Chicago White Sox: 2022 player grade for Gavin Sheets

The Chicago White Sox have had a very interesting time with Gavin Sheets over the past two years. No matter how it ends, he has exceeded the expectations that were on him when he was still a prospect in the system.

Sheets came into 2021 just hoping to make an impact in AAA. Well, he was so good that he earned a call-up to Major League Baseball. Eventually, he got to stick around and ended up making the playoff roster. He was one of the best players in that ALDS series against the Houston Astros.

At the beginning of the 2022 season, he struggled. It got so bad that the White Sox sent him down to AAA once again for him to find his swing. Eventually, he started crushing again down there and was good enough to get called back up.

He didn't need to go back down to AAA once he was up. Few people take that type of criticism well enough to learn from it and get better. He certainly did that as he was a great power hitter for the White Sox throughout the second half of the year.

Sheets provided power from the left side of the plate which is something that the White Sox desperately need more of (even with Sheets in the mix).

In 124 games played for the White Sox, Sheets slashed .241/.295/.411 for an OPS of .706. He hit 15 home runs and had 53 RBIs with 34 runs scored. Again, there is room to improve but he really didn't get going until the second half of the year and closer to the playoffs.

Sheets had a negative WAR of -0.5 which was the result of some very bad defense in the outfield. He is a first baseman/designated hitter that has no business playing in the outfield but the White Sox have a flawed enough roster for that to have been a necessity.

Final Grade: C

Gavin Sheets gets a C for a few reasons. He certainly didn't have a bad season and was one of the most prolific hitters on the entire team.

His numbers just didn't start to climb until the later part of the season which makes you wonder if he'll ever be a guy that can give you great production over a full season.

His offensive stats probably warrant a B but his defense was an F so it is fine to give him a C. It would be much worse if his defense was bad at his natural position but he is being forced to play in the outfield. That is less than ideal.

If Sheets gets through the offseason as a member of the Chicago White Sox, he will get the chance again out of camp. It is just a matter of what position he plays and when they can find him at-bats. The White Sox haven't done him any favors so far but he should be proud of his start.