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Chase Meidroth: Epitome of a Lead-off Hitter

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By D.J. James | Last updated May 22, 2025 12:35 PM ET

Chase Meidroth has been everything the White Sox could have hoped for since the Boston Red Sox included him in the trade package for Garrett Crochet. Known as a high-floor, low-ceiling player, Meidroth is pushing the ceiling with a .385 on-base percentage and above-average defense.

Ranked as the eighth prospect in the White Sox farm system, Meidroth is among the first names expected to break into the big league club. This season, he is slashing .301/.381/.376 in 105 plate appearances. Although he has only one home run and a 35-power rating, per MLB.com, he compensates with an alert sense on the base paths. His speed is slightly below average, but he has already recorded eight steals without being caught.

Defensively, Meidroth ranks in the 91st percentile in outs above average. Don’t be fooled by the one pop-up in Kansas City; he can field. He has also shown versatility by playing shortstop and third base, along with second. While his arm strength is below average, he can still fill in on the left side of the infield when necessary.

Despite his range of skills, Meidroth’s best attribute is contact, exhibiting an impressive command of the strike zone for a 23-year-old. With only 16 strikeouts compared to 12 walks, he makes up for his lack of power by consistently getting on base. Case in point:

The lead brought to you by Chase Meidroth! pic.twitter.com/uoEJGIGM4C
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 21, 2025

He defies Statcast a bit. His average exit velocity is far below average at 87.8 mph, with a hard-hit rate under 40 percent. His expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) is only .308 after Wednesday’s game against Seattle.

It is becoming apparent that Meidroth likes the ball up in his zone. His hard-hit/swing rate exceeds 40 percent on pitches up and down the middle or up and inside. For those not into the data, his batting average eclipses .300 on anything belt-high and is above .500 for those same upper zones. Lastly, his expected batting average is above .285 for each zone that is belt-high and up.

Finally, Meidroth’s bat speed has been extremely slow, to say the least, which means he is just getting lucky when he makes contact, right?

Not necessarily. The up-and-coming second baseman consistently makes solid contact, despite his barrel lagging compared to most hitters.

Meidroth boasts a 40% squared-up-swing rate. Some names in this category might be dismissed this season, but Jacob Wilson, Luis Arráez, and Mookie Betts are the only notable names ahead of him. In fact, he has a profile more similar to Betts than the other two players.

Now, Chase Meidroth is not going to become Mookie Betts, but he puts the ball in play, exhibits a masterful command of the strike zone, and presents a versatility few infielders can match. The White Sox have a future lead-off man, especially if he continues playing as he has been for them.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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