Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Chicago White Sox are toast. They are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball and have been eliminated for a long time now. It is a shame that their "championship window" has turned into this.
They made a lot of moves during the season that identified them as sellers because of how bad they have been. Amongst the most shocking moves of the year from any team was the White Sox trading Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins.
Burger was one of the best players on the Chicago White Sox this season and now he is one of the best players on the Miami Marlins. He is showing every bit of why he was a first-round pick back in the day. He is an outstanding hitter.
So far this season, entering the final series, Burger is slashing .248/.309/.520 for an OPS of .829. He has 34 home runs and 79 RBIs to go with 71 runs scored. Playing all over the infield has been an adjustment for him but he is good enough to keep in the lineup for that amazing bat.
Jake Burger has been an amazing baseball player this 2023 season.
His WAR is up to 2.5 this season which tells you how valuable he's been. The White Sox didn't use him nearly enough or all of these numbers would be even better, including the WAR. He deserves to be in this position with the Marlins right now.
The Marlins look smart for adding Jake Burger at the deadline because they might be going to the playoffs now. As we enter the weekend, it appears as if they will edge out the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds for that final spot.
They have a series coming up with the Pittsburgh Pirates so they will need to put up a good series against a pesky Pirates team that seems to play up to their competition this year. It will not be an easy series.
The Marlins control their own destiny so all they need to do is win this series and they should get in. Sweeping would make it a guarantee. You know that Jake Burger is going to have a lot to do with the outcome here. Hopefully, our guy gets in and we get to watch him in October. He deserves it.