White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 27, 2023

May 04, 2024

The Winston-Salem Dash’s final game against Bowling Green this season was cancelled due to an over-saturated field, so I made the drive for nothing.

Mostly, I wanted a second look at Brooks Baldwin, who is having a counterintuitively good time with the Dash. Not only is he doing his best work at the plate over his first 15 games at the new level …

… but he’s also playing shortstop full time, after making just one appearance there with the Cannon Ballers. He played mostly second base and the outfield UNC-Wilmington before the White Sox selected him in the 12th round of the 2022 draft, so it’s not like he was temporarily squeezed out of his primary position.

I saw him play on Wednesday, when he went 1-for-5 with a sharp single, a stolen base and two strikeouts, while handling the few plays, all routine, that found him in the field with ease. He’s a switch-hitter, but he faced all righty pitchers. He possessed a knowledge of the zone, although the two times he expanded the zone came on two strikes. The first was a high and away 3-2 fastball he regretted offering towards while it was happening, and the other was a quality 0-2 slider that darted out of the zone over the heart of the plate.

Baldwin turned 23 a couple weeks ago, and considering he was Colonial Athletic Association’s Player of the Year, it’s not the biggest shock to see him thriving in A-ball. Double-A is usually where those third-day draft picks can be pressed into something more ordinary.