Mercedes

I haven’t said much about the early success of White Sox dh Yermin Mercedes for the simple fact that it’s early, and I keep hearing Harry Caray whispering in that disagreeable beery voice of his. I definitely want the 28-year Mercedes to keep hitting; the closer he can keep on the pace he’s at—15/27 with two home runs and seven RBIs—the better. But only time will tell. In yesterday’s home opener at Guaranteed Rate Whatever, Mercedes clubbed the third-longest homer in that sorry mall’s history, at 485 feet to left center in the bottom of the first inning in a 6-0 win against the Royals. And the longest? That belongs to Joe Borchard, at 504 feet. Heaven knows what Caray would’ve done to Borchard, a career .205 hitter over six seasons. I do know what Caray did to Harry Chappas, a young shortstop who played for the Sox in the late ’70s. Chappas had the misfortune of going on hot streaks early in the season, which meant that he had no bigger fan than Harry Caray, who was ready to carry him on his back all the way to Cooperstown. When, inevitably, Chappas cooled off, there was Caray ripping him for being a 5’7” player with “warning-track power.” Chappas’ major-league career ended at the age of 22. So, fingers crossed on Mercedes. He may have waited a long time to get here, but better late than Harry Chappas, or Harry Caray.