Ray Durham returned to Rate Field in Chicago for his bobblehead day over the weekend. Considering the Chicago White Sox have still not found an adequate replacement for Durham at second base 23 years after trading him away, maybe he should have requested a higher honor than having a bobblehead.
Durham was a two-time All-Star second baseman on the South Side from 1995 until the 2002 trade deadline, when he was dealt to Oakland. He hit 106 home runs in a White Sox uniform and had five consecutive season with an OPS over .800.
The team has not come close to getting a player of his caliber at second base since he left town. But it's time for them to break that curse.
White Sox are in 2B purgatory
The White Sox have trotted out the likes of D'Angelo Jimenez, Micah Johnson, Tyler Saladino, and Leury Garcia as starting second baseman.
The Sox did have some short-term success with Tadahito Iguchi, as he provided solid production at the top of the lineup for the 2005 World Series-winning club. However, he was already 30 years old when he signed with the Sox before that magical season, so he was never going to be a long-term option.
There was hope for Gordon Beckham to have a long run like Durham had at second base. While Beckham shined in the field, he never lived up to the hype offensively.
Since moving on from Beckham, the Sox have had 12 different Opening Day starting second basemen. The White Sox have had 18 different Opening Day starting second basemen since 2003, including Chris Getz, who is now the team's General Manager.
It has just been a carousel of bad to mediocre at second base since Durham was traded on July 25, 2002. What is striking about this troubling trend is that Durham was just a solid player. He was not a superstar, and he was not strong defensively.
Durham's career bWAR with the White Sox was 21.4, but his career defensive bWAR was -3.3, and his OPS with the Sox was .780. It's not like the Sox have been having trouble replacing a generational talent. They simply haven't found anybody "solid" at the position in the last 23 years.
Marcus Semien would have been a great replacement, but Chicago ironically traded him to Oakland for pitcher Jeff Samardzija. Semien blossomed into an MVP candidate in Oakland and then an All-Star in Toronto and Texas while Samardzija struggled in one season with the White Sox before bolting in free agency.
The White Sox could finally stabilize second base
No, Lenyn Sosa will not end up being the long-term second baseman for the White Sox. Sosa's defensive has been better this season, but it is still not enough to think he can be part of a double-play combination for the rest of the decade. His offensive production keeps improving, but his free-swinging approach at the plate is unsustainable.
But still, the White Sox could have an internal solution for second base coming soon. If Colson Montgomery proves he can hit at the big league level while playing shortstop, then the team could move Chase Meidroth over to second, which some scouts still believe is his strongest defensive position.
Meidroth has been great ever since making his big league debut. He is doing things at the plate that not even Frank Thomas, the organization's greatest hitter, did at 23 years old. He shows every day why he is here to stay.
Where Meidroth ultimately plays defensively probably depends on Montgomery, Caleb Bonemer, and other Sox prospects. If Montgomery has to be moved away from shortstop, something some scouts believe will happen, the White Sox still have some potential options among their top 30 prospects while keeping Meidroth at short.
I love the promise William Bergolla is showing in the minor leagues. The team's No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline has a .333/.395/.462 over his past 10 games to go with a .278/.343/.351 this season as a 20-year-old in Double-A.
I am having trouble getting a gauge on how good former first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez will be. Chicago's No. 11 prospect has had some weeks where he looks like a future big leaguer, like the roll he is on now with a .378/.429/.514 slash line over his past 10 games. Even with his bat heating up, Gonzalez is another player who may not stick at shortstop long-term.
The team's 18th-ranked prospect, Jerel Perez, and No. 27 prospect, Sam Antonacci, have also shown promise at High-A Winston-Salem. Those two are fun to watch hit in the lineup that also includes outfielder Braden Montgomery.
Caleb Bonemer is a 19-year-old standout and probably the current favorite to be the White Sox shortstop of the future. He is starting to crack Top 100 lists with an .892 OPS in his first professional season. Similar to Montgomery, if Bonemer sticks at shortstop, the White Sox could move Chase Meidroth over to second base, thus giving them a long-term solution at both positions.
Brooks Baldwin could also be a potential long-term option once he comes back from Triple-A Charlotte. Although the team seems dead set on making him a super-utility player.
The Sox have had options in their farm system before, but not like this. They actual have depth where I think it is feasible one of these guys will end up being the starting second baseman for 8+ years like Durham was two decades ago.