Chicago White Sox: 3 prospects who could replace Jake Lamb
This Chicago White Sox lineup is stacked. There is no question that this team is filled to the brim with talent. There is a part of the team that is struggling, though. More specifically, Jake Lamb has been lackluster.
The Chicago White Sox should consider their Minor League prospects now.
Once an all-star for the Diamondbacks in 2017, Lamb is not the same player. He never hit higher than .263 in his career so a low batting average is expected. Lamb’s specialty is getting on base and driving the ball for a high slug percentage. He hit 29 home runs and slugged .509 in ’16. He also hit 30 home runs and slugged .487 in ’17. However, he lost his starting job in 2018 then was traded to Oakland in 2020.
With the A’s, Lamb showed promise of returning to his former all-star form. In his 49 plate appearances for them, he recorded 12 hits and four of them were doubles and three were home runs. His OPS of .882 must have caught the front office’s eyes as the White Sox signed him with the hopes that he will replicate those numbers from just a year before. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
He has been walking a ton. He has walked seven times in 31 plate appearances but his measly four hits have been frustrating. Lamb is a solid player but not for this contending team. That is especially after the injuries to Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Fortunately, some prospects have started their Triple-A season on a hot streak giving the team options. Here are three prospects who should get called up to replace Jake Lamb:
Seby Zavala
Seby Zavala is always an option as a Chicago White Sox call-up right away.
Ever since he was drafted in the 12 round by the White Sox in 2015, Seby Zavala has quietly been a solid prospect. His OPS has consistently been above .820 throughout his journey to the show but his low batting average and high strikeout rate have caused many to look over him.
In 2018 at Double-A Birmingham, Zavala had a .830 OPS. Due to a pile-up of injuries, he was called up to the White Sox in 2019 where he recorded one hit in 12 at-bats with nine strikeouts. That is not very impressive. In Triple-A Charlotte in 2019, it seemed that Zavala was on a downward trend. He finished with career worsts in many categories with a .222/.296/.471 slash and a .767 OPS. Strangely, he hit 20 home runs which were second to his career-high 21. That secret power would foreshadow what’s to come.
Maybe Zavala needed a break to step back and reassess because he hit the ground running in 2021. In 44 plate appearances, Zavala is batting a .300/.364/.675 slash with an OPS of 1.039. Of his 12 hits, three are doubles, and four are home runs. He does have 19 strikeouts but he also has eight more hits than Jake Lamb.
Adding a fourth catcher to the major league roster is odd but likely. Zavala has even started 20 games at first base in his two seasons at Triple-A Charlotte so he is not limited to catching. He was a full-time left fielder as a freshman at San Diego State but that was way back in 2014. The last time he got the call he underperformed but Zavala’s hot start as a Knight could earn him a second chance at being a White Sox.
Blake Rutherford
Blake Rutherford is having a phenomenal start as a Chicago White Sox prospect in 2021.
Once upon a time in 2017, Tommy Kahnle was the best reliever in baseball on the White Sox. The trade deadline was approaching and teams wanted him. Then on July 18, 2017, the White Sox sent Kahnle along with Todd Frazier and David Robertson to the Yankees for Blake Rutherford, a lefty named Ian Clarkin, outfield prospect Tito Polo and veteran reliever Tyler Clippard.
Clarkin is a Rockie and Polo is a Mariner. It is up to Rutherford to come through for the Sox to win the trade. Since being drafted 18th overall by the Yankees in 2016, Rutherford has slowly climbed up the minor league ladder. He started at Kannapolis after the trade. In 2018, he was promoted to Winston-Salem. He earned another promotion in ’19 to Double-A Birmingham but had his path to the show disrupted in 2020. Covid-19 shortened the MLB season but canceled the MiLB season.
A year off does not seem to have hurt Rutherford, considering he is tearing it up at Triple-A Charlotte. There is only one more promotion left and at this pace, he will earn it pretty soon.
So far, in 10 games as a Charlotte Knight, Rutherford has a .297/.381/.514 slash with an OPS of .894. In 42 plate appearances, he has 11 hits, three doubles, a triple, a home run, and eight RBIs. He is currently on a five-game hit streak and is not showing any signs of slowing down. Considering the two most significant blows to this team have been to in the outfield, it is excellent timing that he is breaking out now. Another week or two in the minors performing at this level, Rutherford could be wearing the black pinstripes very soon.
Gavin Sheets
Gavin Sheets is the hottest prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization.
In the second round of the 2017 draft, the White Sox picked a young first baseman by the name of Gavin Sheets. After hitting .293 at Winston-Salem, Sheets was promoted to Double-A Birmingham in 2018 and impressed. His average took a dip, down to .267 but he hit ten more home runs in seven more games as a Baron. His .414 slug and .759 OPS were impressive but not enough to earn an invite to the team’s alternate site in Schaumburg last season.
Recognizing the team needs, Sheets took reps in the outfield during the instructional league season. While he is in no way an everyday outfielder, he has proven himself to hold his own if he is needed. They are twelve games into the Triple-A season and Sheets has split with five games started at first base, six in right field, and one as a DH.
However, to start the season Sheets has been making headlines with his bat. In 53 plate appearances, he has 18 hits, four doubles, and three home runs with 13 RBIs. His batting slash is phenomenal at .367/.415/.633 with a 1.048 OPS. He is seeing the ball exceptionally well and could be breaking out.
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Sheets is forcing the White Sox to call him up. He made himself valuable by learning a position the team needs so platooning him every once in a while is an option. His bat is hot right now as his eight-game hit streak indicates. There is no way he can be any worse than Jake Lamb.