Chicago White Sox: Yermin Mercedes wins “AL Rookie of the Month”
Over the last few years, we have heard the names of many of the Chicago White Sox top prospects but the name Yermin Mercedes was never one that was considered to be in that group. On May 3rd, 2021, the White Sox designated hitter Yermin Mercedes was awarded the AL Rookie of the Month Award for April. He exploded onto the scene after posting a slash line of .415/.455/.659 totaling 34 hits, hitting five home runs, and driving in 16 runs in April.
Yermin Mercedes has been a special player for the Chicago White Sox so far this year.
Mercedes’ 34 hits in April broke the White Sox rookie record of 31 set by Jose Abreu in 2014. Mercedes also slugged the farthest home run hit this season at 485 feet in the White Sox home opener against the Kansas City Royals.
Mercedes was in the Minor Leagues for the last ten years and his explosion could not have been expected by anyone but himself. Mercedes has always been known as a great hitter, slashing .302/.366/.491 over his career in the minors.
After years of having question marks at the designated hitter position, the Chicago White Sox have finally found the answer they have been searching for and he was hidden away in the organization since the 2017 rule 5 draft.
Mercedes has been under consideration to make the roster for the last two years and it almost seemed that he would not make the roster coming out of Spring Training because the White Sox didn’t want to carry three catchers on the roster.
The Yerminator has been a fan favorite since coming up and has seen t-shirts and hamburgers made and named after him. The hitter brings energy, consistency, and a smile to the clubhouse that many thought would fade away after losing Eloy Jimenez for a long chunk of the season.
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The White Sox have finally found the answer to their question at designated hitter and seeing Mercedes succeed after such a long wait has been nothing short of amazing to watch. After seeing his amazing start to his rookie season, it’s going to be exciting to see what Mercedes does the rest of this season for the White Sox.