The following is absolutely true: the first four games the Chicago White Sox played after the All-Star Break resulted in wins. All of them were won by 5 runs or more, including a 10-1 win against the Pirates. Now, while it is still true that these are the Chicago White Sox, it's still very nice to see a team like this beginning to find a spark. Remember, it happened last year at the very beginning of the ill-fated Grady Sizemore era. This team can still find ways to win, and they've done it against even someone like the Rays.
And you're also beginning to see less of a disconnect between the standouts and everyone else. Last year it was literally just Crochet and Fedde and no one else, and now it's a little more spread out. The statistical standout so far is Adrian Houser, who has a 1.89 ERA and a 5-2 record through 10 starts. I was in attendance for one of his two losses, and even then he wasn't that bad. It wasn't a blowout, he just gave up some runs. And that just proves how steady and reliable Houser is, even after being a late-rotation guy for both the Brewers and the Mets. With this Sox team right now, in all its inexperience, it needs a guy like Houser to right the ship. You're seeing Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon falling in behind him.
It also helps that some of these rookies are actually taking to the team pretty well. Chase Meidroth is the everyday shortstop, he's decent on contact. Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel are the primary catching options, a full rookie battery, and they're both doing alright, despite Teel not hitting any home runs yet. Colson Montgomery, through 15 games, is hitting .261 with 12 hits, 7 RBIs and a homer. It's not Charlotte levels but it's also not a full drop-off at the MLB level. The Sox have relied on a ton of rookies this year and they've all, more or less, been pretty helpful. They've also relied on a lot of veterans in need of playing time, and many of them, like Steven Wilson, Mike Tauchman, Michael Taylor, Dan Altavilla and Tyler Alexander, have plugged in exactly where this team has needed them.
I think the goal of being better than the 2024 team is going to be met, even if they're still far from competing. I also think some people are gonna be dealt at the deadline, and Luis Robert is one of them, and whoever gets him might get a surprise surge down the stretch. For whoever remains, there's still time to develop, and I do think once a few more pieces arrive they'll have something palpable that can be taken seriously. Until then, get used to seeing people like Lenyn Sosa, Brooks Baldwin and Tim Elko hanging around.
Coming Tonight: A Pirates reliever who plenty of teams have checked in on.
No comments:
Post a Comment