Chicago White Sox: 3 Toronto Blue Jays hitters to worry about
The Chicago White Sox will be hosting the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series this week at Guaranteed Rate Field. The White Sox are 7-3 in their last 10 games and will look to continue their winning stretch against a young but tough Blue Jays team.
The Chicago White Sox are a team ready to face off against some really good hitters.
The Blue Jays are heading into the matchup coming off a loss to the Houston Astros and will look to bounce back against our Chicago White Sox. The Blue Jays currently sit third in the AL East at 30-27 while the White Sox are sitting first In the AL Central at 36-23 and look to defend their home field against a Blue Jays team full of hitters.
The Blue Jays are a young team, similar to the White Sox that are dealing with significant injuries to important pieces on their team. The Blue Jays biggest signing of the offseason, George Springer, has only been limited to four games due to a quad injury and has yet to see his impact on the field. The projected starters for the White Sox in this series are the resurgent Carlos Rodon in game one, the fiery Lance Lynn in game two, and lefty Dallas Keuchel in game three.
The Blue Jays projected starters for the series are LHP Robbie Ray in game one, RHP Alek Manoah, and the lefty and staff ace, Hyun Jin Ryu. The young stars for both teams have shown up and showed out this season and it will be an exciting three-game series to watch.
Sitting down Vlad Guerreo Jr. is the top priority for the Chicago White Sox.
The first baseman and DH for the Blue Jays slimmed down this offseason, losing over 40 pounds while also working on his defense. Guerrero is batting .333 on the season, producing a slash line of .333/.436/.662 with an OPS of 1.098.
He has driven in 47 runs and is also the MLB leader in home runs this season, sitting at 18 and being the main catalyst for the Blue Jays’ success this year. He is also the team leader in hits for them with 68. Guerrero has said that he feels quicker on his feet and can get his bat around faster and the league has started to take notice.
The 22-year-old has also gotten significant All-Star recognition early on in the season and will be a front runner for a spot on the team if he continues his hot streak. Guerrero flew through the minor leagues and came into the MLB a little unpolished but has taken the necessary strides to fit the hype surrounding him.
Guerrero produces runs, has power, and is showing that he can hit for average as well. The slugger has hit almost everything he sees and the White Sox staff needs to be careful pitching to a player like him.
Marcus Semien is someone the Chicago White Sox is hoping to keep cool in this series.
Semien, who came to Toronto in the offseason on a one-year, $18 million contract, is batting .294 on the season, producing a slash line of .294/.365/.531 with an OPS of .895. The second baseman is second on the team in hits with 67 and has driven home 32 runs. He is second on the team in home runs with 13 and tied for first on the team in extra-base hits with 14.
Semien just won the AL Player of the Month award for the month of May. He produced a slash line of .368/.429/.702 while hitting eight home runs, driving in 22 runs, and collecting 42 hits. Defensively, Semien has been one of the best second basemen in the MLB this season.
Since the month of June started, he has cooled off a bit, hitting only .263 through five games, and the White Sox need to do everything they can to keep him cold during the series. He has increased his strikeout rate this season and with the power pitching the White Sox have, the team could continue to drive that rate up. Regardless, Semien is having a bounce-back year after struggling during the COVID shortened season in 2020.
Bo Bichette is a player the Chicago White Sox needs to be careful with here.
The 23-year-old Bichette is only hitting .262 on the season, producing a slash line of .262/.311/.464 with an OPS of .774. He ranks third on the team in hits with 61 and fourth in home runs sitting at 11. He has also driven in 34 runs, good for third on the team behind Guerrero Jr. and outfielder Randal Grichuk. Bichette has had a slow start to the 2021 season, but expect the young star to break out soon.
Over his last seven days, the shortstop has struggled. He is only batting .250 with one extra-base hit, producing a slash line of .250/.286/.350 with an OPS of .636. The power pitching the White Sox have is good enough to keep the young star’s bat cold for the next few games.
Although some of the numbers may not show it, Bichette is an offensive weapon for the Blue Jays and is an important part of their offense. The star shortstop has the potential to turn it on at any time and it would be a mistake to overlook his hitting tools.
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Regardless, this should be an exciting matchup between two of the hottest young teams in the MLB. If each team plays to their potential, it will be an entertaining series.