When he was first called up to make his Major League debut, Chicago White Sox rookie Chase Meidroth was in line to be the team's starting second baseman for many years to come.
While Meidroth is a solid and versatile defender with a lot of offensive value, he's not the best athlete or loaded with the physical tools that a prototypical shortstop usually has.
A guy like Meidroth generally profiles better at second base, especially if his bat isn't going to have 20+ homer power at the big league level. But that hasn't stopped the White Sox from playing him at short this season.
Meidroth as a shortstop in 2025
Out of necessity, Meidroth has played over 76 percent of his defensive innings at shortstop in 2025. He has done an exceptional job there.
Meidroth is tied for 6th in Outs Above Average (OAA) among Major League shortstops this season. Even with his recent offensive slump, Meidroth's 1.1 fWAR is 18th in baseball among shortstops. That's not bad at all for a 23-year-old rookie.
While the White Sox have shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery knocking on the door of a big league call-up, Montgomery has not been as good in the minor leagues as Chicago would have hoped since the start of 2024. There is also some belief that Montgomery will be better off as a third baseman at the Major League level. The other notable shortstop prospects in the White Sox organization (Caleb Bonemer, Javier Mogollon, Jeral Perez) are all still years away from debuting.
Combining this with Meidroth's rookie success, and some fans are wondering if Chase Meidroth is better off being the White Sox shortstop of the future rather than a second baseman.
Meidroth wants to be a 2B
In a recent interview with Foul Territory and White Sox legend A.J. Pierzynski, Meidroth shared what position he would prefer to play moving forward.
"I think I'll always say second [base]," Meidroth said when asked what his favorite position to play is with the White Sox. "Just because I grew up loving [Dustin] Pedroia. Turning double plays is my favorite thing to do from second base."
Meidroth said he also enjoys shortstop, with Jose Iglesias being his main role model at the position for his defensive prowess. There's definitely a bias towards playing second base, but wherever he's at on the diamond, Meidroth is going to take his defensive responsibilities seriously.
"I take a lot of pride in defense and helping out the pitcher and making as many cool players as possible," Meidroth told Pierzynski.
Even if Colson Montgomery isn't the long-term answer for the White Sox at shortstop, I think Chase Meidroth belongs at second base.
I don't say that because I doubt his ability to play shortstop or contribute from that position, second base is just a more natural fit for him both personally and statistically.
Meidroth's versatility will continue to be a weapon for Will Venable to deploy whenever he needs. It will help him stick in the big leagues and have a very long, succesful career. But between the prospects already in the organization and upcoming draft picks in the 2025 or 2026 MLB Draft, the White Sox should be able to find a starting shortstop.
For the rest of 2025, I'd rather see Meidroth play shortstop before I see Vinny Capra take more at-bats. But long-term, give the man what he wants and make him the second baseman.