When the Chicago White Sox traded pitcher Chris Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton last December, the team finally decided on a direction for the organization.
Fans for years had been calling for a teardown and rebuild for the White Sox, but the organization was hesitant for a variety of reason. A rebuild would consist of several years of poor baseball performance and the White Sox were afraid that an already unhappy fan base would not put up with years of a team not contending for a championship especially with the success of the Cubs on the North Side of town.
Since the trades though, not only has the fan base embraced the sell out of major assets and rebuild but so has the organization as well.
The organization has made sure to highlight the success of the minor leaguers via social media outlets as a way to build excitement and interest for future years.
Comcast Sports Net and the White Sox went as far as televising a few of the White Sox Triple A affiliate’s baseball games as a way to showcase some of the talent they have in their minor league system.
Comcast has also dedicated whole half hour shows going in depth with the White Sox prospects at each minor league level providing fans with insight to future players on the White Sox.
When it comes drawing fans to Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox have not seen a drop off in game attendance, but an actual increase as they are averaging 354 fans more than last year.
They have also had several fun promotions to draw fans to the game, especially the Hawk Harrelson alarm clock game which was highly popular among fans drawing 29,111 people to the game.
The highest attended home game so far this season was the Mark Buerhle jersey number retirement game on June 24th which drew 38,618 fans to Guaranteed Rate Field.
On Wednesday night, the fan base and the team got another boost with the White sox debut of MLB’s number one prospect Yoan Moncada.
Moncada, who was the prize asset for the Chris Sale trade went 0-2 at the plate with drawing a walk. He received a standing ovation when he came up to bat for the first time and when he drew the walk after battling back from a 0-2 count.
The hype of his debut was seen in the stands as it was reported that the White Sox sold close to 5,000 walk up tickets before the game with the official attendance at 24,907.
According to Comcast Sports Net, Wednesday’s game was the most watched White Sox game this season with the peak rating being over 90,000.
Fans have been given a new sense of hope and excitement as well not only for the White Sox choosing to rebuild but because of the success of the rebuild so far.
General Manager Rick Hahn obtaining the best value of minor leaguers for the players he has traded has attracted national media attention. The White Sox minor league system is a hot topic on many national outlets whenever future prospects are discussed now.
The White Sox performance on the field has not been fun to watch, but fans have a rededicated sense of loyalty to their White Sox because of the team’s new direction for the future and the fans willing to support through thick and thin for what future may bring.
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