The Chicago White Sox and GM Rick Hahn have taken this rebuild seriously. They have acquiring players through trades, draft, and signing internationally. Now fans are finally getting to see most of these players out on the field and bringing home wins. Rebuilds can be tricky because you can acquire all the prospects you want, but if they can’t produce in the big league, it doesn’t matter.
The White Sox played the Kansas City Royals after a disappointing loss to them on Saturday. Gio Gonzalez is on the ten-day IL, paving the way for Dane Dunning to come back up for multiple starts. I stand by what I said for his debut; he belongs in the White Sox rotation for the rest of the year.
Dunning (5IP 0H 0ER 1BB 7K 79PC) spun a gem on Sunday before manager Rick Renteria took him out for the bullpen, despite having a no-hitter going. In Dunning’s first MLB start (4.1IP 5H 3ER 1BB 7K 73PC), you could see him wearing down in the last two innings so that I can understand the thought process behind it. I probably would’ve left Dunning in, at least to start the 6th inning.
Dunning has shown he has the skills to add to the plethora of talent these players are showing every game. If Dunning can be a solid back end starter to this team, the White Sox don’t have to give away any of this young talent to get a starting pitcher.
2B Nick Madrigal returned on Friday without missing a beat as Renteria inserted him right back into the lineup. He went 2-4 with a run and an RBI. He was just getting started. On Sunday, he went 3-4 with 1 RBI and one steal, giving Madrigal a batting average of .400. Madrigal has shown he has top of the order skill, but he has proven just as valuable at the end of the lineup. The White Sox might want to keep him at the back end of this lineup for this year.
OF Luis Robert came into this season with more hype than any other young player coming up for the White Sox. Robert was named minor league player of the year, and the White Sox signed him to a long term extension (6 years $50 million) before he even took a swing in the MLB.
Robert has been everything the White Sox could want in a player. He has taken over defensive leadership in the outfield, he has power and speed for days, and he can hit anywhere in the lineup and produce. On Sunday, Robert added to his fantastic rookie season by hitting his first walk-off home run. He helped take down the Royals and put the White Sox into a first-place tie with the Cleveland Indians.
Robert had almost hit two different home runs in this game, but they died at the warning track. But his game-winner in the 10th inning had plenty of juice to clear the wall. Robert came up in the 10th inning with two runners on, no outs. Newly acquired OF Jarrod Dyson came into pinch run for Yasmani Grandal at 2B, and Jose Abreu was intentionally walked.
Robert, a prolific first-pitch swinger, got a hanging slider from Tyler Zuber and deposited it into the left-field stands. He won the game for the White Sox 5-2 in extra innings. This performance added in with the already steady and great season he is having. Robert is well on his way to rookie of the year for the American League. He also has the look of a potential MVP candidate among the loaded White Sox lineup.
The White Sox now sit at 21-13 and are tied with the Cleveland Indians for first place of the NL Central. They are heading into a colossal three-game set in Minnesota against the Twins. The White Sox need to ace this next big test proving they can beat a competitive team.
Lucas Giolito gets a chance to redeem his worst start of the year against veteran left-hander Rich Hill.