Davidson still striking out, but he's impressing White Sox with pure power

On the first two rounds of last week's amateur draft, the Chicago White Sox selected Jake Burger, a right-handed power hitter with a low strikeout rate, and Gavin Sheets, a left-handed power hitter with a low strikeout rate.

"They fit exactly what (general manager) Rick (Hahn) has laid out," said Nick Hostetler, the Sox's director of amateur scouting. "One of my jobs is to follow the direction the GM lays out for the organization, and one of the things is to get guys that get on base, guys that hit home runs, drive in runs but also don't swing and miss much.

"Getting on base is key to the game, and when you can hit the ball out of the ballpark, it's a good added plus for both players."

As a junior at Missouri State this season, Burger ranked seventh in NCAA Division I baseball with 22 home runs. As a junior at Wake Forest, Sheets ranked eighth with 21 homers.

Sluggers are known for taking big swings and missing the baseball, but Burger struck out only 38 times in 247 at-bats and Sheets struck out 34 times in 230.

It is very fair to say the White Sox finally learned a lesson after using recent high draft picks on strikeout-prone hitters such as Jared Mitchell, Keenyn Walker and Courtney Hawkins.

Matt Davidson was the Arizona Diamondbacks' supplemental first-round pick (No. 35 overall) in 2009, and he was traded to the Sox for closer Addison Reed before the 2014 season.

A powerful hitter, Davidson's inability to make consistent contact left him stranded at Class AAA Charlotte in 2014-15, and he led the International League in strikeouts both seasons.

Just when it looked like he had no future with the White Sox, Davidson adjusted.

"I made some swing changes," he said. "Just getting in a better position, trying to get there every pitch. There were a couple of cues that I focused on. Keep it simple, and it was a daily routine, so it became ingrained. I wasn't searching for things every day."

With Charlotte at the start of last season, the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder made much better contact, and he joined the Sox on June 30.

As fate would have it, Davidson broke his right foot running the bases after getting a hit in his first game with the White Sox. He missed the rest of the season and opened the current year in a platoon role at DH with Cody Asche.

A 6-for-57 start at the plate earned Asche a demotion to Charlotte, and Davidson has seized the opportunity.

Heading into Tuesday night's game at Minnesota, Davidson leads the Sox with 15 home runs and is fourth with 36 RBI. Over his last seven games, Davidson has 5 homers.

"Just maturing as a player," he said. "Understanding my swing a little better. We made some pretty drastic swing changes two years ago, and I had a lot of time to reflect on what to improve on going into last season. I'm pretty excited to be here in the big leagues and I'm really enjoying it."

Manager Rick Renteria is enjoying the impact Davidson is having on the White Sox's lineup.

"He's putting together some pretty decent at-bats," Renteria said. "I think for the most part his approach and his routine has been pretty consistent. If he gets pitches he can handle he's able to do some damage with them."

While he is a vastly improved hitter, Davidson does lead the Sox with 77 strikeouts, in 183 at-bats.

Looking back on the organization's strong desire to add disciplined power hitters like Burger and Sheets, are Davidson's swing-and-miss issues going to be detrimental to his future with the White Sox?

Not necessarily.

"I don't get too hung up on the strikeout thing," Hahn said. "You will see what's more important to us is understanding of the strike zone and doing damage on pitches within the zone. Trying the best to lay off pitches out of the zone.

"Strikeouts are a consideration, but at the same time we try to take more of a holistic approach and look at everything a player does when evaluating whether they are going to have success.

"We prefer fewer strikeouts, but at the same time, if a player is getting on base, taking walks and hitting the ball out of the park, he's still going to have a fair amount of value even if he's striking out."

Scouting report

White Sox vs. Minnesota Twins at Target Field

TV: WGN Tuesday; Comcast SportsNet Wednesday and Thursday

Radio: WLS 890-AM

Pitching matchups: The White Sox's Derek Holland (5-6) vs. Ervin Santana (8-4) Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.; David Holmberg (1-0) vs. Jose Berrios (6-1) Wednesday at 7:10 p.m.; Jose Quintana (3-8) vs. TBA Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.

At a glance: The White Sox won two of three at Toronto to start the road trip. They are 3-5 vs. the Twins this season (2-1 at Target Field). The Sox placed Leury Garcia on the disabled list Monday. The center fielder has a sprained finger on his left hand. A corresponding roster move will be made Tuesday. Holland won his last start, over the Orioles last Tuesday. The lefty allowed 1 run on 8 hits and 2 walks in 6 innings. Santana is third in the American League in wins and ERA (2.56). Minnesota is coming off a tough series against Cleveland, losing four straight and falling out of first place in the AL Central. White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has reached base safely in 16 straight games.

Next: Oakland Athletics at Guaranteed Rate Field, Friday-Sunday.

- Scot Gregor