Coming out of the break, Will Venable told reporters that he wanted the White Sox to change their approach to fastballs.
The White Sox as a whole have shown more patience at the plate this season, climbing to 13th in MLB in walks after finishing dead last in 2024. But despite the higher walk rate, Chicago ranks 29th in both hits and on-base percentage, as the improved patience at the plate hasn’t translated into consistent offense.
The White Sox are swinging at 66.6% of pitches in the strike zone, right in line with the MLB average, while their 27.2% chase rate is slightly better than the league average. The improved plate discipline has resulted in the White Sox getting good hitting counts, but hits have been hard to come by, with an expected batting average of just .237.
Heading into the Pirates series, Venable challenged his team to be more aggressive at the plate and ready to attack fastballs. Hitters like Luis Robert Jr. have previously voiced frustration about missing opposing pitchers’ mistakes — an area they’ve focused on improving.
The White Sox seemed to take that message to heart. They opened the second half of the year by scoring 35 runs on 45 hits, becoming the first team in MLB history to win their first four games after the All-Star break by five runs or more.
Of the White Sox 51 hits in their last five games, 23 of them have come off of four-seam fastballs. This includes homers from Edgar Quero, Brooks Baldwin, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery. During that stretch, Chase Meidroth has capitalized the most on fastballs, recording eight hits in his last five games, with five of those hits coming off of heaters.
“It’s really hard in this game if you are not competitive with the fastball, especially in the heart of the plate,” Mike Tauchman told reporters on Friday. “Guys throw hard. You have to be ready to go. We have a lot of guys who control the zone. The next step in that is controlling the zone, but being aggressive to your pitch.
“We’ve done a good job of controlling the zone, but the next step is, ‘Alright, boys, when you earn those 2-0, 3-1 counts and you are in those big heater counts, commit to it. Let it rip.’”
The White Sox haven’t just been more aggressive attacking fastballs — they’ve also been swinging early in counts. On Monday, 10 White Sox hitters had one-pitch at-bats, producing three hits and six RBIs. Brooks Baldwin launched a three-run homer, Luis Robert Jr. delivered a two-run single, Colson Montgomery drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, and Chase Meidroth added a double.
By pairing their improved plate discipline with a readiness to attack hittable pitches, the team has begun to convert quality counts into quality contact, a key step toward building a more consistent offense.
With the trade deadline looming, the White Sox may begin to see some turnover in their lineup. However, in the meantime, if White Sox hitters can continue balancing zone control with timely aggression, they may finally start turning competitive at-bats into the sustained offensive production they’ve been missing for much of the season.
