Dream Chicago White Sox starting lineup for the 2024 season
The Chicago White Sox are looking for some changes this off-season. With Chris Getz as the new man in charge, we know some huge moves could be on the horizon. The rumors suggest that big things could be coming and no one is safe.
However, some of the guys that were there last year are naturally going to be there in 2024 but only the ones that make an impact should be locked into starting roles. This is what the perfect starting lineup would be on a "dream White Sox team":
Leading off for the dream White Sox is left fielder Andrew Benintendi.
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of faith that Andrew Benintendi is going to be a good player for them. He has had a good career up to this point but he was awful for the White Sox in 2023.
Now, he will be looking to bounce back in a big way in 2024. With Tim Anderson gone, the leadoff spot is now open. He will surely be the guy who has the first crack at it on a full-time basis. He earned it at times last year but he really wasn't that good at all.
With a full off-season and no free agency stuff, this is his chance to focus on baseball and being ready for spring training. If he does all of those things well, he could end up being a great candidate for a bounce back year.
If he is leading off for the White Sox, he is also going to be their left fielder. Both of these areas are spots where he must be better.
Batting second for the dream White Sox is shortstop Amed Rosario.
In this dream world, the Chicago White Sox actually spend some money to make their team better. If they are planing on being a better team, adding some help in the starting lineup is going to be desperately needed.
With Tim Anderson gone, they need some help at the shortstop position. Colson Montgomery is going to be that guy in the future but he won't be ready for the MLB club by the time spring training is over. The Sox need to have a plan for that.
Signing someone like Amed Rosario is a good idea in this instance. He has had an up and down career but nobody would question whether or not he is a good player. He isn't an All-Star or anything like that but he'd provide some stabiloty at the position of shortstop until Montgomery is available.
Rosario spent time with the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians before making his way over to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last year's trade deadline. Now, he is looking for a new baseball home, and batting second for the White Sox would be great for him.
Batting third for the dream White Sox is centerfielder Luis Robert Jr.
The Chicago White Sox were one of the worst teams in all of Major League Baseball during the 2023 season. In fact, you could make an argument that they were one of the worst pro sports franchises of the Big Four as well.
All of that came with Luis Robert Jr. in the middle of their lineup. He stayed healthy for a full season for the first time in his MLB career and he took a major step both offensively and defensively. He won the Silver Slugger and was nominated for the Gold Glove.
This is the type of player that plays elite defense but his hitting is incredible. That is why he should be battling third in this dream Chicago White Sox lineup. There aren't many teams in which Robert could go to and not be right in the middle of their lineup.
He is one of the best players in the league when he is healthy so this seems like the perfect spot for a powerhouse like him. We can only hope that this gives him the best opportunities to have a career year as an RBI machine.
Batting fourth for the dream White Sox right fielder Teoscar Hernandez.
This is where the term "dream" comes in. Nobody expects the White Sox to spend money on impactful players but wouldn't it be fun to add some good power into the middle of the lineup?
That is what they'd be doing if they added Teoscar Hernandez to the mix. He could play right field for a little while which is a position that they have needed help with for a very long time.
Hernandez isn't a superstar or anything but he is a very good player that would add some amazing skill to the White Sox lineup right away. He was a 2.1 WAR player in 2023 as a member of the Seattle Mariners. Before that, he had years with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros.
Now, he is 31 years old and looking for a new squad. Batting in the middle of the order for the White Sox would really add some boost to their group. Protecting Luis Robert Jr. in the lineup would be great for everyone involved.
Batting fifth for the dream White Sox is first baseman Andrew Vaughn.
Andrew Vaughn had a good season for the Chicago White Sox in 2023. Only Luis Robert Jr. and Jake Burger (before he was traded to the Miami Marlins) had better years than him. That doesn't mean that he was outstanding but he was certainly decent.
It is fair to expect more from Vaughn going forward. He was expected to take a big step once he moved over to first base full-time because then he'd no longer be learning a new position.
He took some steps but he wasn't overwhelmingly good like he was scouted to be when he was the third overall pick in the 2019 draft.
He had 21 home runs and 80 RBIs with 67 runs scored which aren't terrible numbers at all but his slash line of .258/.314/.429 with an OPS of .743 could all use some work. Again, those aren't terrible but they need more. A better team around him could help this as well.
If Vaughn is batting fifth next year and has better players around him, we should see better numbers across the board. He has shown that he can be a top hitter on this team but that isn't saying much these days.
Batting sixth for the dream White Sox is designated hitter Eloy Jimenez.
When Eloy Jimenez is healthy, he can be a game-breaking type of player at the plate. If they have guys like Teoscar Hernandez, Luis Robert Jr., and Andrew Benintendi in the outfield, there is no reason to have Jimenez anywhere else besides the designated hitter position.
He didn't have a complete season of health in 2023 but it was one of his healthier to date. He showed what he can do at times but he still leaves us wanting more. We saw him scratch the surface of what he can be in the 2019 season and now we want to see that again.
In 2023, he had 120 games played which is two shy of his career high that he hit in 2019. This time, he had 18 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 50 runs scored. He slashed .272/.317/.441 for an OPS of .758. Like Vaughn, these aren't bad numbers but we know there is more to unlock in there.
If he gets back to what we know he can be, batting him higher in the order would be ideal but if the group looks like this, hitting sixth could be great for him. He'd be protecting some good hitters again with the hope that he feels good all year long.
Batting seventh for the dream White Sox is third baseman Yoan Moncada.
The Chicago White Sox never saw Yoan Moncada reach his true potential. He was the number one prospect in all of baseball when they sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for him, Michael Kopech, and two other prospects.
His career year came in 2019. He also had a pretty good year in 2021 but he hasn't been the same ever since. For the most part, he has either been bad or injured with a few flashes of brilliance mixed in there.
Moncada will be on the White Sox in 2024 because he is too expensive to cut and nobody would take him in a trade as things stand right now. There is still some upside there with him so having him bat seventh and play third base isn't the worst thing in the world for this team.
Moncada could have a good year and the White Sox might be an improved team. However, after going 61-101 this year, not many people are expecting much for next year. As a result, you get more underwhelming Moncada unless there is a miracle.
Batting eighth for the dream White Sox is catcher Victor Caratini.
The Chicago White Sox are not going to have Yasmani Grandal in 2024 and Seby Zavala was already let go during the regular season of 2023. They are moving on.
The plan in the long term is probably to have Korey Lee and Edgar Quero develop but they need a veteran presence to start the MLB season. There are a few options to consider.
One good one is Victor Caratini who spent last season as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Now, he is a free agent looking for a new home. He has already called Chicago home before in his MLB career as he played for the Chicago Cubs from 2017-2020.
Now, the White Sox would be a great place for him to play as he continues what has been a pretty good career so far. They don't need him to be Yadier Molina in his prime or anything like that but a solid catcher that can bat eighth would be great.
Batting ninth for the dream White Sox is second baseman Adam Frazier.
The Chicago White Sox should have traded for Adam Frazier during the 2021 season when they were an elite team and he was having an All-Star caliber year.
They chose to be cheap and trade for Cesar Hernandez instead and you can see where being cheap often gets them. Now, Frazier isn't necessarily the same player anymore but he is a free agent looking for a new baseball home.
It is a good realistic dream to think about him in a White Sox uniform. They could bat him ninth and have him play second base while doing his best to turn the lineup over.
If they made a move like this, it would be another short-term answer to the long-term problem that has been second base. Until they get that answer for the long term, Frazier would be a great option. Seeing him batting ninth would be cool.
Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history. dark