Thursday, June 18

CHICAGO – Almost every Major League Baseball fan base believes its team deserves more All-Star representatives than it ultimately receives. 

In the case of the 2026 White Sox support system, their arguments seem valid. 

Here’s a look at some of those South Side All-Star candidates, with results mixed in from the first round of fan voting released on Monday. 

MIGUEL VARGAS, 3B 

Let’s look at the 26-year-old for what he is now — the best player on a playoff team as of June 17, and quite possibly the AL’s best third baseman. With 329,208 votes, Vargas still ranked behind the Rays' Junior Caminero (625,520) and Toronto's Kazuma Okamoto (556,172) in Monday’s tabulations. 

The right-handed hitter has a career-best .853 OPS with 16 homers, 44 RBIs, 11 doubles, and 10 stolen bases. He’s also playing exceptional defense.  

“To be very truthful with you, I’m not surprised,” said White Sox hitting coach Derek Shomon of Vargas. “This is every bit of what L.A. believed him to be and what the White Sox believed him to be when acquiring him. It’s ... cool to see it show up on a consistent basis. When he is in a rut, he doesn’t stay in a rut long.” 

Vargas also has become a primary and often humorous voice of this young, exciting team.  

When asked Saturday about a reason for the effectiveness of the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his near perfect game, Vargas smiled and said, “He’s Yamamoto.” When asked about the Rate Field crowd support Friday, Vargas explained how an umpire even pointed out the renewed frenzy. 

“Yeah, the umpire,” Vargas said. “He comes up to me and said, ‘Oh, this is how it used to be every day.’ When you hear this type of stuff, it’s so important for us and we take pride for that too.” 

MUNETAKA MURAKAMI, 1B 

People wonder whether Murakami will take part in the Home Run Derby or be voted in by the fans at first base after launching 20 home runs as part of this rejuvenated crew. He sits third at first with 437,107 votes, trailing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (603,014) and Ben Rice (509,830). 

All-Star recognition would be a deserved bonus for an impact player who didn’t receive the expected attention as a free agent coming from Japan this past offseason. But his focus has been on the White Sox winning, and that focus won’t change as Murakami works his way back from a right hamstring strain expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks. 

CHASE MEIDROTH, 2B 

That White Sox grit and energy are defined on a daily basis by Meidroth, who has been on base in 23 of the last 25 games played entering Wednesday. He’s shown more power this season via a career-high six homers and 25 RBIs in 69 games. 

“He’s just becoming a more mature hitter at the Major League level,” Shomon said. “So, what he’s asking now is probably different than what he was asking a year ago. 

“You start asking better questions and you start preparing better. And I think a lot of that, outside of the physical stuff, outside of the swing, that’s been a big part of it for him.” 

Meidroth ranks 8th at second with 122,213 votes. 

COLSON MONTGOMERY, SS

Since joining the White Sox on July 4, 2015, Montgomery has 38 homers and an .818 OPS over 139 games. He sits fourth among shortstops with 176,673 votes. But behind Bobby Witt Jr., who leads the AL voting at this position, Montgomery is the most complete shortstop of the group. 

TRISTAN PETERS, OF

The 26-year-old, left-handed-hitting rookie didn’t make the Top 20 among AL outfielders in the first round of voting. His .802 OPS, 20 extra-base hits and exceptional defense in center make him a worthy candidate. 

“A lot of credit to TP for the work that he’s done,” Shomon said. “Every time he goes up to hit, you know it’s going to be a good at-bat, a lengthy at-bat and likely ending with something on the barrel. 

“It’s a fairly big engine in that wiry body of his. Credit to him and the work he’s done. It’s been fun.” 

DAVIS MARTIN, RHP

Pitchers don’t get voted in by fans, but there’s a strong chance Martin represents the White Sox as part of the All-Star staff with a career-high 9 wins, 3.31 ERA and a 178 ERA+. Kudos to bullpen forces Grant Taylor, Sean Newcomb, and Bryan Hudson, who have had great seasons, frequently dominant. But there’s only so much room on an All-Star squad, even for these worthy candidates.

It will be a Barfield family affair on June 19 during the third edition of the East-West Classic, a tribute to the Negro Leagues All-Star Games held from 1933-1962. It takes place at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, which is the home city of the White Sox Double-A affiliate.

Jesse Barfield will manage Team West. Josh Barfield, Jesse’s son and a current assistant general manager for the White Sox, will play for Team East. They'll be managed by Jerry Hairston Sr., who played 14 seasons and was a coach for seven years within the White Sox system. General admission tickets are available for $12 at mlb.com/eastwestclassic.  

Look for more on this special father/son combination from Monday’s story and in my Saturday newsletter.

• With FOX picking up the broadcast of the Saturday, Aug. 8 game between the White Sox and Guardians at Rate Field, analyst A.J. Pierzynski should be in attendance when Ozzie Guillen, his former manager, gets his jersey No. 13 retired. Let’s hope they are paired on the broadcast together for at least one inning. That combination would be must-watch TV.  

• "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" is celebrating its 40-year anniversary, so I asked on social media for other great Chicago-based movies. From the plethora of responses, I really gravitated toward "The Fugitive," "About Last Night," "Only the Lonely," and "The Blues Brothers," of course. 

• Many thanks to the HOGS (known as Happy Old Guys) of Buffalo Grove for having me at their group lunch meeting last Wednesday. We had great White Sox and sports talk overall. It was an honor to follow some of the distinguished featured speakers before me. 

“Every game we think we can come back. Definitely not every game we do it. When we have that type of mentality, a lot of times something good happens.” – Vargas 

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