PHILADELPHIA — Two grinders are better than one at the top of the White Sox’ batting order.
With an eye-popping proclivity for getting plunked and diving across the field, rookie left fielder Sam Antonacci has seized the spotlight in the leadoff spot against right-handers for manager Will Venable.
But with a full year of big-league baseball under his belt, second baseman Chase Meidroth — still leading off against lefties — has kept up the hustle that put him on the Sox’ map last season. Now he’s settling into his role as a leader in a young clubhouse that’s starting to figure out how to win.
“He’s really emerging as one of the young leaders of our club with the way he goes about his business,” manager Will Venable said. “He’s extremely competitive, he plays extremely hard.
“He wants to be in there everyday. I have these conversations with these everyday guys every once in a while, when I have to tell them they’re not in there, and he’s the guy that clearly wants to be in there and fights me on it the most, which I love,” Venable said. “That’s how much he wants to be out there.”
Meidroth has given Venable little reason to stop inking his name in the order. The 5-9 Torrance, California, native entered play Saturday hitting .271/.342/.393 on the season. He has a .786 OPS over the past month that has seen the Sox take their first tangible steps toward competitive baseball in general manager Chris Getz’s rebuild.
“I’m just learning how to ride the ups and downs of the season,” said Meidroth, whose bases-loaded groundout in the first inning on Saturday earned his 21st RBI of the season. “There are a lot of really good people in this clubhouse, a lot of winners and a lot of people that show up and put the work in, and a lot of guys that want to win this year. That’s what you’re looking at right now.”
Meirdroth heralded a new dimension to his game when he smashed a 417-foot leadoff home run on Opening Day. He’s already matched his total from all of last season with five dingers, while his 13 doubles are two shy of his total in 122 games his rookie year.
“On the field, I think he’s continuing to learn himself,” Venable said. “We’ve seen more of a guy who has a willingness to try to tap into the slug… and taking his best bat speed at good pitches to hit.”
Hitting coach Derek Shomon and assistant Joel McKeithan can take some of the credit for Meidroth’s evolving approach, with the assistance of some veteran guidance.
“It’s been good to be able to pick his brain and see kind of how far along he is developed with the approach so early on,” outfielder Randal Grichuk said. “That’s one of the last things to develop with hitters, and he’s asking questions, he’s implementing things in his game, and it’s really been fun to see.”
Meidroth is roommates with the gregarious Mike Vasil, the injured reliever-turned-wizard who’s taken on the mantle of clubhouse cheerleader, so he’s got to have a good sense of humor, too.
“Chase is always here in a good mood, excited to get after it,” reliever Grant Taylor said. “When you have a guy like that at the top of your lineup, it just sets the tone for the rest of the group.”
That goes both ways in a tight-knit clubhouse chock full of players who have ascended the farm system together over the past few years.
“It’s always easier when you go through with a lot of guys that you love,” Meidroth said. “That brotherhood is what we feel in here, so it’s been a fun season so far. Just looking to keep it going and keep things light. You can’t take this game too seriously.
“We’ve got a ways to go, and we’re not anywhere near where we want to be,” he said. “We’re going to keep grinding and keep getting better.”