Chicago White Sox: 5 underrated heroes of the 2021 season
The Chicago White Sox are one of the best teams in baseball. They are 72-54 and 9.0 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Central. The team is finally starting to get healthy and is gearing up for a postseason run.
There are plenty of players to thank for this. Lance Lynn and Carlos Rodon are Cy-Young candidates and each represented the White Sox in the All-Star game. Lynn boasts the best ERA in the American League and also leads the team in wins.
The back end of the rotation has been solid as well. Dylan Cease leads the team in strikeouts while Lucas Giolito has been his usual productive self.
In the bullpen, Liam Hendriks leads the American League in saves and also recorded a save in the All-Star game. The White Sox have also benefitted from flame-throwing super weapons Micheal Kopech and Garrett Crochet.
The Chicago White Sox have needed big help from everyone so far in 2021.
On offense, the 2020 MVP Jose Abreu leads the team in home runs (25), RBI (92), slugging percentage (.479), and OPS (.814). The sparkplug for the offense has been Tim Anderson who leads the squad in batting average (.303), stolen bases (17), runs scored (78), hits (135), and doubles (24). Anderson was rewarded with a trip to the All-Star Game as well.
Yoan Moncada has also played an intricate part in the offense, leading the way with a .372 on-base percentage. While production from their stars players is great to see, the White Sox would not be where they are in the standings without some unsung heroes. Here are the five underrated heroes of the 2021 season so far:
Andrew Vaughn of the Chicago White Sox might be a Rookie of the Year guy.
Considering the circumstances, Andrew Vaughn does not get enough credit for what he has done for the White Sox this season. With just 55 minor league games under his belt, Vaughn was expected to step up and be the designated hitter for the Major League club entering spring training.
Adjusting to Major League hitting with such limited Minor League experience is challenging enough for a rookie. Then unforeseen circumstances made his job even tougher. When Eloy Jimenez went down with an injury, the White Sox asked Vaughn to play left field despite never playing in the outfield before.
Despite learning to play an entirely new position while simultaneously learning how to hit in the big leagues, Vaughn has thrived in left field. He has turned himself into an above-average defender with a highlight reel filled with multiple diving catches and a home run robbery. Vaughn has recorded 118 putouts in left along with two outfield assists.
Not only has Vaughn been a great left fielder but he has been a versatile defender. Tony La Russa has played him across the diamond. The 23-year old has seen nine games in right field, twelve at first base, one at second base, and one at third base.
Oh yeah, he is getting it done at the dish as well. The rookie is hitting .260 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs to go along with a respectable .783 OPS. Vaughn hits the ball hard and has come up big in some clutch moments.
He hit a game-tying home run off Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning on May 23rd and hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals a day later. On June 8th, he hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In his next at-bat, he hit a go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. Vaughn has gone above and beyond what has been asked of him and will play a critical role for the White Sox in October.
Reynaldo Lopez has been shockingly great for the Chicago White Sox this year.
Getting assigned a spot start the day of a doubleheader is not easy. Neither is spending a season in Triple-A after pitching three seasons in the Major Leagues. But that is exactly what Reynaldo Lopez has had to do this season. The former top number four prospect in the organization has revitalized his career.
After throwing two scoreless innings of mop-up duty three days prior, he was called upon to start on July 19th to start the second game of a doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins. Lopez took his opportunity and ran with it. The White Sox have used him as a reliever and a spot starter and he has thrived in each role.
In 14 innings as a reliever, he has only allowed three runs. His best performance came against Cleveland on August 1st, when he tossed three scoreless innings and struck out four. When Cy-Young candidate Carlos Rodon went down with an injury Lopez was thrust into the fifth starter role.
He has filled in admirably for Carlos. On August 17th, he fired five scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and punching out four Oakland A’s. He earned the win for his efforts. Even when Rodon returns, Lopez has carved out a nice role for himself on the playoff roster.
Entering his start against Tampa Bay, he was working on a scoreless streak at 10 2/3 innings. Through 29 innings this season Lopez has posted a 1.86 ERA. That is a complete 180 from his 7.62 ERA in Charlotte this season. Ultimately, look for him to be a long reliever for the rest of the season. Nine of his 12 outings have lasted multiple innings. That is a useful tool waiting in the bullpen, especially if one of the starters needs a quick hook in the playoffs.
Seby Zavala has been much-needed injury relief for the 2021 Chicago White Sox.
When Seby Zavala was called up from Triple-A Charlotte he was batting just .178. It left many scratching their heads as to why Yermin Mercedes wasn’t called up to fill in for the injured Yasmani Grandal. Zavala quickly showed why he got the call.
After his first game in the year in Minnesota, Lance Lynn praised the work Zavala did behind the plate. Even though they have never worked together, Lynn said “he was on top of things, knew exactly what I like to do, how I like to do it and we had no issues.” This was a sign of things to come as Zavala has done an excellent job defensively behind home plate.
Zavala later thrilled White Sox fans with a three-home run performance against the Cleveland Indians that included his first Major League home run and a grand slam. Zavala became the first White Sox catcher to record a three-homer game. Since then, he has tacked on two more bombs to bring his home run total to five on the season.
With the way he has handled the pitching staff this little bit of pop he is showing offensively may be enough to take Zack Collins’s job when Yasmani Grandal returns. He has already seen the majority of time behind the plate since Grandal’s injury.
Regardless, Zavala should be commended for holding down the fort while Grandal was out. It is not easy to adjust to big-league pitching while simultaneously handling the best rotation in baseball.
Yermin Mercedes was amazing early on in the season for the Chicago White Sox.
Early in the season, the White Sox needed some to step up and help Jose Abreu shoulder the load offensively. They got help from an unlikely source, a third a string journeyman that had bounced between the Minor Leagues and Independent ball named Yermin Mercedes.
Mercedes turned into the full-time designated hitter and became an instant sensation. He won American League Rookie of the Month after his historic start to the season. The 28-year-old rookie opened the season going 8-for-8 then finished the month slashing .415/.455/.659. At one point, he was leading the Major Leagues in batting average.
Mercedes wasn’t even supposed to be the full-time DH. Jake Lamb was signed to serve as a platoon player at DH but Yermin Mercedes was hitting so well that Tony La Russa kept putting him in the lineup.
Mercedes became a fan favorite across baseball as well. He was affectionately nicknamed “The Yerminator”. A burger named after him was sold at a southside restaurant and Yerminator t-shirts were sold across the ballpark. In Denver, there were billboards of Major League Baseball stars throughout the airport and Yermin Mercedes was among them. He was the story of baseball.
Eventually, Mercedes fell into a slump. He briefly ended it with a walk-off single in a wild 9-8 victory over the Detroit Tigers in June before being sent down later that month. But his impact cannot be denied. Mercedes was the spark plug for the offense early in the season.
When Yermin Mercedes was sent down, even general manager Rick Hahn acknowledged that the White Sox wouldn’t be where they are in the first place without him. Because of injuries at that point, the White Sox needed someone with more defensive versatility. Don’t be surprised if you see him back in September.
Brian Goodwin has earned his way with the Chicago White Sox this season.
Brain Goodwin was picked up off of the scrap heap from the Chicago White Sox. After being released by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the White Sox signed him to a Minor League contract. He returned the favor by notching two hits, including a home run, five RBIs, and a walk in his first game with the White Sox.
Goodwin became the first player in White Sox history to record five RBIs in their team debut. Since that game, he has been a valuable member of the White Sox outfield. When Billy Hamilton and Adam Engel were hurt, Goodwin took over duties in centerfield. Goodwin has also served as an above-average defender in right field.
Goodwin has also provided some electric moments at the plate. On August 1st, he unleashed an epic bat flip after launching a walk-off home run against the Cleveland Indians. A few days later he hit a home run in extra innings at Wrigley Field against the Cubs to lead off the 10th inning.
His left-handed bat has been a breath of fresh air for a lineup full of righties. He has seven home runs and a .729 OPS. For a team that was riddled with injuries to their outfielders, Goodwin was a key piece in helping keep the team afloat.
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