Chicago White Sox: Three crucial role players for 2020

2. Leury Garcia

Leury Garcia is the only player on this list that was expected to have a pretty noteworthy role to begin with as a jack-of-all-trades player.

Garcia, 29, is set to start the season as the Chicago White Sox’s second baseman, with Nick Madrigal beginning the year in Triple-A Charlotte.

The Chicago White Sox are going to need him to do more than just “hold down the fort” at the keystone with a condensed schedule, though.

In all likelihood, the organization is going to need him to move around the diamond on a consistent basis to spot players that need rest.

Now, the fact that most of their players are young works in their favor since they are less likely to get injured by playing a lot and probably won’t get tired from over-usage early on.

However, younger players also have to adjust to playing an entire MLB season, and a condensed schedule certainly could lead to fatigue during August and September.

Garcia, in turn, is either going to be crucial in giving younger players like Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez rest in those months, or spotting them on a more regular basis throughout the year.

His ability to move all over the diamond is very valuable for the organization and his role is going to extend far beyond being a temporary solution at second base in 2020.