The Yerminator Rises

A monster shot, Yerminated, to the concourse in left field at Sox Park, with a most unlikely hitter standing in the box, watching the ball enter orbit.

Yermín Mercedes has had quite the journey to the bigs: minors, winter leagues, and even independent ball. His Hollywood story of going through several organizations for nearly a decade before reaching the majors is playing out right in front of us.

Mercedes, or the Yerminator as White Sox fans and media have dubbed him, is one of those true underdogs so many of us — especially fans of the South Siders — can truly relate to: Nearly quitting once or twice before being told to stay the course and finally catching your break. Mercedes embodies the spirit of never quitting, and grinding till arrive at your destination.

Mercedes has truly proven himself in this first week of the 2021 season, adding a much-needed bat to an already-potent young lineup that so far has more than made up for the tremendous loss of top slugger Eloy Jiménez.

All the 28-year-old rookie has done is go 15-for-27, with a slash line of .556/.571/.889 and two home runs, three doubles, five runs and seven RBIs.

And let’s not forget, Mercedes took an amazing route to his 15-for-27, going 8-for-8 to start the season and thus becoming the first player in the modern era to begin a season with eight straight hits.

With a nickname like the Yerminator, it’s no surprise how much of a liking that the Sox fans have already taken to the young slugger, whose monster shot greeted fans in the White Sox home opener on Thursday. Yep, the the third-longest home run at the current Sox Park, as well as the longest home run hit so far in 2021.

Mercedes has been a key factor in the White Sox starting lineup, with the team going 4-2 in the games he has started and 3-1 in his multi-hit efforts. The Yerminator has brought virtually the same excitement and fun to the Sox that Jiménez himself did.

With the hitting tools Yermín has, his success so far in the majors should be no surprise — but no one could have imagined his success would come so fast, and so far. And his fun-filled attitude fits in perfectly with a great young core we can all truly enjoy.