Record Date: 1-11-2023
Rundown:
- Chicago White Sox unveil new viewing bars for Section 500 level.
- MLB Network ranks the Top 10 first basemen. No White Sox players are nominated, so that got Josh and Jim to talk more about Andrew Vaughn’s potential.
- Comparing the contracts Johnny Cueto signed with Miami and the White Sox signed Mike Clevinger.
- Why Carlos Correa returning to Minnesota is annoying from a White Sox point of view.
- Hello, Hanser Alberto
I’ve been about as pro vaughn as anyone and I remain confident in him. The whitesox literally couldn’t have tried harder to ruin him with a crazy rush to the pros, positional changes, a brain dead manager who would bat him all over the order then sit him on and off for some times perplexing reasons etc etc
You take out the defense and Vaughn probably had close to a 2 WAR season in 2022, Abreu managed almost a 4 WAR season, I actually think Vaughn will be a better defensive player then Abreu at 1st base, which means he really just has to close some of the offensive gap. I dont think he gets all the way there, but I am predicting something close to a 3 fwar season for him in 2023. Playing 1st should also benefit him greatly from wearing down physically in the 2nd half like he did in 2022.
I can buy a reduced physical toll moving from outfield to first base argument.
For the better defensive player than Abreu at first base, my concern that I shared on another show with FromThe108 on YouTube, Vaughn is an undersized first baseman. I know the White Sox list him at 6’0″. I’ve met Vaughn. I’m 6’0″ tall, and he’s not 6’0″.
Does that mean an undersized first baseman will be a bad defender? No, but my concern is that a shorter first baseman will mean that Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson will have to be more accurate with their throws to first base, especially on the run. Catch radius going from Abreu to Vaughn will be smaller. That doesn’t impact Vaughn’s defensive value, but it could have an impact on other White Sox infielders.
The path for Vaughn getting to 3 WAR, which I agree with you is very attainable, is improving against sliders vs. RHP (like .250 BA / .425 SLG) + Play > 140 games + Carry a 120 wRC+.
2023 is definitely a definitive year for Vaughn IMO
If he falters in 2023 then its time to start looking at other options, but I really feel given everything he has faced the talent will materialize and he is gonna produce big time for the sox.
If he had an additional 2-3 inches this wouldn’t be a concern. It seems kind of silly. Prince Fielder and Dick Allen were 5-11. If I recall there were at least 3 balls last year that hit Abreu chest high in the glove and he dropped them. As long as Vaughn controls the radius 2 feet in front of him he’ll be fine. If that means Yoan and TA need to be more accurate so be it. They could use the focus.
AV’s hitting at least .280 with 25 bombs. He’s gonna be just fine
TA has a tendency to skip balls in there, so does Moncada so digging balls out the dirt is more important for Vaughn than an extra inch or two in height.
How much has Vaughn’s defense at first regressed by his lack of playing time there the last two years?
That’s a very reasonable question. He didn’t play in 2020 either because of Covid, so he hasn’t played 1b since 2019. It’s been a minute. That doesn’t mean it will be a problem, but he will certainly have a lot to prove in all aspects.
He hasn’t played a ton there, but he did at least play 99.2 innings in 2021, and 191 innings last year. Hopefully since he knows 1st base is his now, he can focus on that in the offseason and be reasonably ready by the start of the season.
Michael Cueto (min 38) sounds like a great pitcher to have :p
It’s great that they have new 500 level seats for a .500 level team.
don’t, uh, don’t sell out for cheap singles people: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/triple-slash-line-conundrum-voros-mccracken-edition/
additional evidence to dump on Menechino’s tenure.
My first thought when I heard about the 500-level bars is that they were going to apply the same concept as the 300-level bars at the United Center, which seem pretty good for people who like that kind of thing. It looks like the Sox applied the part where they demolished ~10 rows of seats, but mostly skipped the rest. The UC has a rail overlooking the court and an actual bar where you can order drinks. This doesn’t seem to have either of those amenities (EDIT: looking at the other visual, from the inside, I guess there will be a bar to order drinks, but it will be more on the periphery of the seating rather than in the middle like at the UC). It’s just some seats to watch the game on TV and maybe get a nice breeze. I guess the designers, like the rest of the organization, lack imagination.
Congrats to the 8-12 people per game that will be able to see the field from the bar.
I realize the Sox are still serving a self-imposed ban from the top of the free agent market. But I don’t get why they couldn’t get BOTH Clevinger and Cueto on these deals. With the injury history/concerns, could it have been a reasonable plan to go with 6 and manipulate the IL like other teams do?
Selling the second veteran on fewer starts is the problem.
I did not know whether to laugh or cry. So I just stared off into the middle distance.