Youth will be served! The Chicago White Sox, however, are not completely weighed down with peach fuzz!
José Abreu has become the face of the White Sox. Abreu is, however, 31 years of age having spent 10 seasons playing top-flight baseball in his native Cuba before donning a White Sox uniform prior to the 2014 season.
Even the youngsters on the Sox have a touch more age than one realizes:
• Infielder Tim Anderson made quite a splash two seasons ago in a debut with a .283 batting average. Anderson, who will be 25 in June, saw his average slip to .257 last season. He is a threat to steal when he gets on base, but, has struggled at the plate and has been far from error-free in the field.
• Yoán Moncada, 22, was the key player for the White Sox in the trade that sent Chris Sale to the Red Sox last season. The early going this year has not been to Moncada’s liking. Hitting marginally above .200 early on, Moncada’s struggles mirror that of the team.
• Pitcher Lucas Giolito, who will be 24 in July, started at home against the Astros Saturday night in Houston’s 10-1 victory. Nine runs conceded, all earned, in two innings of work was Giolito’s final tally. Giolito, 0-3, is another player with a concensus world of talent. He is in his second year with the team.
Players in their first year with the White Sox, 4-14, prior to this week’s series with visiting Seattle and in possession of a seven-game losing streak, include pitchers Luis Avilan, Bruce Rondon, and Joakim Soria. Outfielder Trayce Thompson is the brother of Klay Thompson, star forward of the National Basketball Association champion Golden State and son of NBA player Mychal Thompson.
Trayce Thompson was drafted by the White Sox in 2008, but is in his second stint with the Sox after playing in 2015. He was picked up last week after being released by Oakland. He had a home run Saturday in the Sox 10-1 loss to Houston.
The Sox broke the losing streak Monday with a 10-4 victory over Seattle with big hits by Moncada and Abreu.