South Side Sox Player of the Week (September 11-17): Elvis Andrus

It’s late September, and the clock is ticking.

At this point, it’s easy to make the argument that Elvis Andrus has been the best midseason pickup the Sox have ever had. Without him, and without the seismic ascendancy of bench coach Miguel Cairo, this season of Chicago baseball would have ended with hardly an ounce of spark or gusto.

The acquisition of El Commando, who has whipped up a career renaissance (as noted in last week’s writeup), has given the South Siders their last great hope at nabbing the Central Division from the clutches of the Cleveland Guardians.

Andrus has pummeled the ball with the same fervor that nabbed him All-Star honors a decade ago. His energy has filled the void left by Tim Anderson, whose 2022 comeback is still in question, and inspired his teammates to a late season rally.

Just a fistful of wins separate the Sox from another playoff appearance. If they can pull off a run into the playoffs, they may have the momentum to make a splash in the postseason.

After all, Elvis is in the building.

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2022 South Side Sox Players of the Week

Tim Anderson (April 8-17)
Tanner Banks (April 18-23)
Lucas Giolito (April 24-May 1)
Dylan Cease (May 2-8)
Michael Kopech (May 9-14)
Davis Martin (May 15-21)
Jake Burger (May 22-29)
Andrew Vaughn (May 30-June 5)
Jake Burger (June 6-12)
Johnny Cueto (June 13-18)
Andrew Vaughn (June 19-25)
Dylan Cease (June 26-July 2)
Lucas Giolito (July 3-9)
Dylan Cease (July 10-17) (no art/essay)
AJ Pollock (July 22-30)
Eloy Jiménez (July 31-August 6)
Michael Kopech (August 7-13)
Johnny Cueto (August 14-20)
Gavin Sheets (August 21-27)
Dylan Cease (August 28-September 3)
Elvis Andrus (September 4-10)
Elvis Andrus (September 11-17)

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MVP Standings

Dylan Cease (144.3)
Johnny Cueto (96.8)
Michael Kopech (69.8)
Andrew Vaughn (65.0)
Eloy Jiménez (39.9)
Lance Lynn (38.9)
Elvis Andrus (29.4)
Davis Martin (25.5)
Tanner Banks (23.3)
Luis Robert (19.0)

Cold Cat Standings

Tony La Russa (-88.7)
Leury García (-76.3)
Yasmani Grandal (-54.8)
Yoán Moncada (-47.5)
Josh Harrison (-46.0)
Joe Kelly (-42.1)
Liam Hendriks (-40.2)
Kendall Graveman (-37.0)
Rick Hahn (-29.4)
Tim Anderson (-23.8)

Given the Dylan Cease runaway for MVP, perhaps the best positive race pits Andrew Vaughn vs. a hard-charging Eloy Jiménez for top position player votes? Jake Burger, who by virtue of few true White Sox standouts this season has remained in the Top 10 for MVP votes, finally was launched off this week — by Davis Martin, who returns to the Top 10.

Suspense among the Cold Cats sees Leury García continue to move up the charts, as Tony La Russa remains on the “IL.”

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Writer Standings

The battle of Indianapolis is on, as Joe Resis creeps to within three games of first! And probably for the first time this year, a majority of writers are .500 or better!

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If you’re interested in seeing more of Mitch’s work, or if you’d like to purchase original drawings or prints, contact him via Twitter (@soxsketcher), Instagram (@southsidesharpie), or by e-mail at southsidesharpie@gmail.com. Thanks for supporting local artists!