Sox Populi - A Chicago White Sox podcast Sox Populi

April is over, so it’s time for us to award, and talk about, our South Side Sox MiLB Players of the Month at each level. Joe Resis, writer of our story and deciding vote on the awards, occupies the expert’s chair as we summarize the April notables:

An overview of the four affiliates, playing around .500 ball collectively and with one club (Birmingham) already pointed toward the postseason

We spontaneously determined that 60 at-bats is enough to earn this award, so congratulations, Danny Mendick, you are Charlotte’s winner! Kudos to him, against all odds FORCING HIS WAY back onto the White Sox roster — leaving the team no other option, really

Drew Thorpe wins a nail-biter in Birmingham, where any one of three starting pitchers could have earned the honors. We speculate a bit on possible call-up or MLB debut dates for Drew

An award with an actual reward comes for Eric Adler, who was gem-perfect in Winston-Salem and got his call-up to Double-A at the end of the month

In Kannapolis, it was more of a runaway choice, with Aldrin Batista crushing Low-A batters to earn April plaudits


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A month in, it’s our first Winston-Salem Dash podcast, and Joe Resis occupies the expert’s chair as we summarize the April notables:

An introduction for Joe, taking on a bigger minors role than ever for South Side Sox

Noah Schultz: Please with his first month, or no?

A review of Dash Players of the Week on the pitching side, Juan Carela and Manuel Veloz

Everyone’s favorite LHS Wildcat, Riley Gowens

A closer already promoted to Birmingham, Eric Adler

Glue guy José Ramírez

The Dash hitting has been weaker, although Jacob Gonzalez has been performing as expected

Wes Kath: resurgent

Zavala superfan Joe explains hot prospect Samuel’s flat first month

DJ Gladney’s struggles and frustrations


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No, you’re not experiencing déjà vu. The White Sox are again facing the Twins this soon into the season. Last week the Twins executed a four-game sweep against the White Sox, each game feeling more devastating than the last.
The wonderful Brandon Warne of Locked On Twins and Access Twins joined me to chat about the bottom-dwelling White Sox and the low-on-the-list but still way-better Twins.
Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

The Bucks are in the playoffs

Grading the offseason

Confidence going into 2024

A rundown of Twins’ pitching

Pedro Grifol, sigh

Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series

Are ballparks trying to give us diabetes?

Predictions for 2024

The O’s are scary

Lance Lynn on Father’s Day

You can find Brandon on Twitter, and follow his work at Locked On Twins and Access Twins.
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In a live YouTube/Twitter/Facebook event as the game got underway last night, a group of us (Dante Jones, Melissa Sage-Bollenbach, Joe Resis, Malachi Hayes, Hannah LaMotta, Brett Ballantini) went watched the start of the game to see whether the White Sox start would end up even worse than that of the worst-ever Cleveland Spiders.
Spoiler alert: It did.

Watch as the game turns from a scoreless tie to an eventual loss immediately after we begin


Impressions of the first month

The inability to commit to a rebuild is not wearing well in the early going, with the major league club or the organization as a whole

Pedro Grifol’s hand in all of the mess

What are you looking forward to in the season’s final five months?

Predictions you’re regretting (or, crowing over?)


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It’s an early check-in with our friend and Charlotte mainstay Jonathan Lee on all things Knights, including intriguing bats and the predictable breakdown of the Triple-A rotation:

Jonathan’s take on the 8-12 Charlotte start: .400 ball, he’ll take it!

Danny Mendick’s amazing power stroke that forced him back onto the White Sox active roster

Conversely, the jerking around of Lenyn Sosa and Oscar Colás, never truly able to settle in a spot or role

Colson Montgomery’s bat has been flaccid, but his shortstop defense stout. Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Carlos Pérez, Chuckie Robinson, and the curious catching conundrum with the Knights until Edgar Quero arrives

A rotation in shambles, but with brighter days (returns from injury, promotions from Birmingham) ahead

Justin Jirschele: Next White Sox manager? (he learned a lot from losing in 2023!)

How Nick Nastrini and Jonathan Cannon rank as valuable Charlotte starters and future MLB rotation arms

Follow Jonathan Lee on Twitter @followmefor3.
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The delightful Ben Jones of our sister site Twinkie Town joins the show to discuss the Minnesota Twins. Sitting just above the White Sox, the Twins are also riddled with injury and only rearranged their roster, aside from parting ways with Sonny Gray and Jorge Polanco in the offseason. But with heartthrobs like Joe Ryan pitching and a healthy Byron Buxton, the team might be able to contend this season.
Here’s what we talked about in this episode:

What’s new in Minnesota?

The Twinkies are second-to-last, in front of the White Sox

Everyone is injured and bats are cold (wait, that sounds familiar)

Grading the offseason

Confidence going into 2024

Pitching matchups

Threats, fears, and keys to winning a series

Byron Buxton is pain-free and feeling good

Predictions for 2024

Hot Twins takes

You can find Ben on Twitter and follow his writing on Twinkie Town or podcast Twins Talk.
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