It has been a historic turnaround for the Chicago White Sox. The Sox made the playoffs in 2021, but lost in the ALDS to the Houston Astros. They finished 81-81 the next year, missing the playoffs. Then, the rebuild happened. They lost 100-plus games for three straight seasons, going 162-324 over the three seasons. This year, the White Sox went 84-78, making the playoffs once again.
As the team is getting ready for its first playoff series since 2021, the roster is loaded with young talent. Munetaka Murakami has been a star, hitting 35 home runs with 77 RBIs. Meanwhile, Miguel Vargas hit 33 dingers, while racking up 93 RBIs, 106 runs scored, and stealing 22 bases. Colson Montgomery rounds out the power bats. He hit 21 home runs while driving in 87 RBIs. Meanwhile, Sam Antonacci hit .277 this season, while scoring 81 times and stealing 20 bases.
Meanwhile, Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, and Davis Martin have all been solid on the mound. Burke went 11-7 with a 3.34 ERA and a 4.2 WAR. Martin put up a 3.95 ERA and a 2.3 WAR, while Kay was 10-9 with a 1.37 WHIP.
While all these parts are solid, they are not what will make or break the White Sox's chances against the Astros in the AL Wild Card round.
Chase Meidroth could be the difference
Chase Meidroth missed time at the end of the year due to a hamstring injury. While he missed time, Meidroth was named to the White Sox wild card roster for the series against the Astros. He has been a star this year for the Chi Sox. The second baseman is hitting .276 with a .350 on-base percentage. He also has 15 home runs, 63 RBIs, and 90 runs scored.
Article Continues BelowThere is a lot of big power in the lineup for the White Sox with Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery. Meidroth has been the opposite of the boom-or-bust middle of the lineup, which will make him the X-factor in this series. He has spent much ofthe season either table-setting at the top of the lineup or stabilizing in the middle of the order.
As the leadoff hitter, Meidroth is hitting .287 with a .364 on-base percentage. His getting one base forced Astros starting pitching to work against the trio of Murakami, Vargas, and Montgomery with someone on base, which makes them more dangerous. The other spot he has been hitting has been the fifth spot in the order. He is hitting .298 from the fifth spot with a .351 on-base percentage. If the White Sox place him in the middle of the lineup, the hope will be that the Astros will pitch around the power portion of the lineup.
Meidroth has been great this year with runners in scoring position. He is hitting .244 with a .322 on-base percentage this year with runners in scoring position. Further, he has six home runs and 47 RBIs in those situations.
Meidroth also comes into the series hot. In the last 30 days he was hitting .305 with 13 RBIS and 15 runs scored. In the last week, prior to the injury, he was hitting .615 with five RBIs in just 13 at-bats. If the Astros try to make this a series where they go for strikeouts, Meidroth is the bat in the lineup that can change that tide. If he comes away with a solid series, the Astros will be in trouble.
Game 1 of the series is set for Tuesday afternoon at 5 pm ET from Houston, Texas.