South Side Sox Player of the Week (July 28-August 3): Jesse Scholtens

Jesse Scholtens’ South Side debut last April didn’t generate much of a buzz, but his recent pitching starts certainly have.

After the trade deadline left the White Sox rotation as hollow as Rick Hahn’s head, Scholtens got his chance to shine on the recent road trip to Texas and Cleveland. The 29-year-old righty threw six innings in both of those two most recent starts, dealing a total of 12 strikeouts against just two walks. He surrendered only three earned runs, leaving him with a healthy ERA of 3.06 on the year thus far.

While the season may seem dead and withered for some, it’s a golden opportunity for a rookie like Scholtens, who spent the last 10 years playing in 10 different uniforms, from the Dust Devils to the TinCaps, and the Sod Poodles to the Chihuahuas. Now, the California native will attempt to hold down the fort wearing White Sox, as the South Side’s fifth starter.

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2023 South Side Sox Players of the Week

Oscar Colás (February 25-March 2)
Andrew Vaughn (March 3-8)
Carlos Pérez (March 9-16)
Oscar Colás (March 17-22)
Cactus League MVP: Oscar Colás
Dylan Cease (March 30-April 5)
Luis Robert Jr. (April 6-12)
Lucas Giolito (April 13-20)
Jake Burger (April 21-27)
Lucas Giolito (April 28- May 4)
Hanser Alberto (May 5-11)
Luis Robert Jr. (May 12-18)
Michael Kopech (May 19-25)
Liam Hendriks (May 26-31)
Andrew Benintendi (June 1-8)
Lucas Giolito (June 9-14)
Zach Remillard (June 15-22)
Luis Robert Jr. (June 23-29)
Lance Lynn (June 30-July 6)
Andrew Benintendi (July 7-21)
Jake Burger (July 22-27)
Jesse Scholtens (July 28-August 3)

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Top 10 MVP Standings

Luis Robert Jr. (60.6)
Zach Remillard (44.9)
Gavin Sheets (30.2)
Seby Zavala (29.8)
Dylan Cease (29.2)
Andrew Benintendi (26.3)
Jesse Scholtens (24.6)
Touki Toussaint (22.5)
Romy González (22.4)
Oscar Colás (17.9)

Top 10 Cold Cat Standings

Tim Anderson (-92.0)
Yoán Moncada (-20.8)
Aaron Bummer (-19.1)
Yasmani Grandal (-17.9)
Andrew Vaughn (-11.9)
White Sox Offense (-10.0)
Declan Cronin (-9.8)
Everyone, Seriously, Everyone (-8.1)
Tristan Stivors (-7.9)
Eddie Rodriguez (-7.7)

Short of a big slump, it seems like Luis Robert Jr. is in comfortable position for season MVP, having shed his main competitor (Lucas Giolito) in trade. The rest of the 10 is a wild battle, though, with Jesse Scholtens leaping from off the board onto the No. 7 spots, right in front of fellow newcomer Touki Toussaint. Meanwhile, Gavin Sheets just keeps crawling his way upward.

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Writer Standings

Jacki Krestel is back in her rightful place on top of the standings board, having cherry-picked two wins in all of 2023. Meanwhile the former Indianapolis Field Office/Tuesday coverage team of Joe Resis and Chrystal O’Keefe are suffering horribly, with nine and 11-game losing streaks our two-longest all season.

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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!

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