Following up: Right field somehow even less settled for White Sox

Sep 23, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox left fielder Brian Goodwin (18) looks back at Cleveland Indians second baseman Yu Chang (2) after Chang tagged Goodwin out during a rundown in the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

When Adam Engel and Andrew Vaughn returned from the injured list, the White Sox seemed like they’d finally have a full complement of players to solve right field, with Engel heading the efforts if his body would just cooperate.

Instead, the Sox are somehow down two outfielders within the week. Engel hasn’t played since the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader thanks to soreness in his legs, and now Brian Goodwin just went on the injured list with back spasms, with Matt Foster taking his place.

As a result, the White Sox are starting Andrew Vaughn in right field in the finale against righty Triston McKenzie, among other less-optimal assignments like “Gavin Sheets at first instead of José Abreu,” and “Billy Hamilton instead of Luis Robert.”

Goodwin is in the middle of an 0-for-17 slump that has sent his OPS crashing to .693. He was last seen grounding into a force at home with the bases loaded, which is also the last time we saw Engel as a baserunner, easing up across the plate.

It’d be great if the White Sox could get the first-half version of Goodwin back, but after 47 games of Second-Half Goodwin hitting .193/.298/.290, it’s an unsound bet. The problem is that everybody else involved with right field looks equally iffy.

*Adam Engel: He’s been on the injured list for at least part of every month in 2021, and October could complete the set.

*Andrew Vaughn: He’s theoretically back after his own back injury, but he poses the same problem as an available Goodwin, hitting just .116/.218/.159 over his last 20 games. He’s been a non-factor in high-leverage situations.

*Leury García: He’s also a non-factor in high-leverage situations, but more than that, he might be needed at second base due to the uninspiring play of César Hernández.

*Gavin Sheets: He provides the most threatening presence at the plate against right-handed pitching, but he can be pitched to, and his defense makes Robert work even harder in center. Besides, he might be needed at DH.

*Romy González: He struck out in 33 percent of his plate appearances and had trouble getting the ball off the ground in his first cup of coffee, so postseason at-bats seem like too tall an order for somebody who has already overachieved enough for one year.

*Micker Adolfo: He’s hitting .252/.310/.538 in Charlotte after hitting .249/.318/.525 in Birmingham, so it stands to reason that he can post that line at any level, right?

We’re looking at a mixture of Vaughn, Sheets and García based on the handedness of the pitcher and any acute needs elsewhere, but the situation is ragged enough that Adolfo isn’t the craziest thought. In a season where so many desperate call-ups have provided a magical two weeks, such a fortnight for Adolfo would take care of matters through the ALDS.

(Photo by Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)

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dwjm3

Jerry forced Hahn to aim for just being adequate in right field due to the self imposed budget constraints.

We know what happens to Hahn when he aims for adequate, he tends to fail to fill the hole.

This is where players like Bryce Harper add value in my view. They give you a degree of certainty.

Even if they don’t give you 5 war year they will likely give you a 3 war year so you don’t end up with a black hole in a contending window. I don’t know if Jerry understands this or not. I suspect he does but prefers to just not spend the money.

We pretty much all feared this when they signed Adam Eaton. We knew we would likely be screwed in right.

AshnodsCoupon

Same thing at 2B — could have had Machado as a FA and put Moncada at second. Could have got someone better than Hernandez if they’d been willing to pay for it.

jhomeslice

I have a feeling there will be time to speculate on their offseason moves and whether they will be cheap again or not soon enough. But hopefully they get going at the right time in a couple weeks and delay that a bit. I at least hope we see a tough and exciting series, win or lose.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

It is truly unfortunate that Engel now seems to be about as injury prone as Eaton. He has spent more time on the DL than anybody. They neither know if he can stay healthy, nor what kind of production they would get in a full season.

They need to finally spend the money to get a legit RF. Castellanos, Marte are the only 2 great options, guys like Springer don’t come along every year. Otherwise we could be watching them on the periphery, winning the division the next 3 or 4 years and hoping to get lucky in the playoffs while knowing that other playoff teams are a little bit better.

Last edited 2 years ago by LamarHoyt_oncrack
metasox

I would like to see the Sox invest in a more complete team. But if you can assure me they will win the division the next 3-4 yrs even w/o doing that, I can’t complain too much.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

The Twins have lost 17 straight playoff games. If the Sox rebuild results in several division titles that are meaningless in the playoffs, I can’t say I would settle for that. Especially if the reason is that they don’t spend to upgrade where they need to.

metasox

The point I intended to make is this division isn’t going to get easier. I wouldn’t assume any run of titles.

AshnodsCoupon

Yeah the way the Tigers rebuild is going, they’re absolutely not gonna win the next 3-4 years. Especially if they go into Cubs mode and decide to stop spending now that their young guys are reaching arbitration. Not that they were spending that much to begin with.

jhomeslice

The Tigers have the right manager for sure. I think missing out on Hinch may be the biggest and most costly blunder of lost opportunity for the Sox.

mrridgman

I remember earlier in the season some Hinch detractors were mocking the Tigers’ choice due to their then-current record, applauding Sox’ choice in comparison. I also remember watching Detroit games thinking “how could they win with this lineup?” They’ve come a long way, Sox haven’t.

jhomeslice

Someone pointed out that the Sox would have to be under .500 to not win this division. Winning the Central does not prove that their choice for manager was a good one. They would have won it with literally any experienced manager.

Having said that, maybe TLR’s experience will be surprisingly valuable in the playoffs and they will surprise people. I leave room for a good ending to it all.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

I think the Tigers overachieved, probably in part because of a good manager. I don’t think they are loaded with talent and are going to be a force to be reckoned with that soon, unless they have a super productive offseason.

ImmortalTimeTravelMan

This coming offseason will be the one that shows how much Jerry actually wants to compete for a World Series. Do they get Marte (even in an overpay) to lock down right field? Do they let Rodon walk and spend on anther legit starter instead of throwing Kopech into the rotation when he has struggled in the bullpen the last two months? Do they go and get a backup catcher? Based on how he’s played, do they at least look at the second base market and see if there is an upgrade over Hernandez? They’re best chance to win a series will be next season, how much is he willing to throw at an all-in year before we start losing pitchers to arbitration and free agency?

mrridgman

I think they need another starter more than anything else, 6 is now the minimum number and they have zero immediate help in the minors.

I wouldn’t overpay for Starling Marte or Rodon. There are no good options in OF next year, it’s best to punt RF and put money down on one of the many juicy options for SP (bundle Keuchel with a prospect if you have to to clear payroll) and then go for Buxton or Nimmo in the following offseason.
My dream is that Seiya Suzuki is posted by the Hiroshima Toyo Carp from Japan and the Sox get him. The Carp would be stupid NOT to move him, he becomes a free agent after two more seasons.

Last edited 2 years ago by burning-phoneix
LamarHoyt_oncrack

I think many are tired of seeing them punt RF. That didn’t work well for them last year or this year.

metasox

why indeed

roke1960

Obviously the two big chips for rf next year are Marte and Castellanos. Either would be a great fit for the Sox. I still think Michael Conforto would be a great pick up. Yes, his OPS is .706 this year, which is truly awful. But the Mets have been a total train wreck this year. Between 2017-2020, his lowest OPS was .797, with 2 years over .900. His OPS+ those 4 years ranged from 122 to 154. Even this year, as bad as it’s been, his OPS+ is 96. Plus he’s lefthanded and plays a very adequate right field. I would really expect a bounceback from him next year, and maybe Jerry can get him for a little cheaper. Conforto hitting 7th or 8th in that lineup would be awesome. Of course, I’d still rather have Marte or Castellanos, but their will probably be too expensive for Jerry.

LamarHoyt_oncrack

You are probably right that they won’t spent to get Marte or Castellanos. I agree Conforto has a chance at a real rebound, and while he could be considered a cheap copout, his upside is massively better than Eaton, Pederson. He would be a gamble with realistic upside.

But if they do something like that, they need to invest in a more solid 2b, like Semien or Escobar. They can’t be cheap about everything.

roke1960

You’re absolutely right. They should have a top 10 payroll at the least and probably a top 5 payroll. That team is becoming a cash cow. The nice thing about acquiring Hernandez was he was so cheap for next year. But they can certainly find something better, after his performance the last 2 months. But again, Semien will be one of the premier free agents next year. There will be a big bidding war for him. Escobar would be nice. I would certainly take Escobar and Conforto. And I’m not sure Rodon wouldn’t take the QO. I’m not sure there will be too many teams offering big money/years to him after basically pitching every 10 days in the 2nd half. He might be better off proving he can put together a solid complete season, then cash in for 2023.

roke1960

The thing about the Sox is they really have their top 7 spots in the order filled for next year. Some combination of Timmy, Yoan, Abreu, Eloy, Robert, Vaughn and Grandal can cover the top 7 spots. So they are really looking for above average 8th-9th hitters.

A lineup of
Timmy ss
Robert cf
Abreu 1b (though he should be 6th or 7th)
Eloy dh/lf
Moncada 3b
Grandal c
Vaughn dh/lf
Conforto rf
Escobar 2b
would be awesome.

I would probably prefer Timmy, Robert, Yoan, Eloy, Grandal, Vaughn, Abreu, Conforto, Escobar.

Last edited 2 years ago by roke1960