One of the biggest questions on the minds of White Sox fans these days is why Tim Elko is slugging home runs in the minors instead of hitting in the middle of the major-league lineup.
‘‘Birmingham’s not a very hitter-friendly park,’’ Sox utility player Brooks Baldwin, who played with Elko in Double-A last season, told the Sun-Times on Friday, ‘‘and I saw him hit some balls that I haven’t seen hit that hard ever.’’
Sounds like something the Sox could use.
But Elko remained in Triple-A Charlotte gear during a media session Friday spurred by his election as the Sox’ minor-league player of the month. That vote was an easy one, considering Elko’s ridiculous offensive numbers at Triple-A: a .357/.434/.704 slash line to go with 10 homers in his first 27 games.
Meanwhile, Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn is struggling mightily, with a .162/.208/.265 slash line and only three homers after a 7-3 victory against the Astros. Considering it’s a further slide for Vaughn in terms of production after he was basically a league-average hitter in 2023 and 2024, Sox fans itching for some hope are wondering:
Why not Elko? And why not now?
‘‘Whenever that opportunity arises, I’ll be ready,’’ Elko said. ‘‘But right now I’m just trying to focus on where my feet are and not look ahead too much. Just try to continue to perfect my craft and be the best player I can.
‘‘I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m just focusing on where I am right now, on continuing to try to be the best that I can. So when I get my opportunity, I can perform.’’
Elko was perhaps never supposed to factor much into the Sox’ plans. He starred in college for an Ole Miss team that won the NCAA championship in 2022, but he was only a 10th-round draft pick of the Sox that summer. Plus, the Sox already had a first baseman in Vaughn, who carried franchise-cornerstone expectations as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Elko, however, has kept mashing, making it more and more difficult for the Sox to keep him in the minors.
Given the Sox aren’t expected to contend this season, there’s little rush to move anyone up ahead of schedule. But as general manager Chris Getz & Co. continue to remake the organization, they might find Elko helpful as they construct a culture from the ground up.
‘‘He’s a really good baseball player,’’ Baldwin said. ‘‘But off the field, he’s an even better person. It’s somebody you like to have in a clubhouse every day.
‘‘He’s got the nickname ‘Captain’ for a reason. And he was like that in college. I talked to some of his college teammates, and they said he’s been the same way ever since they started playing with him in college.’’
Building for the future is everything for these Sox. So far, that has included a lot more behind-the-scenes changes than on-field ones, with the big-league team’s win-loss record still ugly.
In the minors, however, the results of that work is perhaps a little easier to see. Elko and his teammates are living it.
‘‘We are having a lot of fun down here,’’ Elko said. ‘‘We have a great group of guys, not only here at Charlotte, but there are great guys at the other levels, as well. We are having fun here trying to win some games. We mesh well together. We have a good time. A big part of is culture, and I think we are building a great culture throughout the minors and the big leagues, as well.
‘‘It’s just fun to play together and just to be able to compete every night with some of your best friends. It makes a big difference. It makes [winning] a lot more fun.’’