This is the perfect Chicago White Sox lineup with Josh Harrison
The Chicago White Sox 2022 Opening Day lineup will look much different than it did a year ago. When the White Sox took the field against the Los Angeles Angels last April, Tony La Russa’s first regular-season lineup looked like this:
1 Tim Anderson – SS
2 Adam Eaton – RF
3 Jose Abreu – 1B
4 Yoan Moncada – 3B
5 Yasmani Grandal – C
6 Leury Garcia – LF
7 Luis Robert – CF
8 Zach Collins – DH
9 Nick Madrigal – 2B
Adam Eaton was DFAed in July and Nick Madrigal was traded in August. After an explosive 2020 season, the White Sox offense fell back slightly in 2021.
As a team they batted .256 collectively which ranked 5th in the MLB. They also scored 796 runs which was the seventh-highest total in the MLB. However, their 190 home runs placed them at 19th in the league.
The White Sox will presumably have a healthy Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert inserted into the lineup for a full season which should help the power numbers. They will also be joined by a fresh new face.
The Chicago White Sox will have a slightly different lineup for the 2022 season.
On Saturday, the White Sox agreed to a one-year deal with a 2023 club option with Josh Harrison. Harrison is the front runner to be the White Sox starting second baseman. Hopefully, there are more moves to follow specifically an upgrade in right field.
However, if there is not the White Sox still boasts a very deep lineup. They have a good combination of power and speed across the board. Anytime you have a batting champion and former MVP in the same lineup you are usually in pretty good shape.
Here is the ideal White Sox lineup with Josh Harrison inserted in it:
1. Tim Anderson SS
Tim Anderson will be the perfect Chicago White Sox leading hitter in 2022.
Tim Anderson is the ultimate table-setter for the White Sox. When he missed time last season, his absence from the lineup was felt across the board. The MLB average for leadoff men in 2021 was 262/.332/.431, with a .763 OPS. Tim Anderson’s slash line as a leadoff man was .309/.338/.469 with a .807 OPS.
What Tim Anderson provides at the leadoff spot is a spark plug for the rest of the offense. He hits for a high average. He won the batting title in 2019 and finished second in 2020. During that stretch, he owned a .331 batting average.
He is a threat on the base paths. Anderson led the White Sox in stolen bases in 2021 with 18.
Finally, if you make a mistake he can take you deep. The Cleveland Guardians learned that the hard way when Anderson went yard twice on September 23rd during the White Sox division-clinching victory.
In 2020 he slashed .361/.384/.651 with five home runs when leading off an inning. He was also tied for second in the American League with three leadoff home runs.
Having him in the leadoff spot is a no-brainer.
2. Yoan Moncada 3B
The Chicago White Sox are lucky to have Yoan Moncada in their lineup.
Moncada moved around the lineup last year but when it mattered most Tony La Russa had him in the number two-hole. That’s where Moncada batted in Game 4 of the ALDS and that’s likely where he will stay on Opening Day.
Moncada has all the tools to be the most versatile hitter in the White Sox lineup. He also presents a matchup nightmare. His 70 home runs in a White Sox uniform are the third-highest total by a switch hitter in franchise history. On July 3rd, he homered from both sides of the plate against the Detroit Tigers, becoming just the eighth player in franchise history to do so.
Moncada’s best offensive season came in 2019. He slashed .315/.367/.548. His 25 home runs and 79 RBIs remain his career highs. He also had the 10th best offensive WAR in the AL in a 5.0 mark. While his production tailed off in 2020, due to his struggles with COVID-19, he unlocked another element to his game in 2021.
His patience at the plate was superb. Moncada drew 84 walks. He set a career-high in OPS with a .375 OPS and had the third-highest total in the American League. Moncada’s .375 OPS also placed him .050 points above the MLB average.
His ability to drive the ball and draw walks make him an ideal hitter to have at the top of your lineup. Moncada keeps the line moving.
3. Luis Robert CF
Luis Robert is probably already the best player on the Chicago White Sox.
Luis Robert has been the talk of White Sox camp at the beginning of spring training. Robert has also been drawing plenty of MVP buzz. A good manager usually wants his best hitter in the top three of the batting order. Robert fits the bill.
He can hit a rope down the line in one plate appearance, then blast a 400 foot home run the next. Robert was beginning to settle into a groove at the end of the 2021 season. During his final 43 games of the season, he had 12 home runs, 31 RBIs, and slashed .350/.389/.622.
These totals could have been even higher had he not suffered a right hip flexor tear on May 2nd. That injury cost him a good chunk of the season.
However, he made up for the lost time in the postseason going 7-for-15 in the ALDS. He was one of the few bright spots on offense for the South Siders.
La Pantera has been doing this ever since he joined the big league club. In 2020 he owned the highest home run exit velocity in the league at 109.2 mph. He also led all MLB rookies in RBIs (31), game-winning RBIs (5), and stolen bases.
Fingers crossed that 2022 fans will finally get to see Luis Robert play a full season and unleash his offensive potential.
4. Jose Abreu 1B
Jose Abreu is one of the best players in the history of the Chicago White Sox.
The cleanup spot is all about driving in runs. Nobody does that better on the White Sox than Jose Abreu. One could argue nobody in the MLB does it better than Abreu.
Abreu has been a staple of the middle of the White Sox lineup since 2014. All he has done is produce runs. Since 2014 Abreu, has driven in 788 runs. During that span, that is the second-most in the MLB behind only Nolan Arendano.
Abreu drove in 117 runs in 2021. That marks the sixth time he has posted over 100 RBIs in a single season. One of the only seasons he didn’t was in 2020 due to the shortened 60 game regular season. However that year, Abreu led the MLB with 60 RBIs en route to winning American League MVP.
He also led the AL in hits, slugging percentage, total bases, extra-base hits, multi-hit games, and WAR. Meanwhile, his 19 home runs and .317 average were good enough for second and fourth respectably.
Abreu has been the best hitter on the White Sox for a long time. He is as consistent as they come and a constant professional. There is a reason his number will eventually be hanging over Guaranteed Rate Field. It is the same reason he will be batting cleanup for this championship-caliber squad.
5. Yasmani Grandal C
Yasmani Grandal is the perfect catcher for the Chicago White Sox right now.
After Jose Abreu clears the base paths and drives in all the runs somebody needs to get another rally started. That is why Yasmani Grandal slots in perfectly at the five spot in the order.
Grandal does not hit for average. But when he can do is get on base and hit home runs at a high clip.
Grandal led the White Sox with a 23.2 walk rate. His 87 walks led the White Sox and were seventh in the MLB, despite the fact that he only played in 93 games due to injury. He also owned a stellar .940 OPS
The White Sox also averaged the most runs per inning when Yasmani Grandal was leading off. His lack of speed and high strikeout rate makes it hard to justify him batting first in the order, which is why the fifth spot is the best role for him.
He can serve as a second table-setter while also being able to dish out power in the middle of the lineup. He hit 23 home runs which ranked second on the team. That total would have been higher had he not been hampered by knee problems.
He was beginning to heat up in September. He batted .320 with a .470 OBP. If he can carry that over to 2022, the White Sox lineup will be very difficult for opposing pitchers to navigate.
6. Eloy Jimenez LF
The Chicago White Sox needs Eloy Jimenez to dominate at the plate in 2022.
In most lineups, Eloy Jimenez would be batting third or fourth. This showcases just how deep the White Sox lineup is.
Jimenez missed the first half of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. It limited him to just 55 games. However, Jimenez still managed to hit 10 home runs and drive home 37 RBIs. Given a full healthy season, there is no telling what Jimenez can do.
In 2020, he won his first Silver Slugger Award becoming the youngest White Sox player to ever receive the award. Jimenez ranked first in the AL in multi-hit games with 21. He also ranked second on the team behind AL MVP, Jose Abreu in home runs (14), doubles (14), RBIs (41), and slugging percentage (.559). He also had a career-high .296 batting average and a .559 slugging percentage.
During his rookie season in 2019, he led all AL rookies in home runs with 31 as well as RBIs (79) and total bases (240). In doing so he became just the first rookie since 1988 to hit 30 plus homers in a season.
Jimenez has the rawest power out of anyone in the lineup. He has had his share of injuries but if he can stay healthy it is easy to imagine his name near the top of the home run leaders next season.
7. Andrew Vaughn DH
Andrew Vaughn is going to be an elite Chicago White Sox hitter one day.
This slot can easily go to Gavin Sheets. There is a good chance the two platoon at DH in 2022 given Vaugh’s struggles against righties and Sheets struggles against lefties.
However, because Vaughn is a former third overall pick, he gets the nod in the Opening Day lineup. Heading into the 2021 season, he was the No. 1 overall power hitter in the White Sox farm system according to Baseball America.
There is a reason Vaughn was selected so high in the draft. He was named the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award winner in 2018 and then honored as a finalist in 2019. He is just the 17th athlete to ever accomplish this feat.
Vaughn had a difficult task last season. He only had 55 minor league games under his belt until he was thrust into the White Sox lineup. He was unable to play in a competitive game the year before due to COVID-19.
His job was made even tougher when Eloy Jimenez got injured late in Spring Training forcing Vaughn to learn an entirely new position while simultaneously learning how to adjust to major league pitching.
Vaughn did a respectable job overall. He batted just .235 but managed to hit 15 home runs. There is a reason for optimism heading into 2022. Vaughn averaged a 91.1 mph exit velocity. That was good enough for the 82nd percentile in the MLB.
His max exit velocity was 115 mph which ranked in the top six percentile in the MLB. His hard-hit percentage was 47.3 which once again placed him in the upper echelon of major league hitters. Look for Vaughn to have a breakout 2022 campaign.
8. Josh Harrison 2B
Josh Harrison will make a great Chicago White Sox eight hitter once the season starts.
The newest member of the White Sox helps round out the bottom of the order. Josh Harrison, is a two-time All-Star but at the age of 34, his best years are behind him. However, his bat-on-ball skills have not escaped the 11-year vet.
His career batting average is .274. He is coming off a good 2021 campaign at the plate that saw him slash .279/.341/.400. Most of this was due to the blazing start he got off to with the Washington Nationals. In 90 games he was hitting at a .294 clip.
He was dealt to the Athletics before the trade deadline and cooled off a bit. He managed to finish the season with 43 extra-base hits and eight home runs.
Harrison was once a stud with the Pirates. In 2014, he finished ninth in the MVP voting after batting .315. He returned to the All-Star game in 2017 and finished the season with a career-high 16 home runs.
The current that the White Sox are getting is a slightly better version of Leury Garcia. There is nothing wrong with that from your eight-hitter. Harrison can put the ball in play and steal a bag or two if necessary. With all the power that the White Sox has in the lineup, he is a change of pace to help balance out the order.
9. Adam Engel RF
The Chicago White Sox needs a good nine-hitter and it could be Adam Engel.
If the White Sox does not add a right fielder, in free agency then Adam Engel will be rounding out the order in the nine-spot.
Engel has developed into a solid hitter after struggling early in his career. Engel’s batting average increased from .235 to .242 from 2018 to 2019. In 2020 it jumped all the way up to .295. He also became the first player in franchise history to homer in his first postseason at-bat.
Engel has added some power to his game. He hit seven home runs in 2021 and owned a .832 OPS. That may not seem like much but, like many other players in the White Sox lineup, he battled injures. He was limited to just 123 plate appearances in 39 games.
He has some speed in his game. In 2018 he ranked second on the White Sox with 18 stolen bases. Most White Sox fans would prefer to see someone else manning right field in 2022. However, you can do a lot worse than a healthy Adam Engel.
Engel isn’t known for his offensive prowess. But what he does give the White Sox is elite defense. In 2018, the high-flying Engel robbed three home runs in August. He was named MLB Defensive Player of the Month for his efforts. His range and speed make him an above-average defender.