:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72613092/image_6487327.0.jpeg)
Welcome to the jungle.
A cacophony of squawks and shrill shrieks filter through the humid air. Overhead, Chris Getz swings through the sun-dappled canopy, his prehensile tail dangling uselessly.
To your right, Jerry Reinsdorf grapples sloth-like on a tree trunk, blinking apathetically at his surroundings.
And down on the forest floor, just barely in view, La Pantera prowls through a shaded cluster of ferns, the only creature in the jungle who knows what the hell he’s doing.
Without a doubt, Luis Robert Jr. is having his healthiest, heartiest season of baseball to date. Finishing the season within swinging distance of 40 home runs is a fantastic achievement, and one of the few things worth celebrating about the 2023 Chicago White Sox.
As GM Getz stated in his first public remarks, every Sox player’s future is out on a limb. But the team’s desire to avoid an auxiliary rebuild suggests that they would build a team around their strongest assets, Robert being one of those.
With the dark jungle night closing in on an abysmal season of baseball, the glowing eyes of La Pantera might be the key to a brighter dawn.
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)
Andrew Vaughn (August 4-10)
Dylan Cease (August 11-17) (no art/essay)
The Fans for Enduring This Torture (August 18-23) (no art/essay)
Luis Robert Jr. (August 24-30)
Top 10 MVP Standings
Luis Robert Jr. (86.2)
Zach Remillard (44.7)
Seby Zavala (29.8)
Gavin Sheets (28.7)
Andrew Benintendi (26.2)
Jesse Scholtens (25.9)
Touki Toussaint (23.2)
Romy González (22.4)
Dylan Cease (17.2)
Fans Who Stayed Up for the Game (16.8)
Top 10 Cold Cat Standings
Tim Anderson (-99.3)
Yasmani Grandal (-35.9)
Aaron Bummer (-30.6)
Yoán Moncada (-27.5)
White Sox Offense (-10.0)
Declan Cronin (-9.8)
Jimmy Lambert (-8.8)
Everyone, Seriously, Everyone (-8.1)
Jerry Reinsdorf (-8.0)
Tristan Stivors (-7.9)
In the few weeks we’ve gone between voting standings updates, Andrew Vaughn has made a rare, late-season flip from the Cold Cats to MVP Top 10 — not bad.
Writer Standings
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24897031/Screen_Shot_2023_09_04_at_11.28.32_PM.png)
The biggest movement in our time away was a new writer in the basement of the standings — by percentage points — Allie Wesel. It is somehow fitting that the two writers with the most game coverage output (Allie and Chrystal O’Keefe) are tied for last place in the standings, a combined 32 games worse than .500. Only Jacki and Brett sit better than .500 in coverage this season at this point.
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!
Loading comments...