DETROIT — The White Sox’ trade for center fielder Brenton Doyle on Aug. 3 had the potential to create tension in the team’s utopian clubhouse.
Incumbent center fielder Tristan Peters had a first half that put him in the All-Star Game, but he was having a rough start to the second half. Doyle had missed more than two months with an oblique injury, but his resume included two Gold Gloves with the Rockies.
Though the plan was to platoon them — Peters gets righties, Doyle lefties — Peters couldn’t be blamed for looking over his shoulder, wondering if the new guy might steal some playing time.
But that hasn’t been the case.
“It’s exciting seeing somebody come in,” Peters told the Sun-Times. “We’ve had a few because of the deadline. It’s exciting meeting new guys and seeing what they can do and how they can benefit the team, as well. Brenton is an incredible outfielder. It’s been fun playing the outfield with him, too.”
That last part has been interesting to see. Manager Will Venable has played Peters in left some with Doyle in center. Considering that center fielders’ job is to take charge in the outfield, they’ve worked on communicating when Peters plays left. That came in handy when Peters ran toward the gap and made a leaping catch at the wall against the Reds last week at Rate Field.
“There’s definitely times on balls in the gaps like that where you have two very athletic, fast outfielders that both could get to the ball,” Doyle told the Sun-Times. “Communication is very important. That’s something we work on when we practice. That play he had against the wall was a really good catch.”
Through that communication, Doyle and Peters have become chummy quickly.
“Tristan’s one of the guys that I’ve gotten closest to so far here,” Doyle said. “Tristan’s a very good center fielder. I don’t think there’s any bad blood being created with me playing center field. I haven’t gotten any hints of anything like that. Tristan’s a great guy. We just understand our roles.”
Doyle said he has felt welcomed since arriving and is enjoying the easygoing atmosphere in the clubhouse.
“A lot of good energy, a lot of good vibes,” he said. “They just make it easy to fit right in.”
Braden has strong series
Rookie Braden Montgomery had an impressive series against the Tigers, going 3-for-5 with three RBI on Friday, driving in a run with two outs Saturday and going 1-for-3 with a walk Sunday. Hitting coach Derek Shomon credited Montgomery for working through some rough stretches, as well as cutting back on his pregame work.
“Trim some fat on the routine side of things and limit the opportunity to get frustrated early in the day by overworking yourself,” Shomon said Sunday. “He’s done a really nice job of condensing it and grabbing what he needs pregame to feel like he’s most prepared. So he’s done an awesome job, and he’s certainly getting more acclimated at this level.”
Venable certainly agrees. Since the All-Star break, Montgomery has played every inning of every game except for his day off Aug. 2.
Sam turns to torpedo bat
Shomon said left-handed hitter Sam Antonacci has been using a torpedo bat against lefties to “put him in a better spot to get barrell to the baseball.”
Antonacci has been hitting better against lefties since the All-Star break, raising his batting average to .237. And Venable has been playing him more against lefties. In the Reds series last week, Antonacci started in both games against left-handers, batting eighth. He generally leads off against right-handers.
The impact that both Antonacci and Montgomery have had as rookies is notable.
“It speaks largely to the development chain,” Shomon said. “You look through the minor leagues and the things that are going on there with our player-development group, so kudos to them. And then the players’ commitment to that process that allows them to be successful when they get up here.”