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Oscar Colás has been around the world. He batted under a hot, Cuban sun, with sweat dripping down his brow. He fielded fly balls among drifting cherry blossom petals in Fukuoka, Japan. He even witnessed the exotic, thrilling sights of Charlotte!
Now, the 24-year-old ballplayer is making a case to come to Chicago, toot sweet.
Colás has made a splash in Cactus League play, with seven hits in his first 18 plate appearances. He credits this to offseason drills working alongside Luis Robert Jr., and new Sox hitting coach José Castro.
Though his reputation for cranking homers precedes him, Colás has since worked to broaden his hitting horizons, dropping in clutch hits all over the field. He will also be needed in right field, a soft spot for the Sox after they traded part-timer Adam Engel and prefer to avoid wedging incapable fielders out in that pasture. Colás could platoon that spot with injury-prone DH Eloy Jiménez, who chomps at the bit to catch a fly ball every once in a while, capability be damned.
No doubt, there is room for Colás on the field. More importantly, there’s room for him in the minds of Sox fans, many of whom are heartsick from losing José Abreu and nauseous from the Mike Clevinger ordeal.
We need a fresh face around town, a new guy to root for. Fittingly, the 2023 debut of our weekly baseball honors reflects that future.
2023 South Side Sox Players of the Week
Oscar Colás (February 25-March 2)
Top 5 MVP Standings
Oscar Colás (7.8)
Zach Remillard (7.1)
Hanser Alberto (6.9)
Jake Burger (5.8)
Seby Zavala (5.7)
Top 5 Cold Cat Standings
Yoán Moncada (-14.6)
White Sox Offense (-10.0)
Davis Martin (-5.5)
Mike Morin (-4.5)
Luis Robert Jr. (-3.7)
Yoán is going to petition that we let Team Cuba (WBC) play count here, as he’s gotten off to a hotter start for his home country than his home team.
Writer Standings
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Kristina Airdo, trailing badly in last place a season ago — yep, 22nd place — gets 2023 started with a win and first-place status.
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!
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