The Chicago White Sox have earned every bit of scrutiny and skepiticism.
The current state of the team is due largely to self-inflicted wounds. Bad ownership, bad drafting, and bad leadership in the front office, along with in the clubhouse, have led to everything just being bad when it comes to White Sox baseball.
Still, it does not mean the root cause of all the team's problems can be traced back to the organization.
You can hate Jerry Reinsdorf's lack of major spending or Chris Getz being overpromoted to the general manager job. At the same time, those two are not literally stepping into the batter's box or toeing the rubber trying to get outs.
They are running out talent-deficient rosters, but at the same time, guys like Jacob Amaya, Lenyn Sosa, and Nick Maton are getting playing time and should maximize the opportunity that not many other teams would give them.
While those guys likely should not be playing at the big-league level, they are here and have a duty to prove why they should be in the show.
So, if they fail, it is not all on the organization because they have an obligation to their careers to maximize their rare opportunity.
That is why three players are no longer worth defending for their struggles.
No, it is not Amaya, Sosa, or Maton.
Instead, it is a former first-round pick who has never lived up to the expectations of being taken No. 3 overall. The other is a former All-Star who is off to a slow start.
The third is a pitcher that only the White Sox still seem to think is a big-league pitcher, yet there is a portion of the fan base that treats him like a sacred cow.
Andrew Vaughn
Every single White Sox starting positional player got a hit except Vaughn on Friday's fun 11-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. He also went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in yesterday's 3-2 walkoff victory.
He has literally contributed nothing to the White Sox stunning the Red Sox for a series victory with the chance to sweep on Sunday.
He is off to another terrible start, much like he had in 2024. This one might be his worst start yet as his average is close to dipping below .100.
Vaughn has been nothing more than a replacement-level player since debuting in 2021. If he were a 10th-round pick, his current career fWAR being a tick under zero would not be a big deal.
He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft during a period when the team was tanking on purpose to get high draft picks to acquire impact players.
Vaughn's only impact has been that the team keeps losing ever since he became the regular first baseman.
Those who still think Vaughn can be something more than average love to point out that he was rushed to the big leagues.
Vaughn played in just 54 minor-league games before making the 2021 Opening Day roster. Those 54 games came in 2019 since the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season for the minor leagues.
The defenders also point out that he was asked to play the outfield during his first two seasons.
However, he has been the everyday first baseman since 2023 and has played in 575 MLB games. That has been more than enough time to figure out how to be a consistent above-replacement-level player by now.
Going to Triple-A is not going to suddenly shake Vaughn out of his slump, as it might be time to realize he is just not an impact player.