Spring has finally arrived! The White Sox offense should be one of the best in baseball, but here are three players who could make the offense historic. The first is looking to prove the White Sox made the right choice not to go after any of the free-agent bats available. The second is looking to build on a strong rookie season and lockdown second base for the White Sox. The last hitter is coming off a career year just to come down with an illness with unpredictable effects.
1B/DH Andrew Vaughn
The White Sox brass are all-in on Andrew Vaughn. Any trade that involved his name was a hard no. Vaughn has been regarded as one of the best hitting prospects since the White Sox drafted him as the third overall pick of the 2019 draft. His only down-side is that he has yet to take a swing in the major leagues.
Although Vaughn has not hit higher than a class A ball in his career, he is up for one of the most prominent position battles spring, DH. The DH position was a failed experiment last season. In 2020, The White Sox picked up Edwin Encarnacion with the expectation that he would live up to his reputation as a prolific power hitter in baseball; one of the few misses in GM Rick Hahn’s portfolio. If Vaughn ends up the DH, he will have one of the best lineups hitting in front of him. Still, this a lot of faith to put in a player who is about to make his major league debut.
2B Nick Madrigal
Nick Madrigal came up last year and was everything the White Sox hoped he would be. He hit .340 over his first 103 at-bats, and now Madrigal has to build on this great start. One thing to make note of is that last season he only played 29 games. The White Sox are hoping to see that he can play that well for 162 games and stay healthy. Last season, Madrigal missed some time after a shoulder injury he sustained while hustling out a triple. Playing hard is always encouraged, but at the depth behind Madrigal is not as good as it has been in the past.
Two things that Madrigal struggled at are fielding and baserunning. He didn’t show off the jets he had in college and in the minors. Speed is something that is much needed on this big-hitting team. OF Luis Robert is the other player that really possess game-changing speed.
1B Jose Abreu
Jose Abreu finally got some recognition last season, taking home his first MVP. This season, he has had a late start after testing positive for Covid-19. GM Rick Hahn has come out and said, “Jose, who is completely asymptomatic, believes he contracted a mild case of the disease in January.” Asymptomatic is always good to hear when it comes to COVID, and equally good to hear the White Sox are following protocol.
In 2020, Yoan Moncada contracted the virus and he has looked the same on the field. Moncada has publicly talked about how bad the virus has affected his whole body and would be seen cringing in pain and taking in oxygen after running the bases. The White Sox can’t lose their MVP for their World Series campaign. So far, Abreu looks good, but this is something to keep an eye on.