Tony La Russa provided a Yermin Mercedes update
One of the most interesting stories from the first half of the 2021 Chicago White Sox season was Yermin Mercedes. He started the season on fire and had Mike Trout level numbers for the first six weeks of the season.
Of course, he came down a little bit but was still good for the first half. However, towards the end of that first half stint, he started to struggle which was not fun to watch at all. We can only hope that he ever gets back to where he was.
It isn’t really likely for an older rookie to become a superstar but Mercedes still might have the ability to be a good depth piece to this White Sox organization. He has proven that he can hit Major League pitching which is not an easy thing to do.
Having him in AAA to start the year with the option of calling him up to MLB at some point this year is a good idea. Tony La Russa provided an update at spring training on Mercedes and what they are doing with him to make him more versatile.
Tony La Russa provided a small update on Yermin Mercedes on Monday.
It is good to know that La Russa and Mercedes are in communication. We all remember the little spat that the two had last season which seemed to lead to Mercedes falling off. It is unclear and always will be how much that impacted his production but it is possible.
Now, it seems like Mercedes is adding left field (per La Russa’s quote) to his arsenal which is not a terrible idea. It is hard to see him playing it ever at the MLB level but it doesn’t hurt to try. If Eloy Jimenez is out there, Mercedes really can’t be much worse.
If he were to make it back to Major League Baseball, it would be for his bat. He has the ability to hit and hit well when he is feeling good about his game. He is certainly in the mix for this season but we will see if he gets another MLB opportunity.
He is easy to root for because of his showman personality. A lot of people had this guy’s back last season and probably would again this year if he was in the lineup regularly at any point. Hopefully, whatever happens, works out for both Mercedes and the White Sox.