It’s been over 50 years since the White Sox had three rookies batting in the heart of the order. One Monday, White Sox manager Will Venable snapped that streak, penciling in Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Colson Montgomery as the team’s 3-4-5 hitters in a 6-5 victory over the Twins.
The last time the White Sox lineup featured three rookies in the 3-4-5 hole was July 18, 1969, with Carlos May, Gail Hopkins, and Ed Herrmann anchoring the heart of the order. May went on to become a two-time All-Star and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting that season, while Herrmann later earned an All-Star selection in 1974.
Monday’s trio of rookies appears to be on a similar, if not more promising, trajectory. Teel hit a double and drew a pair of walks, Quero had a base hit, and Montgomery went 2-for-5 with a homer.
The 395-foot blast marked Montgomery’s 16th homer of the season, putting him on pace for 55 homers in a full 162-game season. Since July 22nd, the only player in the MLB with more homers is Kyle Schwarber with 17.
But those weren’t the only rookies to contribute to the White Sox 50th win of the season.
Three batters after Montgomery’s homer in the second inning, Chase Meidroth connected for a two-run homer, while Brooks Baldwin went 2-for-4, which included a game-tying RBI in the eighth inning.
After the game, Montgomery told reporters that Meidroith, who has just four homers on the year, came to the dugout and said, “‘Dude, homers are sick’” to which the shortstop replied, “‘Yeah, they are pretty sick.’”
The White Sox have gotten to enjoy plenty of long balls since the All-Star break, with 62 in their last 41 games. After ranking dead last in home runs a season ago, the White Sox have now climbed to 21st in the MLB in home runs.
The White Sox youth movement has been an encouraging sign. Teel, Quero, and Montgomery all own an OPS over .700. Meanwhile, Meidroth ranks third on the team with 92 hits.
While the White Sox are still on pace to lose 100 for the third consecutive season, the signs of progress have been evident. The White Sox have been competitive for much of the season, with 41 games decided by just one run. While they have only won 11 of those games, it has been valuable experience for the young core. Monday’s victory marked the second one-run game the White Sox were able to come out on top after a 3-2 victory over the Yankees on Sunday.
While the bullpen still needs upgrades for those numbers to improve, the offense has been steadily rounding into form and delivering in the clutch. Under hitting director Ryan Fuller, the organization’s philosophy at the plate has been simple. Make good swing decisions and draw hard contact, preferably on a line. That philosophy was on full display Monday, as the White Sox worked three walks and tallied eight batted balls with exit velocities above 90 mph. Four of those cleared the triple-digit mark.
The White Sox will not be playing games in October. However, they are treating the final month of the season as a chance to play spoiler. As Chase Meidroith put it after the game, winning games in September is what winning ballclubs do.
