Chicago White Sox: Internal second base options
Chicago White Sox. Danny Mendick. 2. player. 128. . IF
The 26-year-old really had fallen off the radar up until last season when he reached the majors and impressed in the season’s final month.
Over 16 games, Danny Mendick hit .308/.325/.462 with two homers and four RBI to give himself a 108 wRC+ and 0.2 fWAR
Defensively, he moved around the infield as he played second base, shortstop, and third base.
If the team went with Mendick, they would be picking a player who is more likely suited for a utility-infield role going forward, but might be able to give them a short stretch of success to start the season.
The White Sox would need to be very careful about overexposure for Mendick, though, as it’s likely pitchers will figure him out if used every day for a large portion of the season.
There’s no doubt that he deserves a chance to break camp with the team as the team’s starting second baseman, but his 109 wRC+ over 133 minor league games in 2019 suggest that his offensive ceiling is limited.
Chicago will boast a strong lineup in 2020 which gives them the ability to not worry so much about a weak link at the bottom of the lineup early on.
But, as the season progresses, injuries could turn one weak link into three very quickly so the team might not want to rely on Mendick for too long of a stretch this season.