The Chicago White Sox are slowly starting to come out of their shell and play better baseball. This was evidenced in their last two victories, both against the New York Yankees and both on the same day.
This team is getting hotter and if they are able to reach the pinnacle of what many people think that they are, they could end up being one of the better teams in the league. They do, however, still have a lot of work to do.
The good thing is that they have some help. The White Sox have some powerful batters in the lineup and some deadly arms when it comes to pitching. This was evidenced in their most recent series against the New York Yankees.
There were four players that stood out, in particular, in the two games that the White Sox won on Sunday. Those four players were Tim Anderson, A.J. Pollock, Johnny Cueto and Michael Kopech.
The Chicago White Sox had some big-time performances against the Yankees.
Anderson is the leader of the White Sox. His inspirational play coupled with his ability to get the team fired up does wonders. He is truly a motivator for the Sox.
He stays fired up throughout the game, isn’t afraid to jaw with the opponents or their fans for that matter, and gives his teammates the inspiration to go out and do great things. It also doesn’t hurt that Anderson is a great baseball player.
Anderson’s stats go to show us just how good of a baseball player he is. Anderson is slashing .359/.400/.917 in 145 at-bats right now.
He has batted in 18 runs, has 52 hits, and has stolen seven bases. Anderson’s home run total is five and he has 22 runs. Not bad at all.
There is another player on the White Sox who has managed to help lead this team to victories as well as provide some good offensive firepower. That player is Pollock. Although he may not get the notoriety that Anderson or some of the others get, he is quietly becoming a steady force on this team.
This was evident in the series against the Yankees. Pollock had some key offensive contributions although he sat out the second game to rest.
So far this season, Pollock has been to bat a total of 94 times and has twenty-three hits. His slash line is .245/.277/.660. He has knocked in ten runs and has crossed home plate ten times. Pollock also has two home runs and a stolen base to his credit.
When it comes to pitching, we have seen what both Cueto and Kopech can do. Just this past Sunday, their combined effort helped keep the Yankees at bay and sweep them in two games. They put out two of the best pitching performances of the season. It looks like we have only seen the beginning for Kopech along with a resurgence by Cueto.
Cueto has made two starts for the White Sox so far this season. His win/loss total currently stands at zero. His ERA is also 0 in the 12 innings that he has pitched. He has struck out 12 batters and has a WHIP of 1.00.
As previously stated, his performance against the Yankees was stellar and we hope to see much more of that out of him in the future.
Kopech has started eight games and has a win/loss record of 1-1. His ERA is 1.29, one of the lowest in baseball and he has a WHIP of .86. Kopech has 39 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. Right now, he’s one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball.
These players represent the best of the best on the Chicago White Sox right now. There are other players that might step up and be considered top performers on this team and if they do, this team is going to be difficult to stop.