Hidden Treasure

The White Sox play the Dodgers today, so this should be a good test, given that LA has started spring training with a 5-0 record. The Dodgers’ lineup includes ex-Sox farmhand Alex Call, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft. The right-handed hitting outfielder was traded to Cleveland in 2018 for first baseman Yonder Alonso. Bad trade, that. Call is a nice glove and bat off the bench. Playing for the Dodgers is a testament both to his ability and the acumen of the Sox scout(s) who identified his talent. The same holds for current Sox Brooks Baldwin, a twelfth-round selection in 2022. The switch-hitting Baldwin struggled through the first half of his first real season last year (he also had 114 at-bats in 2024). Then, something clicked in early July with a pinch-hit homerun against these same Dodgers. Baldwin batted .253 in the second half of the season vs. .227 in the first half. He also hit eleven homers overall in 300 at-bats. Guess who’s 4-for-7 with a homerun this spring? Yup, the twelfth rounder. Again, a testament both to the player and the scout(s) who found him. It’s almost enough to make me think the Sox know what they’re doing. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself quite yet.