The Chicago White Sox made several moves during the season to acquire additional talent. One of the players that they grabbed was catcher Korey Lee. Lee came to the White Sox via a trade with the Houston Astros right around the trade deadline.
The Sox sent reliever Kendall Graveman to the Astros in exchange for Lee and got a prospect that could pan out for them in the future.
Lee spent a lot of time in the minors thanks to an injury to his oblique muscle but he’s long over that now. He has shown that he is resilient and capable of playing some decent ball.
He didn’t do that bad in the minors (he played in the Pacific Coast League) and in 68 games he had five home runs, 12 stolen bases, and slashed .283/.328/.406. He participated in 12 games with Houston and had a slash line of .160/.192/.240.
The Chicago White Sox are a team that needs some help at catcher.
After the trade, Lee found himself a regular in the White Sox lineup. He played in a total of 24 games with 65 at-bats. He hit the ball five times and had four runs to go along with three runs batted in and one home run. His slash line, with the Sox, was .077/.143/.138.
While Lee’s debut with the White Sox may have been less than stellar, it showed us he has a lot of promise. He just might be the catcher of the future but he has a little more growing to do to become a fixture at the position in the big leagues.
His batting stats with the White Sox are probably leaving some fans scratching their heads at the thought of him being a regular in the lineup. But what’s typically key for a catcher is their ability to call a good game behind the plate and Lee seems to have some good qualities doing that.
Lee has a lot of room left to grow and may not be completely ready for the major leagues just yet but with a strong offseason and spring training, he just might be able to earn a spot on the active roster when it’s all said and done.
He’s got the raw talent, it just needs to be developed a bit and then he could be an everyday catcher for the White Sox. Yasmani Grandal is likely going to be gone so there is nobody that is a lock to hold down the position in 2024.
The White Sox are going to lean on Lee, should he be deemed good enough, to become their near-full-time catcher possibly. He has to prove that he’s good enough to make it full-time.
The White Sox are in rebuilding mode and that’s easy to see. Having Lee would suggest that as well as he is a young prospect.
Hopefully, he can develop along with the rest of the team. I'd look for him to be an important part of the White Sox lineup in 2024 and a player who will contribute positively to the team with some growth and experience.