2 hitters who could fix the Chicago White Sox offense in 2024
The Chicago White Sox can add these two hitters to their lineup in 2024.
Not much went right for the Chicago White Sox in 2023. The team lost 101 games and the offense was abysmal for much of the season. Only five teams finished with a worse team batting average than the White Sox, and no team had a worse collective on-base percentage.
Heading into the 2024 season, it's hard to see where the lineup has improved. The team has added Max Stassi, Martin Maldonado, Paul DeJong, and Nicky Lopez, none of whom inspire much confidence with the bat.
However, there are a few options out there that would help the offense for 2024. One of these players is already in the organization, and the other is still available in free agency.
Colson Montgomery
There is perhaps no better internal option than Colson Montgomery. Montgomery is the No. 9 prospect in baseball and has earned comparisons to Corey Seager as a lefty-hitting shortstop with pop.
Montgomery has posted respectable numbers at each of his stops in the minors thus far and had an impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League. Montgomery earned Most Valuable Player at the Fall Stars Game this offseason and appears ready to take the next step.
Paul DeJong will likely get the starts against left-handed pitchers, but Montgomery should see the bulk of the at-bats against righties. If Montgomery is ready to begin the 2024 season, there may be no drop-off offensively at the position even after losing Tim Anderson.
Whit Merrifield
Whit Merrifield has a ton of experience in the infield and outfield, but for this exercise, I'm considering him for right field. The White Sox currently have Oscar Colas and Gavin Sheets as RF options, but both are lefties and neither have shown consistency to this point. Enter Merrifield.
The Royals-White Sox coaching and front-office connections cannot be ignored here. Several people in the Sox front office are familiar with Merrifield and may love to bring in the veteran. Merrifield just turned 35 but is fresh off another All-Star selection with the Toronto Blue Jays. Merrifield slashed a respectable .272/.318/.382 in 2023 and appears to have plenty of juice left.
If the Sox want to increase the floor of their offensive production, Merrifield should be called. His veteran leadership can also be a help for a team that can play young players this season. At the very least, he's able to guide some of the prospects that will eventually come up.