Scouting

Periodically, a player will catch my eye, and I think, “Hey, he might be good.” The first time that happened was with Bill Melton. David Justice was another. More recently, I’ve been impressed with how Brooks Baldwin has worked his way up the minor-league ladder to reach the majors with the White Sox; you have to feel good anytime a 12th round draft choice does that, and you have to tip your cap to the scout who found him. The lower the draft choice who can make a difference, the better the organization. The switch-hitting infielder-outfielder started hitting once he reached High-A and earned a cup of coffee with the Sox late last season. What I saw was a nice, level swing and an ability to reach the gaps. Also, fast out of the box. This year, Baldwin made the team out of spring training and hit OK into the middle of May, when he was sent down to Triple-A Charlotte. Instead of moping, Baldwin hit .368 for the Knights with eleven homeruns. He got called up in the middle of June, only to strike out three times in three at-bats over three games against the Rangers. He kept swinging through pitches and chasing balls shoulder high. That meant to a quick trip back to Charlotte. The injury to Luis Robert Jr. led to another callup at the beginning of July, when it was another three strikeouts (plus a walk) in three at-bats in two games against the Dodgers. Then, maybe something clicked, because Baldwin has gone 5-for-11 in the three games since, with two doubles and a homer. Yesterday, he went 2-for-5 with a double; run; and RBI in the Sox 10-3 win over the Rockies. More, please. Baldwin credited team mental health coach Cristian Guzman for helping him figure out “how to slow the game back down and not trying to do too much.” Baldwin says the adjustment helped him “see the ball a little earlier and put good swings on it.” [quote in Saturday’s Tribune] OK, I’ll buy that. And whatever helped Colson Montgomery go 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI. I can’t say I have a feel for Montgomery’s swing the way I do Baldwin’s, but all that matters here are results. And I will say Montgomery looks calm at the plate in his first two major-league games. Like Montgomery, Lenyn Sosa collected three hits last night, which makes it easier to forget his failing to get an out with runners on base and nobody out in the bottom of the seventh. Reliever Jordan Leasure fielded a comebacker and threw to Sosa, who was nowhere near the bag and whose throw to first failed to beat Hunter Goodman running down the line. But this is the Rockies’ year to suffer, and Leasure worked out of it without a run scoring (!!). Sosa doubled and homered to go with four RBIs and two runs scored. Like I’ve said, the man can hit. Good idea that manager New-Mickey Venable has him DHing today with Chase Meidroth back at second. That’s how you win games.