The Chicago White Sox have started calling up their prospects and allowing more of their youth to play, with Chase Meidroth being the first to debut, which came on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox.
Meidroth should signal the beginning of the White Sox embracing calling up more of their “MLB-ready” prospects and allowing them to sink or swim, as there’s no better time than the present.
A few lesser-known names in the White Sox system, like Tim Elko, Andre Lipcius, and Wilfred Veras, should be considered to be called up to the big leagues, as they’re all off to hot starts and could help further continue the White Sox successful run at the plate.
The Chicago White Sox should consider a change at first.
Andrew Vaughn’s offensive struggles are glaring and can’t be ignored any longer, and a permanent solution for a long-term option at first base needs to be found.
That option for the White Sox lies internally, as they have a player by the name of Tim Elko raking down at Triple-A Charlotte and deserves a chance to showcase his talents at the major league level.
Elko is hitting .366 and has an OPS of .923 with the Charlotte Knights, while Vaughn is barely hitting above .100 and has an OPS of .374, which will not get things down when he plays the power position of first base.
Vaughn has all three of his minor-league options still available, and sending him down to allow him to fix his swing and figure things out could benefit him and the Sox in the long run.
More depth for the infield.
Lipcius could provide the White Sox with more infield depth as that’s the one area they are rather deep in.
Down with the Knights, Lipcius is the leader in RBI (11) and home runs (3) and is slashing .333/.391/.810 for an OPS of 1.201 in six games.
Lipcius does offer versatility as he can play both corner infield spots and second base. Vaughn doesn’t just have to worry about Elko coming for his job, but Lipcius as well as he could be an option.
Both could provide higher upside and be cheaper options than Vaughn, who is close to $6 million.
Miguel Vargas has gotten the line share of starts at third base and is not hitting at all after having a promising spring. Lipcius could provide a boost over at third since this is the third straight season of Vargas having an average under .200.
Another option for the outfield.
Wilfred Veras could be another option for the outfield, as the White Sox have dealt with a few injuries in that department.
Veras is the Sox’s 29th-ranked prospect and is doing well with the Birmingham Barons. In six games with the Barons, Veras is hitting .308/.400/.385 for an OPS of .785.
The 22-year-old comes from a good baseball family, as he is related to the Tatis, who aren’t bad big leaguers in their own right.
With the outfield being the weakest part of the White Sox roster to open the season, giving someone like Veras a chance to showcase his abilities could unlock a diamond-in-the-rough type of player.
Embracing the youth.
All three deserve a shot to show what they can do, and since the White Sox are going to be one of the worst teams in baseball, it doesn’t make sense to wait any longer.
If the White Sox aren’t going to utilize these prospects, then other teams will, as they can’t hide them down on the farm forever.