Unless you’re an Orioles fan, the most exciting rookie you’ve seen or heard about this season is a Cincinnati Red. And unless you are a Reds fan, TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer, and Matt McLain probably don’t register.
However, despite their decent starts, they’ve been able to sustain their initial bursts and provide Cincinnati fans with some hope for the future. The biggest and flashiest of the Reds newcomers is Elly De La Cruz –the 21-year-old supernova who burst onto the scene like a supernova. Everything he did was supercharged-he stole all three bases within Jeff Brantley’s single heartbeat. He’s hit long, hard-hit homers, made phenomenal throws from deep in the hole and boosted the overall morale of a moribund franchise. Unlike the aforementioned teammates, his star has dimmed a bit and is only hitting .253 with 11 homers.
Even if you root for one of the other teams in the NL Central, you probably got caught up in these young Reds successes. The Reds have also benefited from a few trades for young players which brings me to the White Sox.
The White Sox unloaded 6 pitchers at the trade deadline and one return made his Chicago debut last night with little fanfare. The Sox acquired Edgar Quero from the Angels and is currently listed as their #3 prospect. Yet, it was #18 prospect Korey Lee who caught the game last night. Acquired in a trade with the WS Astros, the 25-year-old began his Sox career less auspiciously than the Reds rookies which might bode well for him in the long run.
He was 1-4 last night-which used to be considered average. Now, a .220 batting average is average (my how times have changed) if you hit 30 home runs. Noted for his defensive skills, Lee was utterly average last night-throwing out one of two baserunners.
If Sox “management” is smart, Lee will start every game the rest of the season and Yasmani Grandal will fetch water and Twizzlers for him. Given the sorry state of the Sox, that’s an extremely big ask. If Lee can sustain his .250 average over the course of his career, the Sox may win that trade.
My only contact with Lee before the trade was back in 2021 when he played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the AFL. Not coincidentally, the White Sox played for Glendale too. I was there to see some other players and hadn’t done a level two deep dive into his career/backstory.
