Darnell Mooney has been a pleasant surprise with the Chicago Bears

One analyst believes a third-year wide receiver is the Chicago Bears’ most underpaid player. Darnell Mooney is entering his third season with the Bears. So far, he has made a big impact in an otherwise pedestrian receiving room.

In two seasons, Mooney has reached the endzone 8 times receiving and 1-time rushing. Mooney took a big step forward in 2021, beating out all wide receivers in receiving yards with 1,055-yards. Allen Robinson, who was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in the offseason, was not on pace to surpass the 2020 fifth-round selection, Mooney, if he had played all 17 games.

Gene Chamberlain, writing for Sports Illustrated, thinks Mooney is a great bargain for the Bears. He listed Mooney as the Bears’ number one underpaid player. Here’s what Chamberlain wrote:

Money should come Mooney’s way from the league bonus pool for exceptional play. This doesn’t come from the Bears’ cap space. Mooney couldn’t be a bigger steal considering he makes only $965,512 this year and has 142 catches the last two seasons, more than any receiver the Bears ever drafted in his first two years. The only receivers from the 2020 draft class with more receptionns in their first two seasons are Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb, and Mooney was a fifth-round pick. That’s the reason he’s getting less than a million and is the No. 1 Bears bargain in 2022.

The fifth-round price value for Darnell Mooney is hard to beat for the Bears

Considering Robinson signed a 46.5-million dollar contract this offseason, I’d certainly say Mooney was a heist in the 2020 draft. Especially since Mooney eclipsed him in productivity last season. While former Bears general manager Ryan Pace made a lot of dumb draft picks, he occasionally hit on a few later-round gems like Mooney. Jefferson and Lamb, who Chamberlain mentioned in his article, are both first-round wide receivers. Jefferson’s contract is just north of $13-million, while Lamb is over $14-million, per Over The Cap.

The Bears need to make the most out of Mooney while he’s on his rookie contract. Justin Field’s will be in his second season with Mooney, and hopefully, we’ll see the pair be even better together this year. Mooney will be expected to have a greater role in the offense, given the Bears still lack elite talent at the wide receiver position.

If Mooney can improve this season and morph into a true number one receiver, he will deserve a lot more money after the 2023 season. This would also ease some pressure off of new general manager Ryan Poles, who has yet to sign a major player at the position due to a lack of cap space.

Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.

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It’s hard to imagine the White Sox absorbing a bigger blow than losing Tim Anderson, which they did when the All-Star shortstop went down with a groin strain last Sunday.

It’s also hard to imagine the Sox getting a better contribution from Danny Mendick as Anderson’s fill-in.

When Anderson went down with a groin strain during a game against the Cubs last Sunday, Mendick took over at shortstop and started a 9-for-21 streak with three RBI and five runs scored. In the Sox’ 6-5 win over the Rays Sunday, one of their bigger wins of the season, Mendick was in Anderson’s leadoff spot and in Anderson fashion, singled to start a four-run inning against lefty Ryan Yarbrough.

“You can never replace a TA but you try to step up,” Mendick said. “I’ve been patiently waiting for an opportunity, one has presented itself and I go out there and do what I can. I know what I can bring and I know I can help this team win.”

A 22nd-round draft pick in 2015, Mendick, 28, is batting .318/.362/.455 with an .816 OPS, which ranks third on the Sox, albeit in 17 games and 48 plate appearances. Only Anderson and Jose Abreu are above Mendick in OPS.

Need more numbers to prove Mendick’s value thus far? His 140 weighted runs created plus ranks third on the team behind Anderson (163) and Abreu (143), and he’s a 1.1 wins above replacement player per Baseball Reference, which ranks above infielders Yoan Moncada, Leury Garcia and Josh Harrison.

“I’ve known it’s just a matter of proving it in the big leagues,” Mendick said. “An opportunity like this is all you can ask for.”

Defensively, Mendick doesn’t have Anderson’s range but he has played shortstop, second base, third base and left field this season without making an error. His inning-ending play on Isaac Paredes’ soft ground ball with the bases loaded in a 3-2 win over the Rays Saturday earned “a gold star” from manager Tony La Russa.

“I knew [Kendall Graveman] was going to throw a slider and I had a feeling he was going to be a little bit out in front,” Mendick said. “As soon as I saw his swing I started moving in and it was a close play, but you practice those, right? It was nice to get it done.”

The blip on Mendick’s week was tagging up and getting thrown out at second base on what should have been a tying sacrifice fly for Yasmani Grandal in a 6-5 loss to the Blue Jays. Mendick was out before Reese McGuire crossed home, and the Sox lost by one run.

“I play aggressive,” Mendick said. “It was a mistake, it was a tough one, and you learn from it. You have to go from there. Situation comes up again like that, hopefully in the playoffs, and you make the right decision.”

After the game, he apologized to La Russa.

“Sometimes you feel like you messed something up,” Mendick said. “You take accountability for it.”

Mendick can play the infield and outfield and is the Sox’ emergency catcher. He also pitched a scoreless inning at Fenway Park last season. He owns a career .249/.306/.356 hitting line with a .662 OPS in four seasons, a career log consisting of 137 games and 388 plate appearances.

“I want to play this game for as long as I can,” he said. “This is a good start, show what I can do and whatever my role turns into I’ll give it my very best.

La Russa has started Mendick in every game but one (Leury Garcia got the other) since Anderson’s injury. When Anderson returns, La Russa might consider playing Mendick at second base — Josh Harrison (.181/.265/.276) and Garcia (.189/.199/.265) have played 22 and 27 games, respectively, at second with minimal production.

“Danny’s playing real well and that’s supposed to be the critera, right?” La Russa said. “The more you play the better you play.”

DODGERS AT SOX

Tuesday: Mitch White (1-1, 4.79 ERA) vs. Michael Kopech (1-2, 2.20), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, TBS, 1000-AM

Wednesday: Tony Gonsolin (6-0, 1.59) vs. Johnny Cueto (0-2, 2.92), 7:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

Thursday: Tyler Anderson (7-0, 2.59) vs. Dylan Cease (4-2, 3.69), 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM

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Arlo White, the former voice of NBC’s Premier League coverage and currently a member of the Fire broadcast team, has joined the controversial new LIV Golf tour as its lead announcer.

A Fire spokesman told the Sun-Times that White is under contract with the club and will remain on their broadcasts. Along with doing a handful of games on WGN-TV when his schedule permits, White also hosts a team-affiliated podcast with regular play-by-play announcer Tyler Terens.

With Greg Norman as its CEO, LIV Golf is bankrolled by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. LIV has been labeled as an example of sportswashing, a term that means repressive governments are using sports to sanitize their image.

PIF recently took over Premier League club Newcastle United.

The Saudi government has been accused of numerous human rights offenses, including sanctioning the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

This story will be updated.

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Last week’s announcement that 6-9 Owen Freeman would be transferring from Bradley-Bourbonnais to Moline has turned a very good team into a legit 2022-23 state title contender in Class 4A.

Following a regional championship season, Moline was expected to be one of the better teams in Illinois next year with the return of standout point guard Brock Harding. But the addition of Freeman, who has committed to Iowa, gives the Maroons a shot at a state trophy for the first time in over 70 years.

Moline last won a sectional championship in 2004.

The Harding-Freeman tandem will be a fun and dynamic one to watch. Both are among the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top six senior prospects in the state.

Harding is an elite point guard and coveted mid-major prospect who makes those around him better. Freeman is an athletic, rim-running big man who continues to develop offensively, both facing up from the perimeter and around the basket.

Senior Grant Welch is a productive 6-3 wing and small college prospect, while Trey Taylor should take a big step forward as a sophomore.

Glenbard West’s Bobby Durkin heads to prep school

It’s been a recruiting whirlwind for Glenbard West’s Bobby Durkin, one of the breakout seniors this past year while helping Glenbard West to a state championship.

Initially, Durkin was barely a blip on the Division I radar. He played last summer with Glenbard West following his transfer from Hinsdale South and then competed with Breakaway on the club circuit. With very little overall interest, Durkin committed to Army in September.

After more thought and some reservations, Durkin opened things back up again in December. He bet on himself and a senior season that he believed would attract more suitors, even if it extended into the spring club basketball circuit.

While the offers and interest picked up immensely, Durkin simply didn’t find the ideal fit he was looking for. He will now play during the July live period and head off to do a year of prep school and become a 2023 recruit.

Durkin has grown physically and as a player. He put the work in. In addition to sprouting to a legit 6-6 by the time his senior year began, he also tightened up and toned his body while improving his conditioning over the past year. He personally made that a point of emphasis.

“I knew last year that was a weakness in my game,” Durkin said of his physical limitations at the time. “I spent a lot of time and put work in with a speed and agility trainer, with lifting and really just reshaping my body. That became a focus of mine, probably right after the AAU season last year.”

While Durkin is a high-level shooter, he’s also a crafty player with a high basketball I.Q. The skill level is also present with his ability to handle the ball and pass. It’s what finally attracted Division I coaches.

“He is so versatile and skilled and can play so many different spots on the floor,” Opoka pointed out. “He can play on the wing, facilitate an offense and play the stretch 4. He’s a gym rat with a high I.Q. and intelligence.”

June live period update

The NCAA’s live evaluation periods on the recruiting calendar this summer will once again include a pair of weekends in June for coaches to watch prospects with their high school teams.

Locally, Riverside-Brookfield and Ridgewood will play host to three-day shootouts on back-to-back weekends. They will feature a combined 168 teams.

The 72-team R-B Shootout, which has become a summer staple in Illinois for top teams and players, will be June 17-19. Ridgewood will have 96 different high school teams in its June 24-26 shootout.

The other two sites will be Normal West (June 17-19) and Edwardsville (June 24-26).

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