The Chicago White Sox have had some struggles with their second base position over the last few seasons. Fill-ins like Josh Harrison and more recently, Elvis Andrus, have not been the answer for the White Sox at second base long-term.
Romy Gonzalez is also part of the mix and has shown flashes of promise at the plate and on base but still may not be the solid and spectacular player they need at the position.
In addition to those guys, the White Sox have floated the idea of getting Jake Burger some reps at second base. While his natural position is third base, the White Sox may experiment with him a little more to see if he can play at second base and play well.
Burger’s bat is an important thing to have in the lineup every game so finding a way to get him in the batting lineup is key. And having him play second base may be the way he stays in the lineup game in and game out.
The Chicago White Sox could use some help at second base long term.
Should the White Sox continue to struggle to find some help at second base, they may want to turn towards the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft to start developing talent that they can utilize to get someone to play the position.
The draft is always a place where talent can be found and the White Sox might want to look at the draft as a way to get some talent.
In looking at the top-tier second-base talent in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, a couple of names really stick out. The first prospect that we will take a look at is thought to be, by some, the best second baseman in the draft.
That prospect is Kevin McGonigle. McGonigle can play both shortstop and second base which is valuable but might be more of a natural fit at second base. He’s an award-winning prospect that has had some success playing baseball.
The thing that stands out about McGonigle the most is his offense. He’s very good at the plate and is one of the best hitters in this year’s draft class.
He’s a lefty so he has that going for him. He has some room to grow and should be able to develop into a smart power hitter that can go yard on a regular basis.
McGonigle’s defensive prowess needs a little development and he will get that development wherever he goes.
He’s not going to be one of those rare prospects that starts in the majors right away with no minor league experience (like Andrew Vaughan did) so patience will be necessary when waiting for him to develop.
McGonigle is an exciting prospect and one that should be considered if the White Sox are wanting to shore up second base for the long term. He’ll just need a little time to develop and eventually could end up being one of the best hitters on the team.
There is one more prospect that might be worthy of a high selection to help fill the void at second base. That prospect is Luke Keaschall.
Keaschall has some nice experience playing second base and playing baseball overall as he had been part of the University of San Francisco’s collegiate program as well as playing some minor league baseball.
He recently shifted to Arizona State making him even more appealing to teams in Major League Baseball.
Keaschall is a right-handed batter and has been well adept at hitting the ball during his baseball career. He’s been known to have a powerful swing at the plate and is a cerebral hitter.
Keaschall kind of reminds me of Yasmani Grandal when he’s up to bat. Grandal is a smart hitter that sees things well. Keaschall has some of the same qualities. When it comes to getting on base and running, he’s very well adept at trying to steal bases.
While some think that he could end up being a shortstop, his arm is generally not strong enough to play that position successfully. Thus, he is likely relegated to playing second base but that might not be so bad, especially for a team like the White Sox who could use the help.
Chicago needs to develop new players at several positions to help keep things moving in the right direction for the future.
Right now, second baseman, catcher, and pitcher seem to be those areas that the White Sox need the help the most so getting help at those positions in the draft will be a key for them.
If they can bolster those spots and get better prepared for the future, they will have a shot at winning more games and getting to the playoffs.