MINNEAPOLIS — Brooks Baldwin is a center fielder, as he was during the White Sox 12-3 victory over the Twins on Tuesday at Target Field. Baldwin is a third baseman. He’s also a right fielder, left fielder, shortstop, second baseman and would probably be the team’s fourth catcher if it ever reached that point.
But the switch-hitter also has executed something offensively that’s tough to do in-season – make meaningful changes to approach and technique and have them work immediately. Baldwin showed off those changes yet again with three hits against the Twins, as the White Sox (51-88) won for a third straight time and won a third straight game at Target Field (dating back to April 24) for the first time since 2021.
Over his last 16 games, Baldwin is hitting .347. Over his last 27, Baldwin is hitting .313.
“It’s hard to adjust in season, but sometimes you have to do it when things aren’t going the right way,” Baldwin told MLB.com. “I made the choice to change and stick with it and go with it the rest of the year, and it’s done well.
“Just like the approach wise and kind of stance at the plate, spread out and get a little wider and shorten everything up a little bit and stay to the opposite field. It’s not really like I’m trying to hit everything to left field or left-center, but mentally I’m trying to stay on the ball that way. And then if it presents itself to pull it, you can still pull it.”
Baldwin accomplished said mission in the sixth with a run-scoring single to left to increase the White Sox lead to 5-3. In Monday afternoon’s victory, Baldwin pulled the ball twice for extra-base hits, including a game-tying double in the eighth.
Baldwin’s offensive showing played a part in the White Sox 13-hit attack, as they scored 11 runs from the fifth through the eighth to erase a 3-1 deficit after four innings. Andrew Benintendi knocked out four hits, homering in the second and the eighth, while driving in five runs.
Kyle Teel and Lenyn Sosa went back-to-back in the seventh against Thomas Hatch, as the White Sox have hit 66 home runs in 42 games since the All-Star break to go with a 19-23 record overall.
“Guys have committed to being on time and are making good swing decisions, putting them in really good spots to drive the ball,” said White Sox manager Will Venable of his team having the fifth-most homers in baseball in the second half. “Obviously Colson [Montgomery] has been hitting his homers, but it’s come from a lot of different spots.”
“That’s a quick way to score runs,” said Benintendi, who has 17 home runs this season and 10 career multihomer games. “We’re a pretty streaky team. We kind of get going and then just pass the baton to the next guy. Showed that tonight. It’s been like that I feel for most of the second half. Up and down the lineup, everyone’s been producing.”
Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson walked Baldwin on four pitches, then Baldwin moved to third on the pitcher’s throwing error off Will Robertson’s broken-bat grounder back to the mound. Bryan Ramos, who joined the team from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday, followed with a double off the right-center-field wall to score both on his first hit of the season.
Hatch gave up the lead with two outs in the sixth, as Benintendi and Baldwin each singled home a run. Benintendi is under contract for two more seasons at $31 million total, but for Baldwin, this time serves as a proving ground to show how he fits in 2026 and beyond when the White Sox are looking to be far more competitive.
“I’m just kind of trying to stick myself in there and show what I’ve got,” Baldwin said. “Hopefully I’ve shown enough to where I can be considered for a position for a long time.”
“He’s been doing really well. It’s just learning,” said Benintendi of Baldwin, who produced his 11th multihit game of ‘25. “The longer you play, the more you’re going to learn. Just barreling up balls, he hits the ball super hard. Very athletic, obviously a switch-hitter. He’s dangerous in the box.”
Davis Martin (6-9) gave up three runs on six hits over six innings, striking out four, walking three and benefitting from the latest offensive outburst.
“I think of it like a [football] offense,” Martin said. “You get a big stop on a defensive play and your offense goes out and throws an 80-yard bomb. Everyone gets fired up. It’s exciting. You are doing your job and they are doing their job. Just doing it together and having fun.”
