3 Chicago White Sox players that will disappoint this season
The 2024 season is underway, and it started a little bit rough for the Chicago White Sox. While they got great pitching from starter Garrett Crochet, their offense wasn’t able to do much, and they couldn’t even get past second base on the base paths. It was hard to watch, folks.
The White Sox can and will do better.
This team has one of the most interesting lineups in the league. The top of the order is a strong one, with guys like Luis Robert, Jr and Eloy Jimenez. However, the bottom of the order is one of the weakest in all of baseball and will give them fits this season.
It’s with that handful of players that we will find the most disappointing players this season. There are some guys on this team, three, that are going to disappoint the White Sox, mainly with their play at the plate. We have seen some flashes of decent fielding out of the three, but their offense is potentially pretty poor and could drag the White Sox down.
Let’s look at the three players on this team who are slated to be disappointments for the White Sox this season.
Nicky Lopez
Nicky Lopez is the latest in a long line of second baseman who is trying to show the team just what he has at a spot that’s been a revolving door for years. Unfortunately for the White Sox, Lopez doesn’t bring that much stability to the position and doesn’t wield a big bat. His defense might be ok but he’s not going to be a big-time contributor in the lineup.
That’s a bummer.
Now, he could end up surprising a lot of people and could play much better than we think but, for now, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. He’s a stop-gap player who is in there to help the White Sox fill a void until someone better comes along. But as it stands right now, there isn’t anyone behind him that is a better option. Unless the Sox decide to call up shortstop Colson Montgomery and have him play second base. That’s not out of the question further down the road.
Hopefully, we are wrong about Lopez, and he plays well. But, right now, he’s poised to be one of the most disappointing players on the team in 2024.
Martin Maldonado
Martin Maldonado is on this list simply because he’s not that strong of a hitter. It appears as if he’s going to be a huge asset behind the plate but not alongside it. Maldonado is not there for his hitting anyway, he’s there more to be a catcher. Still, it’s always nice to have a catcher that can hit the ball. That’s not what you will get from Maldonado, however, and that’s disappointing.
When making this list, it was a little hard to put Maldonado on it because of the vast amount of experience that he has as a catcher. He’s been through a lot, including a World Series with the Houston Astros. He has the knowledge but the ability to do some basic baseball functions, such as hitting the ball regularly, isn’t there.
Unfortunately for Maldonado and the White Sox, he’s likely not going to improve his hitting. He’s kind of on a deal where he is a stopgap till the likes of Korey Lee is ready to come to the majors, full-time. Once Lee is ready, he’ll replace Maldonado and Max Stassi as the primary catcher in the lineup.
Kevin Pillar
Does anyone else get the feeling that Kevin Pillar might not be a long-term fit for the White Sox? Like Maldonado, Pillar just might be a stopgap player until someone else comes along to fill the spot. Someone better. Pillar was likely brought in and is playing because he’s an older guy with veteran experience. His leadership is likely important to the clubhouse dynamic. The more and better leaders the White Sox have, the better off they are.
Pillar hasn’t been known as a big-time hitter. He’s been a steady, but not spectacular player who has bounced around the league for several seasons. He’s at the tail end of his career and the White Sox are probably the last place he’s going to go.
Pillar is likely going to be a flash in the pan this year and struggle along with most of the rest of the team. He could be replaced at some point should someone else step up or if they see an opportunity to grab someone else to fill the spot. If he does last the entire season with the Sox, that would be a surprise.
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