Team Tuesdays: Charleston Yellow Sox
The season is winding down but that doesn't mean we can't bring back an old column from back in the day. That's right! Team Tuesdays is back! We will start with the Charleston Yellow Sox. The team is currently in first place with an 11-5 record and +34 run differential. To say that this was not the team that was predicted to be leading the standings prior to the season kicking off, would be an understatement. But the 2023 season has been full of surprises and the Sox leading the pack is not the biggest one.
The team is managed by Josh Smith, who also founded the team. Smith famously notoriously stepped down from the league commissioner role at the end of the 2015 season and last captained a team the following year in 2016 (Make Wiffle Great Again). Since then, Smith has kept his focus solely on playing and not on any type of leadership (with the exception of rejoining the league committee in 2018). As a player, Smith is historically known as a junk ball pitcher who can throw a hard slider and a consistent hitter at the plate with some power. Smith has continued to improve at the plate this year and is in the top five in nearly all offensive categories thus far in 2023 (.571, 11 HR, 19 RBI, 13 BB & 2.030 OPS). However, his performance on the mound has noticeably suffered and he is still searching for his first win of the season (0-2, 7 IP, 2K, 2BB, 13.57 ERA & 3.57 WHIP). Smith is nearing the 100 career HR milestone (currently at 79) and once there, will be only the third player in the league to reach triple digit career home runs.
When the team announced the signing of Rick Patterson, there was some concern due to his ankle injury - but his well documented history as a phenomenal hitter and promising recovery timeline for his injury made him a solid acquisition (his banter in the clubhouse doesn't hurt either). Patterson quickly showed promise as a pitcher during Spring Training and he's continued to improve throughout the 2023 season on the mound (1-1, 8 IP, 10K, 7 BB, 8.75 ERA & 1.37 WHIP). He's also proven to be an incredibly reliable outfielder as well when he's not on the mound. Where he's excelled on the mound (throwing a no-hitter June 10th), he's dropped off with power at the plate but has remained a consistent hitter (.379, 3 HR, 4 RBI & 1.109 OPS) proving to be an all-around player.
Anthony Stidham was the team's first signing after forming and it was not mystery why. Stidham is a long ball hitting machine (hitting 26 HRs in his last season in 2018) and someone who can hit the board while on the mound. The main obstacle for Stidham this year is being available to play with his busy schedule. He was finally able to make it to games for both June series and quickly got to work putting the bat on the ball but in a way we're not used to seeing... hitting for average vs power. Currently, Stidham is hitting .478, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB & 1.499 OBP and is sure to only elevate those numbers. He's been making more noise on the mound. In just three starts, he's only given up 3 runs. He threw a one-hit shut out and a perfect game (the first perfect game thrown in our league since 2016) and he's leading the league in ERA (1.15) & WHIP (0,46).
When we brought the league back, there was a "wish list" of players from the old days we were wanting to have back. Near the top of that list was Steven Adkins. He is a player known as a fireball hurler on the mound, tape measure bomb hitter at the plate and someone you want on the bench since he's a good time. He was a natural choice for the Sox and he's continued to improve and produce on both sides of the plate after some initial struggles (mainly on the mound). After an initial rough start on the mound, he's rallied to a 2-2 record with a 2.21 WHIP and he continues to improve. At the plate, he's going strong at .375, 10 HR, 18 RBI & 1.400 OPS and in the top 25 percentile in most notable offensive stats across the league.
There are some new players in the league but few are making a case for Rookie of the Year. One that may make the grade is Noah Patterson. If the last name doesn't already make it obvious, this is Rick Patterson's son and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree in regard to his talent on the field. He can hit, is a phenomenal fielder and can presumably pitch (although that has yet to be tested) - so it's no surprise that he received a Division I scholarship to play football given his athletic gifts. Currently, Patterson is hitting .480, 3 HR, 9 RBI & 1.416 and is showing vast improvement with each showing and he continues to become more of an asset to the roster.
Overall, the Charleston Yellow Sox came into the year with a lot of recognizable names and the expectation of power hitting and more dominant pitching performances by certain players. But what has happened is that the team has traded volatility for reliability and power for consistency - this is most obvious in their roster attendance as the regularly seem to have four or more players present per series. This is a team that enjoys each other's company, chats online often between games and goes out to eat as a team once the games have concluded. The regular season is drawing near its closing and they currently hold a 2-game lead on first place over the Huntington Aces (who have a 9-7 record). Will the consistency the Sox have found thus far this year be enough to keep them on the top? The final series of the regular season comes July 8 so the question will not linger long...
