Standing Tall

I’ve been raving about White Sox infielder Danny Mendick since spring training last year.  A 22^nd round draft pick in 2015 out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Mendick has grinded his way through the Sox minor-league system to get to be the right guy in the right place at the right time.  Top prospect Nick Madrigal went down in early August with a separated shoulder, and Mendick was there to step in.  Not bad for a 22^nd rounder who stands 5’10”.

 

Did I mention Mendick can hit?  Usually batting in the eight- or nine-spot, Mendick is hitting .266 with three homeruns, six RBIs and nine runs scored.  Of his 21 hits this season, seven have been for extra bases.  Not bad for a kid from Rochester NY.

 

This got me thinking about some other “short” players who impressed me last year, starting with 5’10” Mike Yastrzemski.  A 28-year old rookie with the Giants in 2019, Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson hit a respectable .272 with 21 homers and 55 RBIs.  So far this season, Yastrzemski is hitting .293 with seven homers and 23 RBIs.  No sophomore jinx here.

 

Or for 5’10” Mike Brosseau of the Rays.  The pride of Munster, Indiana, by way of Oakland University outside of Detroit, the 25-year old Brosseau came out of nowhere 2019 to hit .273 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 132 at-bats.  This year, Brosseau is coming off the bench to hit .318 with three homers and seven RBIs.  Again, pretty good for a non-giant.

 

Next on the list is 5’11” Nick Solak of the Rangers; Solak also happens to be from nearby Naperville North H.S., one of those places the scouts for our Chicago teams can’t seem to find.  Solak hit at a .293 clip his rookie season with five homers and 17 RBIs.  This year, he’s hitting .269 with 11 RBIs while playing four positions for Texas.

 

Nicky Lopez is another Naperville product, this time from Naperville Central.  Last year, the 5’11” Lopez hit .240 for the Royals while getting a crack at second base.  This year, he’s slipped to a .217 BA, but hope springs eternal, and the Royals come to town over the weekend, so we’ll see.

 

My point is that good things, good ballplayers, can come in relatively small packages.  Someday, one of those packages may even resemble my daughter, who played baseball long before she switched to softball.