This is the first part of a three part series that talks about an offseason need for the White Sox. In this series, it will be talked about how the Pale Hose will need to fill the need of designated hitter in 2021. For the first part of this series, it will talk about the internal options and who are the options that fit best. This does not mean they will go this direction, but it is an option. Let's take a look at some players the club will take into consideration if they go the internal route.
Andrew Vaughn
The team's first round draft pick in 2019 is going to get serious consideration to be the team's starting designated hitter in 2021. The Sox feel like his bat is Major League ready and are very high on him. The fact they had Vaughn up in their Schaumburg camp during the 2020 campaign says a lot about him as the team feels like he's close to contributing at the highest level. He might not have played higher than Single-A in the minors, but he made a lot of strides at Schaumburg. He could very well be the DH in 2021, but the question remains if he will be signed to a long term contract like Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez or he will be called up in the middle of the season.
Gavin Sheets
Sheets started the 2019 season off slowly, but then suddenly got into a groove and was crushing the ball for Birmingham. In the 126 games he played for the Barons, Sheets hit 16 home runs and 83 RBIs. He also had the propensity to get on base as his OBP was .345. The concern though was his low slugging percentage of .414, but remember, he struggled to start the season as he was significantly better. His slugging percentage to start the season was .293 and he went .440 the rest of the way. The problem here is that he has only played at AA. While it isn't out of the realm of possibility, it will be tough for him to win that job out of camp despite a promising season.
Micker Adolfo
This is a long shot. Adolfo has the bat to do some serious damage, but injuries have hampered his development. Otherwise, he would be seriously considered. However, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be discounted from being considered. He has hit 16 home runs in 2017 and 11 in 2018, but he has not played above AA and has only played in 23 games at that level too. He has the tools, but it's a long shot for him to become the DH in 2021. That being said, never say never.
Most likely to be the starter: Vaughn. This one was pretty obvious, but Vaughn is going to be the starter here out of this group. His bat is more advanced and is more highly rated. The Sox would be silly to consider otherwise.
Comments