3 Takeaways From White Sox Series Against Twins

Brooks Baldwin, Andrew Benintendi and White Sox starting pitchers all had notable performances in the midweek series against the Twins.

Jack Ankony | Apr 3, 2025

Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable (1) with shortstop Brooks Baldwin (27) against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago White Sox

CHICAGO – The White Sox are off to a 2-4 start in their first season under manager Will Venable after wrapping up a cold and rainy midweek series against the Minnesota Twins at Rate Field.

The club entered the 2025 season projected to finish last in the AL Central for a second straight year, clearly sill in rebuilding mode after losing 121 games last season. But with plenty of new faces, they're turning the page and focused on the present.

The Twins took two of three games from the White Sox this week, winning 6-1 on Wednesday and 8-3 on Tuesday after a 9-0 loss on Monday. Next up is a three-game set in Detroit, beginning Friday at 1:10 p.m. ET at Comerica Park.

With the caveat that it's still extremely early in the 162-game season, here are three takeaways from the White Sox series against the Twins.

1. Brooks Baldwin showing signs of development

Baldwin got a taste of the big leagues toward the end of the 2024 season, playing 33 total games at second base and shortstop. He posted a .211 batting average and .566 OPS with two home runs, eight RBI and four stolen bases. Perhaps the most concerning stat was Baldwin's 25.6 strikeout percentage compared to a 5.0 walk percentage.

But six games into the 2025 season – still a very small sample size – Baldwin appears to have made strides with his plate discipline. He's 5-for-14, good for a .357 batting average, the second most hits on the team and just two strikeouts. The 24-year-old hit his first home run of the season Wednesday off of an 85 mile-per-hour, first-pitch changeup from Pablo Lopez, his lone earned run in seven innings.

"I like to be on go from pitch one and just 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."

Brooks Baldwin goes yard! pic.twitter.com/BYtqqBFGiD
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 2, 2025

Baldwin has also provided some defensive versatility for the White Sox, appearing at shortstop, second base, third base and right field. Venable is working with Baldwin to take advantage of his aggrssive approach but also be smart at the plate.

"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. "

2. Andrew Benintendi off to hot start

Benintendi missed a chunk of spring training after being hit by pitch on Feb. 27 and suffering a nondisplaced fracture in his right hand, but that hasn't affected him early on. The 10-year MLB veteran has a team-high seven hits spread across five of the first six games.

Benintendi said he usually gets off to slow starts, which was the case last year as he went 3-for-33 to begin the season and didn't reach the seven-hit mark until the 11th game. But through two series in 2025, he leads the team with six RBI and is tied with Nick Maton with a pair of home runs.

"I feel pretty good," Benintendi said. "I think that, all things considered, it’s going pretty well. I know I'll have to sprinkle in a single every once in a while because you can’t rely on the homer. I’m hitting the ball hard, but a few balls hit hard for outs."

3. Martín Pérez, Shane Smith strong in White Sox debuts

White Sox starters set a high bar in the first series, combining for 17 innings without allowing an earned run. But in Monday's series opener against the Twins, 14-year MLB veteran Martín Pérez logged the best outing of them all.

After retiring the game's first 11 batters, he tossed six no-hit innings with nine strikeouts and three walks in the 9-0 win. The 34-year-old may be past his prime from a velocity standpoint, but he's learned other ways to work around hitters from his 1,500-plus innings in the big leagues.

"It doesn’t matter how hard you throw. It’s where you are going to throw the ball, how you move the ball and change their balance and keep them," Pérez, who signed a one-year deal in January, said. "... Timing is really good as a pitcher. Today was great for me, and overall everything was good."

Shane Smith followed Pérez on Tuesday, which marked his MLB debut. An impressive showing in spring training earned Smith a spot in the rotation after being acquired in the Rule 5 Draft, and he proved he was worthy of that in his first outing.

Shane Smith, Disgusting 92mph Changeup. 🤮

1st MLB K. And absolutely filthy. pic.twitter.com/qnzhKYLZLD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 1, 2025

Smith cruised through five innings, striking out batters with a nasty changeup, slider and fastball. But his fastball velocity fell from 97 miles per hour to the low 90s in the sixth, and he lost control with two walks to begin the inning.

The White Sox streak ended at 28 innings without an earned run from a starting pitcher to begin the season, the fourth longest streak since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913. But it was still an impressive debut for Smith, one of five White Sox starters who were sharp in their first time through the rotation.

"It just builds confidence in what our plan is and what [pitching coach Ethan] Katz and [bullpen coach Matt] Wise are telling us," Smith said. "If you go out and execute, good things are going to happen. They showed that."

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