’d play anywhere — second, third or shortstop — if it meant he was playing. Now Westburg seems destined for a large role at third base, although some of that depends on how Jackson Holliday begins his season at second.

Westburg said he’s mentally preparing as if he’s a utility player in case injuries or slumps dictate a shift in the configuration. But most of his time this spring will be at third, and when playing there he is focusing on taking an efficient first step, picking good hops and making accurate throws.

In other words: nothing fancy. Just the staples. That’s the sort of player Westburg is, and the results have been great because of it. Westburg earned an All-Star nomination last year and finished with a .793 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Although the All-Star Game was an honor, it wasn’t what Westburg strives for.

“I want to win a Gold Glove,” Westburg said. “I don’t have a lot of goals in the game of baseball. I want to win a World Series, and I want to win a Gold Glove. Those are the two big goals I have in the game of baseball. The All-Star Game was cool, but I couldn’t care less. I want to play winning baseball, and I want to win a Gold Glove. So, having that goal, I take a lot of pride in my defense.”

During Westburg’s first spring with the club in 2021, he joined the big league squad for a spring training game to serve as a backup. During warmups, he was near Yolmer Sánchez, an infielder who didn’t stick with the organization. In 2019, Sánchez won a Gold Glove with the White Sox, and Westburg watched him work during that spring training game at second base.

That’s when somebody — Westburg doesn’t remember who — pointed out the patch on Sánchez’s glove. They asked Westburg if he knew the significance of it.

“Of course, I’m a baseball nerd, I know what that patch is,” Westburg said, remembering the Rawlings Gold Glove logo. “He said, ‘What do you notice about it?’ I said, ‘It’s boring, kind of.’ He said, ‘Boring wins gold. Don’t be flashy.’

“And that’s always stuck with me, and you can tell, I’ve never been a flashy player. I don’t wear a lot of accessories. I don’t wear a chain. That’s not me. And so it frees me up knowing I don’t have to be somebody I’m not playing the game of baseball between the lines. I can step onto the field, and I can be boring. I can make all the routine plays. And guess what, hopefully that will win me a Gold someday, and if it doesn’t, that’s OK. I can still take pride in knowing I’m helping the team by playing good defense.”

In a world where defensive gems dominate highlight reels, Westburg is less concerned with the spectacular than he is the routine. He tries to make every play, including the full dives — but if he misses a ball or can’t throw out a runner after a dive, he’s not going to lament it too much.

A gold standard, Westburg believes, is possible through consistency.

“Everybody falls in love with range, arm strength. I’ve got range; I’ve got enough arm strength,” Westburg said. “Do I have it like Gunnar [Henderson] or Elly De La Cruz? No, I don’t. I wasn’t gifted like that. But, in my mind, that doesn’t hold me back from being a great defender. I can make the routine plays.”

You might not see Westburg’s defensive work circulating social media this season. The wild throws that made Manny Machado’s third base defense in Baltimore so exceptional may not be Westburg’s forte.

He’s more boring. And Westburg thinks boring can still be worthy of gold.