Put It On The Board: Matt Davidson Can Be The Guy The White Sox Need

When you look at the current roster of the White Sox, it’s obvious that 75% of these guys are out of here in the coming years. Anyone currently following the team through the doldrums of the rebuild would be remiss to say maybe ten players, out of the current squad taking the field, will probably be suiting up for the Pale Hose next season. With an educated guess of who’d be sticking around for the long term, during the rewarding, and hopefully trophy lifting part of the grind, stats would tell us to expect: Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada, and Tim Anderson. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are making strong cases for their spots in the starting rotation; however, Giolito has had his share of ups and downs. Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez are all killing it down in the minors and are to be expected up after the break. These are all of the givens, the stuff we could count on at the beginning of the season. While his 2017 was a step in the right direction, Opening Day was somewhat of a coming out party for Matt Davidson as he cranked three home runs against the Kansas City Royals. The once forgotten prospect has finally emerged as the player White Sox brass can potentially plan around and hopefully see as a potential marquee player of the future. Considering Davidson almost quit after a major train wreck in the minors, with many whispering this guy who once had a sky-high ceiling, was a bust, Davidson is out for revenge. Sitting at 11 home runs and a 50% hitting average due to his improved patience, Davidson is becoming the slugger many thought he could evolve into. Last year Davidson had a respectable 26 home runs, but also struck out more times than an Incel at a cuddle party. Davidson whiffed 165 times and had only 19 walks. So, Davidson got back in the cage and figured his shit out. He laid off garbage pitches and stopped chasing out of the zone. He learned patience and knew this was his shot, that suiting up for the White Sox would make or break him. Hooking up with former Captain Paul Konerko’s hitting guru Mike Gellinger, didn’t hurt, either. Davidson hasn’t let his team down and has mashed the ball like an aged slugger with the swagger the South Side hasn’t seen since Jim Thome was launching them into the seats on a weekly basis. Considering Davidson’s numbers right now are some of the best in the league, he has to work really hard to screw up his All-Star Game debut – The White Sox have to send someone, so why not Matt? He leads the Sox in slugging percentage (.553), RBI (25), home runs (11), and on-base percentage (.367). Any DH in the Major's would love to have those numbers, and a few big money guys, don't. One of the best things about Matt Davidson is that he’s a dude you want to root for. He’s got that “thing” that Mark Buehrle had, the ability to keep the game, his presence in it, in perspective. If you listen to the Untitled Podcast, which Davison hosts with White Sox announcer Jason Benneti, it’s apparent he’s not above the bullpen rally beer or sliding on the tarp. That’s what made the White Sox faithful fall in love with #56 – because of his reliability to a working class, Grabowski fan base who doesn’t suffer assholes wearing our colors. Davidson can be that guy, too. Some guys who get to play major league ball sniff their farts for so long that their breath like recycled hype. Davidson has the personality that’s realistic and grounded, which in the world of multi-million dollar douchebags is incredible. There’s a groundswell of support for Matt Davidson amongst White Sox fans. Of course, we want a dependable slugger who can murder the ball when they step into the box, but we also want a guy who’s battle tested and not full of shit. Luckily for us, we’ve got a guy who’s ready to prove he’s got that fatal combo.