(670 The Score) As White Sox rookie Gavin Sheets explained, he would’ve been shocked a few years ago if you’d looked into the future and told him which position he’d play in his MLB debut.
“If you’d told me in 2017 that my debut was going to be in right field, I would’ve said you’re crazy,” Sheets said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Friday afternoon.
But that’s exactly how it played out Tuesday, when Sheets started in right field and went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in his big league debut, helping the White Sox to a 7-6 win against the Twins. Sheets worked hard to make the opportunity possible, not just with his performance in the minor leagues but also in the way he transformed his body. A first baseman by trade, Sheets worked on his speed while also dropping weight in 2020, when the pandemic led to the cancellation of the minor league season.
Sheets, 25, made the adjustments because just like any good White Sox fan, he knew exactly who has first base on lockdown – reigning American League MVP Jose Abreu.
“You look at the COVID season and obviously while it affected so many people and our season and everything, I tried to take advantage of it,” Sheets said. “What can I do to get my way to the big leagues and help this team out? When you have a reigning MVP at first base and a player like Abreu, you know that spot is going to be locked down for a little bit. So I tried to find ways to help this team out. I dropped about 15 pounds and worked on my speed and agility and made the outfielder a possibility.
“It wasn’t at all (hard to accept that reality). It was exciting. I saw that there was a possibility. I saw the chance. I saw the way to make it there. I just took pride in the work that I did there. I wanted to get to the big leagues any way possible.”
Sheets, who’s now listed at 235 pounds, is performing well for the White Sox early on, going 5-for-11 with a homer and five RBIs in three games. He could keep getting a big opportunity for the injury-plagued White Sox, who are still missing Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Adam Engel in their outfield.
Sheets -- a second-round pick of the White Sox in 2017 and the son of former MLB outfielder Larry Sheets -- will be the designated hitter and bat second when the White Sox visit the Tigers on Friday evening.
“Any way to help this team out and to get up here and have a chance to do it with a first-place ball club, it’s been incredible,” Sheets said.
"I'm just here to contribute and keep this season going."