There’s a long way to go before Kyle Teel can say he’s mastered the major leagues.
But the White Sox’ rookie catcher has hit the ground running since his promotion early this month.
One of his biggest moments yet came Sunday, as he smacked a two-out, two-run double as part of a four-run seventh inning that put the Sox in front of the Giants and proved the game-winning hit in a 5-2 victory.
“Kyle was ready to go,” manager Will Venable said. “He got a pitch and didn’t miss it.”
Teel hit well at Triple-A Charlotte to earn a promotion, with a .295 batting average and eight homers in 50 games, and he’s got some good numbers in his first taste of the big leagues, too. After three hits Sunday, he’s batting .319 with an .825 OPS.
Sunday was his second three-hit game in his last three contests. He’s on a hot streak, with eight hits, including three doubles, in his last 15 at-bats.
“The pitchers at this level are really good,” Teel said. “There’s definitely adjustments I had to make and adjustments that I’m going to continue to make. This is a game of adjustments. It’s just sticking to the process every single day.”
Of course, hitting is just one part of Teel’s gig. Being a catcher comes with a lot more to study than the normal position player.
Teel – the highest rated of the prospects Chris Getz netted in December’s Garrett Crochet trade – and fellow backstop Edgar Quero give the Sox an all-rookie catching tandem, atypical in the major leagues.
But the duo – both guys are considered important parts of the rebuilding franchise’s long-term future – is earning plenty of plaudits for how its handling a crash course in catching at the game’s highest level.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said Sunday. “It’s a lot. I’m not going to sit here and lie and say when you have two rookie catchers that it’s – it’s a lot easier when you have a veteran guy. He has the experience behind there, he remembers how he got certain guys out. That goes a long way. And it’s really helpful to a pitching staff.
“You have two rookies, where they’re learning and they’re trying to learn our pitchers. And quite honestly, it’s been really tough because we’ve had a lot of new pitchers show up lately, so getting them onboarded with that. But they’ve done an unbelievable job.
“Kyle just got here, but he’s really starting to understand things a little bit better with our guys. … It’s not an easy process for these guys. There’s a lot being thrown at them, and they’ve done a great job trying to navigate through this.”
That’s being echoed by the hurlers themselves.
Righty reliever Mike Vasil was dropped into the eighth inning of Sunday’s game with the bases loaded and induced a jam-escaping double-play that fired Teel up behind the plate.
“He’s been great,” Vasil said. “Every time I’ve thrown to him, he’s just getting better and better and learning pitchers’ strengths. … He’s listening. He’s communicating. He’s sharing his thoughts, and that’s really important.”
Catching well. Hitting well. And doing it all before his first month in the majors is up?
If this is just the beginning for Teel, then there’s reason to believe that Getz’s rebuild could feature some bright days ahead.
“Winning is so fun,” Teel said. “I love celebrating wins.”
Read more on Chicago Sun-Times
