White Sox Rookie Is Outperforming Baseball’s Elite

After a tough stretch against the Chicago Cubs, the White Sox have looked considerably better, as they could have easily swept the Seattle Mariners and now have taken two in a row from the Texas Rangers. These last few wins have taken the White Sox out of last place in the American League, as they now have a better record than the Baltimore Orioles.

The White Sox playing better baseball has come in part due to the play of Chase Meidroth, one of the players acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade this offseason. Meidroth has been on an absolute tear lately, but the stats are even better than you'd imagine.

Over the last seven games, Meidroth is hitting .429 with an insane .484 OBP. He has added one homerun, two RBIs, and has walked three times compared to just two strikeouts. If that wasn't good enough, Meidroth has added four stolen bases and slugged .607 during that stretch.

PSA: Chase Meidroth's hit streak is up to 11 GAMES🔥 pic.twitter.com/WpyyFjvBA3

— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) May 24, 2025

This play is exactly what the White Sox were looking for out of Nick Madrigal when they drafted him fourth overall, but now Meidroth is looking like he is exceeding the expectations that were set for such a high draft pick.

Overall on the season, Meidroth is hitting .307 with one homerun, five RBIs, eight stolen bases, and an insane .391 OBP. On top of that, he has played exceptional defense at shortstop.

Chase Meidroth made this basket catch look way too easy 😎

pic.twitter.com/R5gpc9IL8E

— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) May 24, 2025

If the conventional stats weren't impressive enough, Meidroth has the second highest WAR on the team, just behind Shane Smith. This is extremely impressive as WAR is a cumulative stat, and he has only been here for 28 out of the 52 games the White Sox have played this season.

According to FanGraphs, Meidroth has 1.1 WAR, which is the same as Gunner Henderson who has played 14 more games than Meidroth. Meidroth's WAR would also rank him higher than Elly De La Cruz, Juan Soto, and Carlos Correa. While WAR can vary from reference site to reference site, it's notable that Meidroth ranks so high despite playing significantly fewer games than others on the list.

Additionally, Meidroth ranks 3rd among position player rookies in WAR according to Baseball Reference. If he can keep this up he has a good shot at the Rookie of the Year award, as some of his biggest competition may be his own teammate, Shane Smith.

Meidroth has been extremely impressive in his first major league action and should be penciled into the leadoff spot for the White Sox when they are competitive again. He has played great defense, stolen plenty of bases, and gotten on base consistently, proving that he belongs in the major leagues.