In the third edition of the “Spring Breakout” exhibition series, the young prospects of the White Sox and Dodgers sure gave baseball fans an exciting, wild night of action.
You may want to take ‘wild’ in literal terms, after seeing what went down in the first few innings. Spoiler alert: it was a tough night to be a pitcher for most. White Sox prospects issued 17 walks, whereas the Dodgers’ prospects let up an additional 10 free passes.
Hagen Smith got the start for the South Siders, allowing three runs over 1.2 innings of work. His command was spotty at times, issuing three walks to Dodgers prospects, but he still was nasty, with four strikeouts, as well. He got up to 98.7 mph on his fastball and kept his velocity high, but primarily relied on his usual two-pitch mix for the majority of the outing. He notably featured his new cutter thrice and his changeup just once.
One challenge Smith faced in his outing was actually in part due to the patience of the Sox’s lineup in the 2nd inning: 13 White Sox batters took a plate appearance.
Yes, you’re reading that right, 13 batters.
The following sequence will truly paint the picture of the 2nd inning:
- Lineout
- Reached on an error
- Lineout
- Single
- Walk
- RBI Ground-Rule Double
- Walk
- RBI Walk
- RBI Walk
- RBI Walk
- RBI Walk
- RBI Walk
- Strikeout
This may have played a factor as to why Hagen Smith was removed fairly early from this contest, in preparing his buildup to start the season in Charlotte.
After a wildly eventful first couple of innings, the action settled down quite a good deal. Christian Oppor entered the game and struggled mightily, while Dodgers prospect Zach Root dominated in his three innings of work, striking out eight White Sox hitters.
The other highlight from this game? A towering home run from George Wolkow, who came in off the bench after Sam Antonacci took his spot in left field.
Antonacci made the most of only his second career professional game in the outfield, as he logged an outfield assist to gun down Jose DePaula at the plate. This move could very well be an opportunity to fast-track his eventual call-up to the majors.
While the White Sox couldn’t bring home the win, it was encouraging and fun to see young names like Antonacci, Wolkow, William Bergolla Jr., Caleb Bonemer, Braden Montgomery, Samuel Zavala, Jaden Fauske, and Billy Carlson all show out together before they head to their separate affiliates in just a few days.
Full Box Score
Offensive Summary
- Sam Antonacci (LF): 0-for-3, R, BB, 3 K
- George Wolkow (LF): 1-for-1, HR, RBI
- William Bergolla Jr. (2B): 3-for-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI
- Javier Mogollon (PH-2B): 0-for-2, 2 K
- Caleb Bonemer (3B): 0-for-1, R, 2 BB, K
- Jacob Gonzalez (PH-3B): 0-for-2, 2 K
- Braden Montgomery (CF): 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB, K
- Rikuu Nishida (CF): 0-for-0, BB
- Jeral Perez (DH): 0-for-2, R, RBI, BB, K
- Colby Shelton (PH-DH): 0-for-2, K
- Jaden Fauske (RF): 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
- Samuel Zavala (RF): 1-for-1, R, BB
- Anthony DePino (1B): 0-for-2, R, RBI, BB, K
- Caden Connor (1B): 1-for-2
- Billy Carlson (SS): 0-for-3, RBI, BB
- Kyle Lodise (SS): 1-for-1
- Grant Magill (C): 1-for-3, R, 2 K
- Stiven Flores (C): 0-for-1
- Jose Mendoza (PH): 0-for-1
Totals: 35 AB, 10 R, 9 H, 9 RBI, 10 BB, 16 K
Pitching Summary:
- Hagen Smith: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
- Nick Weyrich: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
- Christian Oppor (L, BS): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
- Landen Payne: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R 2 BB, 2 K
- Tyler Davis: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
- Jackson Kelley: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
- Tyler Schweitzer: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Totals: 8.0 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 17 BB, 13 K
Standout Performers
William Bergolla Jr.: 3-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI
After an already impressive Spring Training, Bergolla Jr. continues to show off his impressive bat-to-ball tool with another three hits and some solid defense at 2nd base.
Through 40 plate appearances in Spring Training + this game, Bergolla Jr. has 14 hits and only two strikeouts. While he isn’t going to be crushing home runs, he’s going to be a pesky force at the top of Charlotte’s lineup in just a few weeks to start the season.
George Wolkow: 1-for-1, HR, RBI
After revealing on the broadcast that Sam Antonacci took his place in the outfield, it was good to see George Wolkow still get his moment to shine, smashing a homer to right field in his lone plate appearance. He’s also an insightful interviewer and spoke highly about many of his fellow prospects via an in-game interview with Chuck Garfien.
Next Game
With the final Sunday of Spring Training upon us, the White Sox will take on the Seattle Mariners at 8:05 CT. Sean Burke is projected to take the bump for the Sox, while Bryan Woo will toe the rubber for the Mariners.
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