Chicago White Sox Opening Day Roster Projection

Starting Infielders: Andrew Vaughn (1B), Nicky Lopez (2B), Paul DeJong (SS), and Yoan Moncada (3B)

The goal in the offseason was to upgrade the defense. Gone is the former face of the franchise, Tim Anderson. One reason he has been replaced by DeJong is Anderson was inconsistent in fielding the ball. He would make amazing plays but then boot the ball on a routine grounder.

DeJong has struggled to hit for average, but he does have some pop in his bat with 116 career home runs over seven seasons. He is more known for his defense as he was a 9.8 defensive fWAR player last season.

Lopez has tailed off since his career season in 2021 when he hit .300 and was a 6.0 fWAR player. He too plays solid defense as he was an 8.9 fWAR defensive player in 2023.

Vaughn had a decent season in his first go around as the unquestioned starting first baseman. He hit 21 home runs but the rest of his numbers were replacement-level last year. That is not good enough when the last two players to man first base are franchise icons in Paul Konerko and Jose Abreu. Vaughn is projected to have a .263/.325/.453 slash line this season.

Moncada is capable of winning a Gold Glove at third base. The problem for him is he is rarely healthy. He played in 92 games last season and 104 in 2022. If he can stay healthy and recapture the hitting production in 2019 when he was 31.5 offensive fWAR player, the Sox do have a chance to be in some games this year.

Both Vaughn and Moncada are playing great in Cactus League play. DeJong has three home runs and 13 RBI. Hopefully, the production carries over into the regular season.