'This guy competes': Pham already impressing Chicago's staff, teammates

CHICAGO -- The way Tommy Pham put it was simple. But perhaps the White Sox didn’t need to complicate how they hoped he could contribute to a lineup that needed a boost.

“[To] just be me,” Pham said Friday of the expectations the team outlined for how he could contribute.

Pham is a 10-year veteran who played in the 2023 World Series with the D-backs and has a good track record at the plate. It’s early, but so far, just being him has been more than good enough on the South Side.

In Wednesday’s 10-5 loss to the Twins, Pham continued his hot start to the season, going 2-for-4 with a home run, double and two RBIs. The 36-year-old has now reached base in his first six games this season, and has a hit in each of his five starts.

“Tommy is a gamer,” said White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong, who was also teammates with Pham on the Cardinals in 2017 and ‘18. “We're happy to have him. I think he's a spark plug for our offense. He wants to play every day. He wants to run, he wants to hit.

“He plays the game the right way, and he's a great competitor. So, we're really lucky to have him.”

That’s especially true factoring in the injuries the White Sox have dealt with this season. Luis Robert played seven games before going on the IL with a right hip flexor strain. Yoán Moncada played in 11 contests before a left adductor strain sidelined him.

Pham has come up big for the White Sox already. He’s 9-for-24 (.375) with three extra-base hits and just two strikeouts in six games. His impact has gone beyond the field, too; his presence inside the clubhouse and the work he’s putting in has stood out.

“You know what's impressive?” manager Pedro Grifol said. “And this would be a lesson for every player out there, every kid, every college kid, every high school kid. They should watch this guy work. This guy competes in the cage. He competes off the tee. He competes in soft toss.

“He's constantly competing and preparing for a game. And then when you watch him on the field, he's doing something that comes normal to him. He doesn't take pitches off, he doesn't take flips off, doesn't take tee work off.”

Pham remained unsigned through Spring Training but was working on his game as his free agency played out. Of course, nothing can mimic real game action, or the repetitions of a six-week Major League camp.

He signed a Minor League deal with the White Sox on April 16 and played in four games with Triple-A Charlotte before Chicago added him to its Major League roster. He acknowledged he was still playing catch up Friday, a few hours before making his White Sox debut.

“I'm at a disadvantage, but I can't use that as an excuse,” Pham said. “So, it is what it is ultimately, and I know what I'm up against.”

The early returns have been promising. Wednesday marked Pham’s third multi-hit game with the White Sox. In the first inning, he hit a slider that Twins starter Bailey Ober left over the plate into the left field corner for an RBI double, plating Robbie Grossman.

In the third, Ober left a cutter over the heart of the plate, and Pham hit it a Statcast-projected 413 feet to left-center field for a solo home run.

“He was swinging it pretty well,” Ober said. “I feel like I didn’t execute great to him. We know he handles fastballs. I feel like I left two pitches over the plate that shouldn’t really have been there.”

Pham’s homer gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead, and they led 4-2 when they went to the bullpen in the sixth. Right-hander Steven Wilson loaded the bases on three walks -- two with two outs -- and DeJong committed an error on a grounder that got under his glove, allowing two runs to score.

"Little changeup off the end of the bat, kind of spinning," DeJong said. “[Trevor Larnach] did a good job of blocking my view until I couldn't quite get a good view of it and just missed it. Unfortunately that's not a play that I want to see go through my legs. It's a tough break for us."

Minnesota completed a three-game sweep with the loss, which dropped the White Sox to 3-8 in one-run games.

“These are games we’ve got to find a way to win,” Grifol said. “You can’t play under .500 in one-run games and expect to do anything in this league.”