The Chicago White Sox are getting a lot out of this player

Minnesota Twins v Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins v Chicago White Sox | Quinn Harris/GettyImages

The White Sox are not a top-end team but some players on the team are top-end talent. Of course, there is the missing and injured Luis Robert Jr.

Without him, the White Sox have struggled. Andrew Benintendi is finally starting to step up and play well. Eloy Jimenez seems a little more inspired these days.

But there is one player, who has only played a handful of games, who is setting himself up to be the biggest star on the team so far. That player is Tommy Pham. Since coming to the White Sox just a few games ago, Pham has become a bit of a rockstar on a team that’s devoid of them. He’s starting to lift the team, albeit not enough to get them a lot of wins, but still enough to make them look at least a little better.

Pham has spent most of his time off, not playing baseball while waiting for the Sox (or any team for that matter) to come calling and bring him in. The White Sox obliged and Pham became a part of the team. He got warmed up in the minors before coming to the majors to play with the Sox.

It looks like he came fully prepared to play.

Through the series with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pham has been at bat 35 times. He has hit the ball ten times, has three RBI, and one home run. His batting average is .286 and he has seven runs. All this is according to Baseball Reference. That’s not that bad for a guy who’s been available for such a short amount of time. The nice thing about Pham is that he should only improve and eventually be directly responsible for some wins that the White Sox put up in the future.

Having someone like Pham in the lineup helps to inspire some of the other guys to do better. Look at a few of the guys that are already playing better. The aforementioned Benintendi and Jimenez are doing better. Catcher Korey Lee is doing better. The White Sox just need everyone to do better and they will start showing up in more games and winning.

Pham could be the catalyst for this team to play better overall. Sometimes all it takes is a spark or a little inspiration to get things going or to get people going, and Pham could do that. He’s going to end up being one of the most vital assets to the team when it’s all said and done.

There is another facet to this that some people may not be thinking of. It’s possible that Pham could become trade bait soon. Other teams have been interested in him at times so perhaps he would be a good trade candidate for the White Sox. Or, perhaps they will keep him on board and allow him to continue to work the magic he is working at the plate.

Pham should continue to play well for the White Sox and give them what they need at least until Luis Robert Jr. comes back. If he continues to play well, when Robert Jr., does get back it’s going to be interesting to see what the Sox do with him. I think that they keep him and keep improving their lineup, possibly for the future (beyond 2024).

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