Brooks Baldwin’s aggressive mindset paid off.
The White Sox’ utility player settled into the batter’s box, saw a pitch he liked and pounced for a first-pitch homer, his first of the season in the Sox’ 6-1 loss to the Twins on Wednesday.
Baldwin has been one of the early standouts for the White Sox with his versatility in the field and his bat. Baldwin noticed that Twins starter Pablo Lopez loves to attack the strike zone and had thrown him a changeup in his second at-bat, so he was ready to pounce.
“Going up there for the third at-bat, he’s a guy that likes to get in the strike zone early, so I was kind of sitting on a changeup there to start,” Baldwin said. “So [I] got one elevated over the heart of the plate, put a good swing on it.”
In the third inning of Tuesday’s 8-3 loss, Baldwin made an impressive catch on a high throw by first baseman Andrew Vaughn and made a strong throw back to Vaughn for the double play. His high baseball IQ ensured he was in the right spot to make the out at second base.
“Just anticipating and being just there in case,” Baldwin said. “I ended up being needed, so it’s kind of just more instincts than anything. Just let the play develop and see what needs to happen.”
Baldwin’s ability to play third base, shortstop, and outfield gives the Sox some flexibility in their lineup configurations.
“When you talk to him, he’s just very even-keeled,” manager Will Venable said Wednesday. “That’s a really good personality trait that fits what we’re asking him to do. He’s not going to get too high, not going to get too low, he’s not going to overthink where we’re putting him. He just wants to go out and play.”
Baldwin has had a blistering start at the plate, batting .357/.333/.571 with four hits in four games played. That stat line is completely unsustainable and due for regression, but there are signs that Baldwin is learning to control the strike zone better, which Venable is the next step in his evolution as a hitter.
“He’s a swinger,” Venable said. “He likes to be aggressive on a 2-0 count, making sure it’s the pitch he wants to go on and not being predetermined with his swings. And that’s a fine line, right? It’s in his DNA to be aggressive and you don’t want to take that away from him.
“At the same time, to be a successful big-league hitter, you have to control the zone. We’re seeing that a little bit and hoping that continues.”
It’s a tricky balancing act for the Sox and Venable. They don’t want to tame Baldwin’s aggressive mindset; it’s what got him into the majors. But it’s about ensuring Baldwin makes the right swing decisions and attacks the right pitches, which comes with experience and at-bats.
Baldwin has struck out at a low rate this season, a credit to his ability to get his bat on balls. Because of his defensive versatility and his bat, Baldwin has become a key part of the Sox’ roster. He gives the team a contact bat, which it lacks.
“I like to be on go from pitch one so I don’t miss that first pitch if it’s something I like to hit,” Baldwin said. “I can be over-aggressive at times, but I’ve been working on trying to get better pitches to hit early in the count. So I think it’s been working pretty good so far.”