Power Hitters
The Chicago White Sox are going to win a lot of games using their power bats.
Navigating the White Sox lineup will be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. There are eight hitters in the White Sox lineup that have the potential to hit 20 plus home runs. Throw in the fact that they play half of their games in a hitter-friendly ballpark and we could see a better rendition of the Bomba Squad on the South Side.
Tim Anderson is not known for his power but still managed to hit 17 home runs last season. In 2018, he had a career-high 20. Anderson has managed to hit 15 or more in four of the last five seasons. The only season he did not was 2020 when he hit 10 in 49 games.
Luis Robert is a potential MVP candidate heading into the 2022 season. The 23-year-old had 13 home runs last season in just 68 games. He began to find his power stroke near the end of the season. He hit 11 during the final two months of the season.
The White Sox’s newest member, AJ Pollock, has always had solid power. While he isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of a power hitter, the 34-year-old veteran has hit 20 plus three times in his career including last season when he blasted 21.
Yoan Moncada showed everyone just how good he can be in 2019. Moncada hit 25 home runs and while he hasn’t been able to replicate those numbers since, his talent suggests he can easily return to form if he can stay healthy.
Jose Abreu is Mr. Consistency and is almost a lock to hit at least 20 home runs. He led the White Sox with 30 home runs last year and has hit 20 or more in seven of his eight seasons in the big leagues. The only year he did not was the COVID-19 2020 season when he hit 19 in just 60 games.
Yasmani Grandal was the White Sox’s most prolific power hitter last season. Grandal was second on the team with 23 home runs. He would have had more if he wasn’t bothered by knee issues at the beginning of the season and didn’t have to miss time recovering from a torn left tendon. He has hit 20 plus home runs in five of the last six seasons.
Eloy Jimenez is the White Sox’s most gifted home run hitter. Nobody has more raw power on the White Sox than him. Jimenez led all rookies with 31 home runs in 2019 before having14 in just 55 2020 games.
Gavin Sheets burst onto the scene midway through the season and cranked out 11 dingers. It will be interesting to see how pitchers adjust to him this season but 11 home runs in just 54 games are no fluke. The kid has some power. He will platoon with Andrew Vaughn depending on the pitching matchups
Andrew Vaughn was known as a power hitter in college before being drafted. In his first full professional season with the White Sox, he hit 15 home runs.
With fewer side distractions of learning how to play a new position, Vaughn should make an even greater power jump in year two. His hard-hit percentage was in the top six percent of all MLB hitters.
The White Sox have power scattered throughout the lineup from top to bottom.