The Chicago White Sox are a team that’s seemingly not going anywhere to start the season. They struggle in all facets of the game, from hitting to pitching and defense to managing. This team just can’t seem to get it together.
They need as much help as they can get from everyone on the team and they need that help to be consistent.
One player that might be able to help them out is multi-use player Gavin Sheets. Sheets showed us a little bit of what he could do the other day as he came in to pinch-hit and whacked a home run to keep the Sox in the game (against the Tampa Bay Rays).
However, even though he has power, he isn’t terribly consistent and doesn’t really have a position thanks to the play of Andrew Vaughan at first base and those that are in the outfield.
So where does Sheets belong?
The White Sox need Gavin Sheets to produce power from the left side.
There isn’t any room at the designated hitter’s spot thanks to the beyond-average hitting ability and flexibility (to play third base) of Jake Burger as well as the presence of Eloy Jimenez.
He could back up at first base as needed. But do the White Sox really need to get him in the lineup that often? Is he an asset to the team or is he someone that they don’t need at the plate on a consistent basis?
The answer to having Sheets in the lineup is yes, they need him but he needs to continue to show that he can be valuable in the lineup. We say that the White Sox have too many good bats in the lineup for Sheets to make it into said lineup.
But right now, none of the bats in the lineup are really producing. Maybe it’s time to switch the lineup a little bit to allow someone like Sheets to have a chance. He can’t do much worse than the guys that are in the lineup right now.
Honestly, no one is really doing anything for the White Sox offensively. Everyone is “stuck” and no one is producing. Sure, there is the occasional single here and there but the offense has been lackluster and the team needs some kind of spark.
Maybe utilizing a guy like Sheets more in the lineup will provide them with the spark that they need to get moving in the right direction.
Sheets hasn’t had that many opportunities to shine this season. Altogether, through the White Sox's 8-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, Sheets has had 38 at-bats.
In those 38 at-bats, he has hit the ball 11 times, has two home runs, and has seven runs batted in. His slash line is currently .289/.386/.447.
Face it, the White Sox are in desperation mode right now and need all the help they can get. If that means inserting Sheets into the lineup then that’s what they have to do to try to generate some offense and get some wins.
Right now, having Sheets in the lineup wouldn’t hurt a single thing. It might even do some good.