This was a short week for the AZL White Sox who were off Monday and Tuesday before facing the Diamondbacks on Wednesday and the Cubs on Thursday. In both games played this week, the White Sox fell short, piling up an 0-2 record heading into this weekend’s match ups. Despite the losing record, there were still some positives to takeaway from this week.
On Wednesday night, Bryce Bush picked up his first home run since signing with the White Sox. As a guy known for his bat speed and power, his first home run went exactly how you think it would. It was a no-doubter that he smashed over the left field fence for a two-run shot. Bryce had two hits on the night which marks his second multi-hit game in his early professional career.
Luis Mieses also went deep on Wednesday which marks the second home run of the season for Mieses. He’s been hitting the ball hard every time he steps up to the plate and it was only a matter of time before he sent one over the fence. This home run put him as the team leader in home runs and he also leads the team in RBIs with 17 on the season.
Mieses is a very intriguing prospect to keep an eye on as he develops. He’s seen a lot of action in the corner outfield positions this week and has held it down out there. His footwork looks good when he tracks down a fly ball and he also has a cannon for an arm. He’s able to get the ball in quickly and accurately and because of this, base runners have rarely tested him.
White Sox outfield prospect Ryan Cordell made his return to the diamond on Wednesday after missing extended time due to a clavicle injury. He was placed in the lineup as the designated hitter and hit 3rd. He singled in his first plate appearance and struck out in his other two. It’s going to take some time for him to get back into groove after not seeing any action for three months. Ryan was in the lineup again on Thursday night and was hitless.
Steele Walker looks like he’s back to the pure hitter that we saw at Oklahoma. On Wednesday night, Steele had two singles and accomplished his first multi-hit game as a professional. One day later, he would notch his second multi-hit game by singling twice again. In 4 games with the White Sox, Steele is slashing .455/.538/.455 and to top that off, he’s only struck out once in 11 total plate appearances.
On both Wednesday and Thursday night, Walker got his first taste of the outfield since he came to Arizona. He’s played right field and center field so far. While he was in right field, he didn’t see much action besides a grounder that was a single. On Thursday when he played center field, he saw a lot more action. He was clean defensively and even though he doesn’t appear to have great speed, he hustles on every play and will give it his all when tracking down a fly ball.
One question everyone has been asking finally has an answer. Where is Konnor Pilkington and when will we see him? Well, the answer was on Wednesday night in the Arizona Rookie League. The White Sox 3rd rounder made a relief appearance for his professional debut. Unfortunately, his debut didn’t go as planned and he got roughed up during his lone inning of work. Final line: 1.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Pilkington recently wrapped up an extended collegiate season that saw the Mississippi State Bulldogs go deep into the College World Series. At the moment, we are unsure of how much we will see of him this season. It’s likely that he only throws a few innings since his arm was used so much during the collegiate regular season and postseason. His professional career didn’t get off to the best start, but he will bounce back and be fine.
The AZL White Sox open up their weekend play facing the Reds at Camelback Ranch on Friday with first pitch scheduled at 9:00 CT. They will follow that up with a double header on Saturday against the Padres in Peoria, AZ. The first game has a 7:00 start time and game two will begin shortly after.
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