Meanwhile, the White Sox actually look better this year. Not GOOD. No, they're...probably still gonna lose 100 games. But they've won 3 of their last 4. This month they've taken 2 from the Astros, taken a big win from the Brewers and are now handling the Reds. The 2024 team couldn't really do things like that, except for that random week midyear where they were suddenly winning things. Now they actually have people who know what they're doing in crucial positions. Now there's actually a substantial amount of young players taking hold and proving they're here at the right time.
And...Andrew Benintendi actually looks kinda competent. His first two seasons in Chicago weren't great, and he couldn't really reach the contact work he was doing with Boston or KC. Now, despite being sidelined with an injury, he's still one of the better hitters on this lineup, with 5 homers and 12 RBIs. That may not look great, but when you consider that many hitters are just completely blowing it right now, like Andrew Vaughn, Jacob Amaya and Michael Taylor, it's at the very least a nice factor. Benintendi is still capable of great numbers, he just hasn't had the health or consistency lately. And now that this team honestly needs a guy like him, he's been a little better.
You're also thankfully seeing younger players get off and running on their careers with this team. Edgar Quero is hitting .303 with 9 RBIs in 21 games, Chase Meidroth has been a major improvement at 2nd, and the pitching is being run by Shane Smith, Sean Burke and Mike Vasil. To remind you all, in 2024 the rookies were pushed into the picture and many of them were burned out very quick. Ky Bush and Drew Thorpe are out for this year due to the need to have them in the majors last year. So I'm glad that Shane Smith was eased in from camp, has been given plenty of room to succeed, and has a 2.08 ERA and 38 Ks, with some rookie standards for keeping runs down. Unlike Crochet, who was essentially getting his bags packed in May, Smith will probably be a White Sock for a little while, and he's a piece they can definitely build on. And on a team of Brooks Baldwins and Miguel Amayas and Miguel Vargases, guys they're just putting up to fill the roster, that's a promising presence.
The White Sox are still technically a bad team. As alright as they've been lately, they're gonna have weeks that are downright awful, and they're coming. But at this rate, they'll finish ahead of Colorado and stay on a pace to eventually bounce back from bottoming out. It will take some time.
Coming Tonight: He's extremely tall and hits harder than the majority of the league, and even he can't keep the Pirates out of last.
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