Chicago White Sox: 3 prospects that have made an impact this season
As the 2021 season carries on and gets set to draw to a close, the time has come to analyze this Chicago White Sox roster for what it is. Though the mainstays are ever important to the immediate success of the ballclub, there have been several prospects that have had the opportunity to leave their mark and show they too have value.
With the team currently struggling to close out the AL Central, key contributions from everybody are needed and it will be all hands on deck moving forward. With the magic number now just two, the Sox can clinch as early as today if they win and the Cleveland Indians lose. Hopefully, the Kansas City Royals do their job and beat Cleveland so the Sox can button this thing up once and for all before looking ahead to October.
However, the Sox will need to know who can be a contributor or not. They already know they can count on the main guys, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, and Tim Anderson. But what about the younger guys that can still be considered prospects? It is just as important for them to perform at the highest level now more than ever.
The Chicago White Sox have had some awesome rookies throughout this season.
Due to injuries, the Sox have had the luxury of seeing what some of their farm can bring to the table. Having a solid team is incredibly important but it’s also just as important to know that there is plenty more where it came from should players need to be called upon for a big spot. Therefore, let’s take a look at 3 prospects who have made a splash this year, showing promise, and can be utilized moving forward:
player. 128. . DH. Chicago White Sox. Yermin Mercedes. 73
The Chicago White Sox had so much success with Yermin Mercedes early this year.
After starting his 2021 season going 8-8, Yermin Mercedes quickly put himself on the map and showed that he was big-league ready. Mercedes would go on to bat an incredible .415 between March and April over 88 plate appearances before finally cooling off in May where he would bat .221 over his next 95 at-bats. The White Sox were one of the best teams in Major League Baseball while he was up there dominating the way that he was.
On July 2nd, Mercedes was optioned back to Triple-A Charlotte where he is currently slashing .275/.318/.464 with 11 hr and 29 driven in. Now 28 years old, Mercedes has been playing more first base at the Triple-A level, ultimately helping a Sox roster add depth if need be as he can play both first base and catcher.
With Zach Collins currently only slashing .205/.326/.335, it begs the question of how long it will be before Mercedes gets another shot in the big leagues. Even when slumping, Mercedes was putting up better numbers and the White Sox can ill-afford to have any lack of production offensively moving into the postseason. If they wanted to call someone up soon, Mercedes would be an okay option.
Andrew Vaughn. 25. player. 128. . 1B/OF. Chicago White Sox
Andrew Vaughn is one of the best rookies the Chicago White Sox have ever had.
Currently, on the 10-day IL with lower back inflammation, Andrew Vaughn will look to come back strong to the lineup after struggling as of late. Vaughn started strong during the year and showed signs of his sky-high potential. Most notably, against left-handers pitchers, Vaughn has been awesome. In Chicago against LHP, he has a nice slash of .291/.426/.709 with a .418 ISO 202 wRC+.
Vaughn’s hottest month came in July where he batted .308 with 4 HR and 12 RBI on 91 at bats, recording 28 hits in the process. Unfortunately, Vaughn has only batted .219 in the 2nd half and you have to wonder how much his recent back issues have hindered his ability at the plate. Either way, Vaughn has been a fine player to keep on the 40 man roster at the very least, especially at home where he bats .263 vs .219 on the road.
Vaughn’s injury does come at a particularly bad time for a club that has been struggling as of late. The magic number for the White Sox is down to two but now is the time to stay healthy if the White Sox will indeed make a deep postseason run. Andrew Vaughn figures to be an important piece of the postseason roster come October.
1B/OF. Chicago White Sox. Gavin Sheets. 32. player. 128.
The Chicago White Sox have seen Gavin Sheets grow into a very good player.
After slashing an above-average .295/.362/.507 across in 254 plate appearances at the Triple-A level to go along with 11 hr and 46 RBI, Gavin Sheets was called up to the big league club originally in June and then called up again on September first when rosters expanded. Across four seasons in the minors, Sheets has slashed .282/.359/.425 and looks to be a key contributor moving forward.
Upon being called up again, Sheets had a nice moment, smashing two home runs in his first day back to the big league club. Though currently only batting .233, Sheets is somebody you can plug in against righties where he slashes .248/.336/.547 and has a nice ISO of .299 and wRC+ of 133.
Sheets still has three options left so it will be interesting to see what the White Sox do come postseason time. They currently have some tuning up to do as they struggle to complete the clinch of the AL Central against teams they should be beating.
If anything, the Sox have some good trade pieces they can utilize moving forward should they use these guys to go that route. However, it would be nice to see Rick Rahn keep the farm somewhat intact to keep the competitive window open as long as possible. This postseason figures to be a good one as the White Sox look to make a deep run into October.
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