How White Sox Sam Antonacci is becoming a 'legend' through hilarious MLB history

How White Sox Sam Antonacci is becoming a ‘legend’ through hilarious MLB history originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Chicago White Sox might be having one of the most fun seasons of any team around Major League Baseball. For a club that came into the year with no expectations, the White Sox being legitimate postseason contenders is very exciting.

While a lot of attention is on Munetaka Murakami, Davis Martin, Miguel Vargas, and Colson Montgomery, and deservedly so, Sam Antonacci should not be forgotten.

Not only is he a fun player, but as Jayson Stark of The Athletic coined, the White Sox outfielder is becoming a “legend” through some hilarious and ridiculous Major League Baseball history.

How Sam Antonacci is becoming an MLB ‘legend’ for White Sox

“… I hope you’re following the exploits of White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci, because he has the makings of a legend – a hit-by-pitch legend,” Stark writes.

This season, the 23-year-old rookie outfielder has played in 39 games for the White Sox and has a solid .766 OPS. But, he’s been hit by a pitch 11 times this season, earning a free pass to first base nearly a dozen times in 39 games for getting plunked.

While being hit by pitches so frequently could lead to injuries, if Antonacci can continue to be hit by pitches without getting hurt, this odd skill could turn into a superpower and make him even more of a fan favorite.

His 11 hit-by-pitches lead all of MLB this season, and as Stark notes, he’d be just the third rookie in the last 100 years to lead the league in HBP, joining Minnie Minoso in 1951 with 16, and Jeff Bagwell in 1991 with 13.

But what makes Antonacci’s feat so impressive is that he’s at 11 hit-by-pitches already, when those two league leaders for a full season only got to 13 and 16 total.

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Right behind Antonacci are Ivan Herrera and JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals with 10 apiece. If Antonacci doesn’t make this MLB history, Wetherholt, another star rookie, has a chance to do so as well.

Willson Contreras has nine hit-by-pitches this season, while Montgomery, Antonacci’s teammate, has eight and is tied with Jo Adell, Randy Arozarena, Freddie Freeman, and CJ Abrams.

Antonacci is the current hit-by-pitch king, and if he can maintain his league-leading pace, he won’t simply just lead all of baseball in HBP, but he will likely shatter the record for most HBP in a season for a rookie that also leads the league that same season.

This hilarious and ridiculous superpower of Antonacci’s has him turning into a “legend,” according to Stark. While it might be a little bit of an exaggeration, there’s no denying that this feat from Antonacci isn’t at least an entertaining one.

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