White Sox's Zack Collins: Heats up at Charlotte
Collins was named the International League Player of the Week, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The 24-year-old catcher/first baseman hit .458 with four home runs, three doubles, nine RBI and eight runs scored in seven game for Triple-A Charlotte.
Collins has been hitting a ton since a lackluster introduction to the majors (2-for-26) during a three-week stretch from June to July. He's slashing .375/.470/.698 with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 29 RBI over 27 games since he was sent back to the Knights. The White Sox want Collins, who has a 16.9 BB% in the minors, to be more aggressive at the plate. It looks like that lesson has finally taken root, as he dropped his walk rate to 14.5 BB% over the last month. "Taking pitches just for the sake of taking pitches is not a formula for success," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "The approach that you have to take is strike-to-ball as oppose to ball-to-strike. If you're trying to wait to recognize a strike, it's a little tough. You have to be ready to strike and recognize and check your swing for balls that are not manageable. He understood that and took it to heart."
