San Diego Professional Athletes

Chase Meidroth Makes White Sox History

Chase Meidroth is making noise in October — not with a postseason run, but with hardware on the line. The San Diego alumnus and Chicago White Sox second baseman is a finalist for the American League Gold Glove at second base, making him the first White Sox player nominated for a major MLB award in 2026, per Sports Illustrated.

It's a remarkable milestone for a franchise that has endured a prolonged rebuild, and for Meidroth personally, it represents a breakout validation. The former Torero has backed up the defensive recognition with a .308 batting average on the season, flashing the kind of two-way value that earns votes from managers and coaches around the league. In Chicago's most recent outing — a home game against Cleveland on October 11 — Meidroth went 0-for-2, but the award case was already built on a full season's worth of work.

For a White Sox team still searching for identity, Meidroth emerging as the face of a Gold Glove campaign is a genuine bright spot. San Diego's program has quietly produced dependable big leaguers for years; Meidroth's nomination adds a postseason storyline to that tradition.

Paul Sewald and a Bullpen Crossroads in Toronto

Meanwhile, another San Diego alum finds himself at a different kind of October inflection point. Blue Jays reliever Paul Sewald is among the names surfacing as Toronto weighs how to rebuild its bullpen this offseason. Sports Illustrated flagged Sewald as a potential low-cost option as the Blue Jays make key roster decisions heading into the offseason.

Sewald, a veteran right-hander, brings durability and experience to whatever conversation Toronto is having. Whether he returns to the Blue Jays or hits the open market, he remains a name with legitimate MLB value — which itself is a testament to his longevity in the league since his days in San Diego.

The Bigger Picture for Toreros in the Majors

San Diego has a quietly deep footprint across MLB. The school counts 19 active alumni on big league rosters spanning the Cubs, Padres, Cardinals, Astros, Mariners, White Sox, Tigers, Phillies, Twins, Orioles, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Giants, Nationals, Athletics, and Rockies. From catchers to starting pitchers to corner infielders, the Toreros are well-represented at every level of roster construction.

But right now, the spotlight belongs to Meidroth. A Gold Glove would be the most prominent individual award a San Diego alum has contended for in recent memory. The winner will be announced later this month — and Torero fans will have a compelling reason to tune in.

Chase Meidroth is making San Diego proud on the biggest stage in baseball.

The former USD Toreros second baseman is hitting .348 through the Chicago White Sox's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians — and he's not just along for the ride. Meidroth has been one of the central figures in a White Sox postseason run that few saw coming, arriving in Chicago as part of the blockbuster Garrett Crochet trade that also netted the Sox Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery from Boston.

All three ex-Red Sox prospects have delivered in October, but Meidroth's contributions have been the steadiest. In Game 2, his RBI single in the sixth inning sparked the decisive rally — Montgomery followed with a two-run double — as Chicago knocked off Cleveland 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead. Meidroth finished that game hitting .400 on the series. He's cooled only slightly since, batting .368 after Game 3 and .348 heading into a potential clincher in Game 4, where he led off the White Sox lineup at second base with the Sox up 2-1 in the series.

That trajectory — from trade chip to playoff table-setter — is the kind of story that defines October baseball. Meidroth was largely an afterthought in the Crochet deal's national coverage, overshadowed by Teel's upside and Montgomery's tools. But through the first four games of the ALDS, the USD product has quietly been one of the most consistent hitters in the entire postseason field.

For San Diego alumni, this is a moment worth savoring. The Toreros don't produce MLB regulars at the volume of the sport's bigger programs, and playoff contributors are rarer still. Meidroth isn't just getting at-bats in October — he's helping drive a series, batting at the top of a lineup trying to reach the American League Championship Series.

A White Sox win in Game 4 would send them to face the Tampa Bay Rays. Meidroth would presumably be in the leadoff spot again, .348 average and all.

Chase Meidroth didn't just hit a home run last week. The University of San Diego product hit one for the history books.

The White Sox second baseman crushed a no-doubt, three-run blast to deep center field in the sixth inning of Game 2 against the Houston Astros on September 30, turning a tight Wild Card series into a statement. Chicago won 7–3 to complete a 2–0 series sweep and punch their ticket to the ALDS — and Meidroth's homer was the knockout punch that made it official.

It wasn't just the moment; it was the player. Meidroth went 2-for-4 in the clincher with the home run, three RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Over the two-game Wild Card series, he slashed .571/.571/1.000, drove in four runs, and scored twice. FanGraphs credited the homer — alongside a four-run first inning and a dominant Jordan Hicks outing — as one of three defining moments that catapulted the Sox into the next round. Sports Illustrated placed the blast among the most memorable home runs in White Sox franchise lore.

Meidroth also appeared in early postseason action against the Cleveland Guardians on October 3, carrying a .364 average into that contest — a number that suggests his Wild Card series wasn't a fluke but the continuation of a scorching stretch.

For a program that has quietly developed big-league talent for decades, Meidroth's moment is the kind of validation San Diego fans have been waiting for.

Meanwhile, on the Other Side of the Field

San Diego can claim a complicated rooting interest in that same Wild Card series: Josh Hendrickson, a fellow Torero, pitched for the Houston Astros. Hendrickson took the mound in Game 1 on September 29, working 1.2 innings and allowing one earned run in what became a 3–6 loss. The Astros' series loss means the alumni rivalry ends with Meidroth firmly ahead.

Around the Rest of the League

Elsewhere, Paul Sewald threw a scoreless inning for the Blue Jays in a 5–1 win over Cincinnati on September 27, keeping his season ERA at 4.73 in a Toronto campaign that never quite found its footing. Shay Whitcomb went 1-for-3 with a run scored for the Giants in a 1–5 loss to the Dodgers on the same day, a quiet finish to San Francisco's regular season. Kris Bryant, meanwhile, spent all of 2026 on the 60-day injured list with the Rockies — a difficult year for the former MVP that will have San Diego alumni hoping for a healthier 2027.

But this week belongs to Meidroth. A three-run homer in a winner-take-all moment, a series for the ages, and a hometown school that just got a very loud shoutout on the national stage.

Chase Meidroth is doing something the White Sox haven't had much reason to talk about this decade: making September matter.

The University of San Diego product put together one of the week's best individual performances in MLB, going 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in Chicago's wild 14-11 slugfest over Kansas City on Tuesday. Meidroth and Randal Grichuk combined for eight RBI in the win, but it was the Toreros alum who provided the early knockout punch. The two teams combined for 25 runs in what Yahoo Sports aptly described as "chaos in Kansas City."

That wasn't a one-off. Meidroth also homered in Sunday's 8-0 shutout of Detroit — going 1-for-3 with two RBI and two runs in that one — and has been one of the White Sox's most consistent producers down the stretch. His average climbed from .268 to .276 across the week, with multi-hit efforts in three of his four appearances. The only blemish: he was held out of Saturday's lineup against Colorado, an absence notable enough that it generated its own coverage.

For a San Diego program that has quietly produced a steady pipeline of big-leaguers, Meidroth is making the loudest noise right now.

Also Worth Watching

Shay Whitcomb (Giants, 3B) had a productive stretch at the plate for San Francisco, going 2-for-4 in Saturday's loss to the Dodgers and posting back-to-back multi-hit games Wednesday. Whitcomb's average climbed from .175 at the start of the week to .202 by week's end — a meaningful surge for a player fighting for big-league standing heading into the offseason.

Chris Murphy (White Sox, P) had a rougher week in Chicago. The left-hander was optioned to Triple-A to make room when right-hander Huascar Brazoban was activated off the injured list ahead of the Tigers series. Murphy and Meidroth are San Diego teammates turned MLB teammates — though for now, only one of them is in the majors.

Kris Bryant (Rockies, 1B/OF) remains on the books in Colorado through 2028 at $52MM guaranteed, per MLB Trade Rumors' offseason outlook. The Rockies, who won't be competing in 2027, face big questions about how aggressively they'll move major-league talent this winter. Bryant's name figures to come up.

Paul Sewald (Blue Jays, P) made two brief appearances for Toronto, throwing 1.0 inning Wednesday and 0.1 inning Sunday. His ERA sits at 4.82 with the season winding down.

Brycen Mautz (Cardinals, P) logged 1.1 innings Friday and 1.0 inning Thursday, striking out one batter in each outing. His ERA stands at 5.87 as St. Louis closes out the year.

The week belonged to Meidroth — and it wasn't particularly close.