AJ Pollock has good bat but a bad glove in White Sox debut

Chicago White Sox fans were hoping the team would fill their opening in right field with one of the big-name free agents available this past offseason. When that didn’t happen, the team addressed the void by trading reliever Craig Kimbrel to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder AJ Pollock. People scratched their heads wondering if that was the best the team could do.

However, fans may like the deal if Pollock can hit as he did on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers. Forced into the leadoff spot while shortstop Tim Anderson serves a two-game suspension, Pollock went three for five at the plate with a double, a run batted in, and a run scored.

Yes, it is a small sample size, and the chances of him batting like that each time out are slim to none. But for a couple of days, the White Sox will need him to hit in the top spot. Getting on base a few times for the power bats behind him will work just fine.

Pollock came up with a clutch two-out, RBI single in the second inning to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead at the time. Moments later, he scored on a Luis Robert double.

AJ Pollock had a good bat but a bad glove for the Chicago White Sox on Opening Day.

The 34-year-old Pollock does have a Gold Glove on his resume, having won it as a center fielder in 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. That would have come in handy on the final play of the game as the ball bounced off his mitt which allowed the winning run to score.

It was not an encouraging sight to see as Pollock’s defense was something the team felt would be a plus that he would bring to the ballpark. That is a play that he should make.

Pollock’s gaffe wasn’t the main reason for the White Sox loss, however. Aaron Bummer and Liam Hendriks failed to come through as needed, although it was encouraging to see Barrett Sousa and Kendall Graveman perform well out of the bullpen.

The injury bug has to go away as well as Lucas Giolito exited the game after the fourth inning with abdominal tightness. There is enough talent on this team to be positive right now. They can overcome this ugly loss. However, they can’t afford to make mistakes like those very often as the division will be tougher this season.