Yermin Mercedes and Things That Travel Far
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Coming into this spring Yermin Mercedes had 2,396 plate appearance in the minor leagues and one in the majors. Densely built at 5-foot-11 and 245 pounds, the first baseman did enough to make the Chicago White Sox as the team headed north to embark on a season where they are expected to contend. And somewhere along the way, the 28-year-old became the best hitter on the face of the planet.
Mercedes set a MLB record by going 8-for-8 to begin the season. He collected another two hits in the Sox s home opener Thursday night, including a titanic 485-blast for his first career dinger at the top level. The majestic flight lasted longer than any in team history since the inception of StatCast.