When you lose over 100 games the losses tend to blend. On the surface, Tuesday’s 5-0 defeat to the Angels appeared to be no different for the White Sox. But for one rookie reliever, it will be a night he never forgets.
Left-hander Jake Eder, who the White Sox received when they traded Jake Burger to Miami, made his MLB debut in the seventh inning. Unfortunately for Eder, his first inning as a big leaguer got off to a rough start.
Taylor Ward led off with a single then stole second base, immediately putting pressure on the 25-year-old rookie. Eder was able to record his first out by coaxing a fly ball to center field off the bat of Zach Neto. He then induced a Nolan Schanuel groundout to second base. Just when it looked like Eder was about to escape the jam, he threw a wild pitch allowing Taylor to score from third base. After walking Niko Kavadas on five pitches he began a nine-pitch duel with Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe. Eder eventually won the battle with an 84 mph changeup on the inside corner for a called strike, marking the first strikeout of his career.
The eighth inning went much smoother for Eder. After allowing a leadoff single and hitting Jack Lopez with a pitch, he recorded a 6-4-3 double play and got Gustavo Campero to ground out to cap off an eventful debut. Overall he allowed one run on two hits with one walk and a strikeout in two innings of work.
Things haven’t been easy for the White Sox No. 22 prospect as of late. Eder owns a 6.61 ERA in the minors this season after throwing 74.1 innings in Double-A Birmingham and an additional 34.2 in Triple-A Charlotte. His numbers in Charlotte were particularly concerning. Opponents were hitting .304 off of Eder, whose ERA ballooned up to 9.87 with the Knights. He owned a 1-4 record in nine starts with 36 strikeouts and 27 walks.
Command issues have been a recurring theme for Eder. After blowing out his elbow in 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery, forcing him to miss the entire 2022 season. He then fractured his foot, which kept him off the mound until last June, just before the White Sox decided to trade for him. When he joined the White Sox organization, he posted an 11.42 ERA in Birmingham and then got lit up in the Arizona Fall League.
His fastball lost nearly five mph after topping out at 98 mph when he was once considered a top pitching prospect in Miami. Before being drafted, Eder flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff. He posted a 2.97 ERA and earned a three-inning save to clinch the College World Series for Vanderbilt in 2019. The White Sox are hoping he can rediscover his form. But with only ten games remaining there is no time like the present to see how he fairs against MLB bats before heading back into the lab this offseason.
