White Sox' Curtis Mead encouraged after 'eventful' spring with roster cuts looming

SURPRISE, Ariz. — It’s been a busy spring for White Sox third baseman Curtis Mead.

He entered his first spring training with the White Sox, where he had to acclimate to new hitting coach Derek Shomon and play for Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic.

“It's been an eventful one, that's for sure,” Mead said Sunday. “I was really proud to go away and play for my country, but it made spring a little bit interrupted.”

Mead returned to Arizona this week after Australia went 2-2 in pool play and lost the tiebreaker. He was productive in the WBC, batting 5-for-14 with three RBIs in four games. He said the atmosphere at the Tokyo Dome was memorable.

“We had about two sections full,” he said of the fan support. “ It was interesting. [In the] Japan game, every time we would get out of a jam or have a couple of hits, the two sections above our dugout were going crazy, and the rest of the stadium was pretty quiet. And when they took the lead in the sixth or seventh, everyone was standing except for those two sections.

“The cool thing about those games is if the team wins, that’s all that really matters. It was super special to have a pretty successful tournament by our standards. It’s disappointing to come up a little bit short, but it was definitely a memorable experience.”

Playing for his country imbued Mead with a level of confidence in his performance and body, having already played five nine-inning games. Mead, who the Sox acquired at the trade deadline from the Rays in the Adrian Houser trade, is battling for a roster spot. He’s out of options, so he would have to be put on waivers to go to the minors.

Since joining the Sox, the organization has focused on getting Mead to unlock his power in-game. A former top-100 prospect, Mead is similar to Miguel Vargas when he was acquired by the club in 2024. Both showed glimpses of extra-base power but had yet to sustain it at the major-league level. Vargas turned the corner in May last season after a mechanical change that allowed him to be more on time at the plate — he hit 16 homers and 32 doubles last season.

Now, with the help of assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan and hitting coach Derek Shomon, Mead is working on his launch angle to avoid hitting too many groundballs. He already changed his stance last season to be more upright at the plate to allow him to get his ‘A’ swing off more consistently.

“I lift the ball naturally, but it's about being efficient and getting to the contact point I want,” Mead said. “The environment [McKeithan Shomon] built in the cage has been really good. Sometimes it's challenging to get guys in there and work on their swing, but I think those two make it a good environment to work.”

Over six Cactus League games, Mead is batting .263/.263/.474 with one double and a homer.

“He’s been great,” manager Will Venable said. “ Watching Curtis last year, you watch him in BP, and you know the power that’s in there. He just didn’t really get to it in games last year. Coming into this year, [I was] hoping that you see some of the pop come out, and it has.”

After stepping up in games that are more stressful than games at Camelback Ranch, Mead isn’t too concerned with the looming roster decision.

”I just put my best foot forward and see what happens,” Mead said.