Back to Earth

Well, it was nice while it lasted, but you’re never going to extend a four-game winning streak by walking the bases loaded and balking in a run. Rays 4 White Sox 3. That the Sox get any attention at all right now is miraculous. Why? It’s all things Bears, that’s why. “The Ben Johnson Show starts now at Bears camp. All eyes and ears are on him,” reads a headline in today’s The Athletic. “All” basically means each and every media outlet in and around Chicago. That leaves it to yours truly to do the work of a beat writer and/or columnist. What I find fascinating is how the Sox are handling Colson Montgomery, batting mostly down in the order and playing third base instead of shortstop. It feels like Montgomery is being handled differently than, say, fellow rookie Chase Meidroth. Is that a good thing? Yes, maybe. Meidroth has led off or batted second since his arrival back in April. The 24-year old—happy birthday, Chase—recently went through a brutal 6-for-50 stretch. The thing is, Meidroth wasn’t benched or moved down in the order, and now he’s on a 7-for-14 tear with four doubles. Compare that to Montgomery, who batted in the six spot last night and hit his major-league first homerun in the seventh inning. The big concern here is strikeouts—the 23-year old has fourteen in 46 at-bats. Anything more than 30 percent gets problematic. This probably explains why he’s batted sixth, seventh or eighth in the order; playing should also be easier than short, where Meidroth has performed surprisingly well. I’m sure GM Chris Getz and company want Montgomery batting third or fourth long-term. Exactly when is hard to say. I’m not a sportswriter.