Latest news with #RyanFuller
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Lenyn Sosa Quietly Leads A Step Forward For White Sox Hitters
Progress is almost always incremental, not instantaneous. That's why the White Sox are feeling good about the work of Ryan Fuller, their organizational director of hitting, and the investment that ownership and General Manager Chris Getz made in infrastructure after the 121-loss season in 2024. The White Sox were last in almost every offensive category last season and weren't a lot better in the first half of this season. But since the All-Star Game they've been one of the most productive lineups in baseball, largely thanks to improvements from holdover players like Lenyn Sosa, Miguel Vargas and Brooks Baldwin. Oh, Luis Robert Jr., too. Getz moved quickly to hire the 34-year-old Fuller when the Orioles made him a scapegoat for their disappointing '24 season, firing him from his position as co-hitting coach. He also agreed to acquire a state-of-the-art Trajekt pitching robot, which accurately simulate pitches from specific big-leaguers, and let Fuller identify other tools for the development of hitters. Fuller joined the Orioles in 2019 as a minor-league hitting coach and was promoted to hitting coordinator in '21. He was given significant credit for the development of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Connor Norby, among others in Baltimore's wave of young hitters. But his value goes beyond the guys at the top of the lineup. 'I really pride myself on helping create a team that's dynamic,' Fuller told James Fegan of Sox Machine. 'Whatever challenges are presented that night, we are going to have the skills to match up accordingly. Whatever is called for, we are going to be trained to execute.' Reports from spring training showed an impressive jump in bat speed from some veteran hitters, including Sosa (+3.6 mph), Baldwin (+2.7) and Vargas. None of them have maintained that increase throughout the season — some believe the Statcast cameras weren't completely accurate at Rate Field last season — but all three of them have started hitting. Sosa, who was given a $350,000 bonus to sign out of Venezuela in 2016, is a 25-year-old infielder who reached the big leagues in 2022 and entered this season with a .229 batting average and .604 OPS in 163 games. This year he's hitting .277 with a .749 OPS while making an argument he can be an everyday second baseman, not just a utility man. Working with Fuller and big-league hitting coaches Marcus Thames and Joel McKeithan, Sosa has given himself for a chance at a 20-homer season (he has 14). He's increased his hard-hit rate to 43.9 and his average exit velocity to 90.8 mph. He could reach arbitration as a Super 2 player after this season and figures to be rewarded for the improvement. Vargas, like Sosa, has been raking since the All-Star break. The 25-year-old middle infielder acquired from the Dodgers last season is starting to get closer to the results that had been projected off his 35 homers and .923 OPS over 214 games in Triple-A. Robert and rookie shortstop-third baseman Colson Montgomery arguably have been the two brightest signs in recent weeks. Getz held onto Robert at the trade deadline rather than resign himself to diminished value, and Robert is looking like his old self, hitting .333 with 3 homers and 9 stolen bases in 19 games since the All-Star break. Montgomery, who has been a special project for Fuller, made his big-league debut on July 4. He's hitting .241 with 10 homers, 26 RBIs and an .876 OPS in 32 games.. It's hard to believe but the White Sox are leading the majors with 41 home runs since the All-Star break, one more than the Phillies, led by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. They are third in runs (121), fifth in batting average (.262) and fifth in slugging (.470). They're likely to experience some regression before the season ends but that won't diminish the progress they're showing. This stretch will speak loudly to management and especially the players when the White Sox begin looking forward to next season. Fans would love to see the White Sox ownership group spend more heavily to build a competitive roster. But this is a much improved team from a year ago, with players getting better as games fly off the schedule. First-year manager Will Venable and his coaches are doing good work.
Al Arabiya
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Colson Montgomery makes his home debut with the Chicago White Sox
Colson Montgomery traveled a bumpy road from top prospect to the major leagues. The young shortstop was joined on the journey by the Chicago White Sox. That made Monday night even sweeter for the player and the rebuilding team. Montgomery made his home debut for Chicago in the opener of a three-game series against Toronto. He played in his first major league game on Friday night at Colorado and went 5 for 10 while helping the White Sox take two of three against the Rockies. 'I'm just so happy to be part of this organization and them just believing in me to be honest,' a smiling Montgomery said. 'Because there's a lot that goes into, you know, last year you don't really play the best and then you start this year not really playing the best. And there was just never a doubt in their mind with the White Sox.' First baseman Ryan Noda was placed on the 10-day injured list before the matchup with Toronto and infielder Tristan Gray was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. Noda has a right quad strain. Montgomery, 23, was a first-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft. He appeared to be on his way to a big league debut last season, but he had a tough year with Charlotte. He batted .214 with 18 home runs and 63 RBIs, striking out 164 times in 130 games. He had a chance to make the major league team in spring training, but he was sent back to Charlotte in March. He was batting just .149 (14 for 94) when the White Sox decided to have him go to Arizona to work with Ryan Fuller, who was hired in November as the organization's director of hitting. 'Ultimately it just came down to just really finding this routine that we've kind of, I guess you could say, fine-tuned,' Montgomery said. 'And I mean, I'm just trying to perfect that routine and then go out there and execute it.' Montgomery's work with Fuller, along with the reset that went along with time away from games, helped him find his form. He hit .270 (33 for 122) after returning to Charlotte, earning a promotion. He went hitless in his debut against the Rockies, but he robbed Ryan Ritter with a terrific catch in the second inning. He hit an RBI triple for his first big league hit on Saturday. 'I'm really proud of him,' White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. 'We talked, now it was months ago, you know, I gave him a call and just to kind of do a little check in and, you know, he's going through it. He was really struggling and I said, 'Hey, you know we're going to figure this out. You're going to figure this out. You just can't quit.' And he goes, 'I'm not going to quit.' And he didn't.' The series opener against the Blue Jays also was the team's first home game since former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks died on Friday in Portugal, where he was being treated for a form of stomach cancer. He was 44. Fans placed flowers in Jenks' memory at the 2005 World Series monument outside the ballpark, and the team honored the two-time All-Star with a highlight video and a pregame moment of silence. Getz, who played with Jenks in 2008 and 2009 with the White Sox, said the closer had a big heart. 'He was just this most fun-loving kid,' Getz said. 'And obviously a tremendous competitor, you know, on the mound. He didn't have an easy life. He didn't. I know that his family's got to be really going through it right now. It's obviously really sad.'
