Meanwhile, Over in the NL…

Yes, Virginia, there’s life after having played for the losingest team in MLB history. Just look at ex-White Sox players Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn. Sheets has become something of a fan favorite in San Diego since he signed with the Padres last year, so much so he merits chants of “Holy Sheets!” whenever he comes to bat. I heard the chants Wednesday night as Sheets walked to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning in the Padres’ wildcard series against the Cubs. Ironically, Sheets was pinch-hitting for another ex-Sox player (though you might’ve missed him if you blinked), Austin Hays. Sheets turned around a 100.8 mph fastball from the Cubs’ Daniel Palencia, sending out a 107.5-mph exit-velocity two-run homer that effectively ended the Cubs’ postseason. Way to go, Gavin. Sheets will be meeting up against Andrew Vaughn, his old teammate on the Sox back in 2024, as the Padres face the Brewers in the NLDS. What an interesting season-and-a-half it’s been for the third pick in the 2019 draft. The righthand-hitting Vaughn just couldn’t reach the next level with the Sox; he was good but not nearly the player his college stats foretold. After 4-1/2 seasons on the South Side, GM Chris Getz shipped Vaughn to Milwaukee, where he became a platoon player. And how has that gone? Well, the 28-year old Vaughn hit .308 with 46 RBIs in his new role last season and .306 with 43 RBIs this year. How interesting if the Sox face either of them down the road in the postseason.