5 options for the Chicago White Sox designated hitter role
The 2022 Major League Baseball season is upon us as spring training is winding down. The Chicago White Sox have had a mixed back of success and failure during this period but it is spring training so nothing counts right?
One thing that spring training does do is help prepare players for the upcoming season. It also gives managers time to look at their roster and make decisions.
One of the biggest decisions that the White Sox will have to make prior to the season is choosing who is going to occupy the designated hitter’s spot in the lineup. There are several possibilities and we will take a look at those players that could fill that position for the 2022 season.
Looking at the roster, there are essentially five players that the Sox could rotate through the DH position. There are some players that are not regular starters in the mix. There are also some starters that the White Sox could use to help man the position this season.
The Chicago White Sox needs good players to be designated hitters this season.
One thing is for sure, the White Sox will not use just one player at the designated hitter position. There are multiple different players that could fill that role while also contributing some defense throughout the course of the 2022 MLB season.
The following is a look at some of the players that could be utilized in the designated hitter role in 2022 for the White Sox. How has their spring training been going? Can they fit in as the DH for the entire season on a World Series contender? We will find out.
The Chicago White Sox has two guys that can make the DH spot work well.
Gavin Sheets
Sheets is a promising prospect that has seen some time in the majors. His spring has been solid as he’s been up to bat 24 times and has six hits with three RBIs. His slash line through this Tuesday is .286/.375/.381.
Sheets had a decent showing last year coming in with a slash line of .250/.324/.506. He can crush the ball on a regular basis. He hit 11 home runs in 2021 to prove it. He just might be the White Sox’s top choice to play DH a majority of the time this season.
Andrew Vaughn
Vaughn’s position on the team is somewhat unsettled in terms of what position he will play. He can play first, third, or in the outfield. He’s kind of becoming a jack of all trades. I would suspect that when he’s not in the defensive lineup, Vaughn will be part of the designated hitter rotation the Sox put together.
So far, through Tuesday’s spring training games, he has a slash line of .467/.529/.667. Last season, he put together a slash line of .235/.309./396. Could he be a part of the answer at the designated hitter position for the Sox? Right now, Vaughn is suffering from a hip pointer and will be out till the start of the season.
There are sleepers to end up being the Chicago White Sox designated hitter.
Jake Burger
Jake Burger got a chance to play a little Major League Baseball last season. His slash line for the 2021 season in the majors was .263/.333/.807 on 42 plate appearances. This spring, Burger has made 19 plate appearances and has a line of .278/.316/.556.
Burger is a powerful hitter that can send the ball out of the stadium but is he consistent enough to be a solid DH? Maybe in a rotation, he would be. Burger is suffering from some left ankle soreness at this time.
Micker Adolfo
Micker Adolfo has had one hot spring training start and is someone that everyone is talking about. Is it possible he could end up being a mainstay at the designated hitter position? His stats are solid.
With 14 at-bats, he has a slash line of .500/.529/1.529. His excellent spring training play may propel him to the major league roster and set him in as a DH. If anything, the Sox know that they can call upon him out of camp should they feel he can contribute right away. He is out of MiLB options so that changes things up for him.
Yoelqui Cespedes
This may seem like a long shot but it’s possible that Cespedes could step into the role of DH. Maybe it will not right away but in the near future. He’s been solid in spring training slashing .263/.263/.895 in 19 at-bats.
Cespedes might not be ready to go this year but you can bet that he will be ready in the future and will contribute somewhere on this team whether it be at DH or somewhere else.
The White Sox, like any other team in the league, will rotate some regulars through the DH position from time to time as well.
Guys that are likely to see action there, this year, include Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu, and Yasmani Grandal. Any of those three would be great at DH. Look for them to be in this role periodically throughout the season.
Related Story. The White Sox acquired an outfielder on Tuesday. light