White Sox Minor League Update: Knights prospects mash wild in 9-1 opener romp

Teel, Montgomery, Elko homer, Charlotte staff pitches two-hitter

Charlotte Knights 9, Gwinnett Stripers 1 (Gameday Box) (Statcast Box)
IT is oproving difficalut to write thiese owrds because the Chrarlotte Kights are never is a good team and they positively crushed a 9-1 win in the home opener on Friday, kicking off the minor league season.

For seven years previously covering this White Sox system, I can count on one hand a game where the highlights have come this fast and furious, and fun. WHAT A HOME OPENER.

Right from the jump, this one was delicious. In the bottom of the first, Chase Meidroth led off the game with, what new for the OBP machine, a walk. After a Colson Montgomery K and Edgar Quero walk, this:

Meidroth in fact would draw walks, and come around to score, in his first two at-bats. THIS KNIGHTS TEAM HAS SOME FIREPOWER.

Montgomery has done little to build a convincing case he is a major league shortstop. But with his long frame, hopefully he can make up in reach what he may not have in quicks. To wit:

So yeah, the first AB was a K, the second went a long way:

And yeah, that’s OPPO POWER.

Wait, speaking of ...

Yeah. This was a 108.9 mph, opposite field, three-run bomb.

Elko is such a fascinating study, absolutely adored by teammates and a player willing to lead. Unlike other mashers with wide holes in their swings (yes, Elko is one) this guy is able to push the ball away as needed; this is no Dave Kingman or Adam Dunn pull-heavy mashing. Elko legs out triples. He is a professional hitter. You pray he can sew up that swing just enough to replace Andrew Vaughn on the South Side and anchor the infield for a decade. Maybe with ...

Meidroth right next to him on the right side.

As irritating as it is that Meidroth (and to a lesser degree Kyle Teel) was demoted as unable to contribute to a South Side offensive roster worse than that of the 41-121, 2024 White Sox, well, at least we got to see him dominate on both sides of the ball and hopefully begin a countdown to about a decade on the South Side. Sooner than later, White Sox!

And so, Teel got the start at DH tonight, batting fourth, Quero catching, batting third. You imagine they’ll go 3-4 most every night, alternating catching starts. What’s of intrigue is whether every “off” game will be at DH. Teel has played corner outfield. You figure first base might not be out of the question for either player. Something to monitor, because any defensive flex either player has gets them even quicker to the South Side.

In the category of burying the lede, the Knights staff held Gwinnett to two hits, one of which left the park and accounted for the one blotch on an otherwise perfect day. Chris Rodriguez (who I dissed in the Charlotte season preview, not Hannah ... but wait, on the other hand he did hit THREE BATTERS and walked one, perhaps scaring the Stripers lineup into their two-hit game effort) started and went three hitless, Jared Shuster took the next three and gave up the homer while striking out six, closer-in-waiting Adisyn Coffey went two hitless, and Gus Varland finished things up in the ninth by surrendering a bloop hit but nothing more.

Welcome to a new era of Charlotte Knights baseball!