The White Sox have a plethora of talented players in their farm system, but with the team struggling and it's clear that they won't be making the playoffs, it's time for the club to trim the fat on the major league roster. The team is clearly in a rebuild, there is going to be players on the major league roster who will not be with the Sox when they are contenders, so why not bring some players up from your minor leagues to see what they can do.
In one of my earlier articles I argued that Collins should be called up to the majors for good, and I still stand by what I say, but there are some others in the system that deserve to be up in place of some on the major league roster and hope they can develop into quality MLB players whether they are starters or to be bench players.
Two players that should be mentioned are infielder Danny Mendick and Yermin Mercedes. However, these two have had very different paths this season. Mercedes has arguably been one of the biggest surprises as his bat has been on fire all season. Mendick's star rose over the last couple of seasons and has played well in AAA, but when an opportunity arises, it seems it's never granted to him. Sox fans have been clamoring for these two of late to join the major league roster and it ever makes so much sense now.
Mendick is a 25 year old utility infielder who was drafted in the 22nd round in 2015. The last three seasons, including 2019, Mendick has risen to be a hot commodity in the Sox farm system as he has shown some productivity at the plate, versatility, and base running skills. If his production translates to the majors, we are talking about a player who can hit roughly 15-20 home runs, steals 20 bases, has a solid on-base percentage, and clubs around 25 doubles. Also being able to play multiple infield positions, he could provide some value on the bench for the Sox in their years of contention. However, there have been many opportunities for him to be promoted to majors and he never was. There has to be a reason why he wasn't promoted. Is it because the team doesn't feel like he's a major leaguer? Are they just waiting for September? Either way, he is one player that should be playing on the major league roster.
Mercedes has had tough start to his professional career with injuries and was a minor league Rule 5 Draft player, but in the Sox system he has been awesome. He has some serious power as he has the potential to hit 20+ home runs, drive in 60+ RBIs, has a pretty high on base percentage, and hits for a decent average. He is also a catcher, but his defense is not very good so you could see him playing some first base (which he has played some at in AAA) and at designated hitter in the majors if his numbers translate. He has been another player fans have been clamoring for to bring up to the majors, so keep an eye on what happens to him.
So, who do these player replace on the major league roster? For catcher, the obvious is Welington Castillo as he has been absolutely brutal for the team this year. Reliever Josh Osich has been a very inconsistent reliever for the team and he might be someone that would be replaced. Outfielder Adam Engel has hit well of late, but it is evident from the last three seasons that he is not a major league player despite his gold glove defense. Finally and sadly, a fan favorite, Yolmer Sanchez. Sanchez, while being a solid defender, has not hit well this year as it's about time to part ways with him. He should catch on somewhere and might be a nice bench player, but it's clear that he is not a part of the future for the Sox.
On another note, one other player the Sox should bring back up is catcher Seby Zavala. Zavala has been struggling with the bat all season in AAA, but he does have the potential to do a lot of damage at the plate as he is an offense first player. He is not likely to be a starting player, but he could prove to be a nice backup catcher in the future. A favorable comparison for Zavala in the future is the role Curt Casali of the Reds holds. If the Sox can get that type of production from Zavala in the future, that would be key. That being said, he is likely to get a promoted this September.
Now the Sox could possibly promote these players in September anyways and this article becomes moot, but it would make more sense to do it now with the points made earlier. The goal of a rebuild is to develop young players into competent major leaguers and that's what they should do with the ones that were mentioned. It would be wise to develop them into competent players just in case a player like Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, or Nick Madrigal gets hurt and they need someone to fill in. They may or may not pan out, but it doesn't hurt to give them a chance.
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