Despite there being no minor league season in 2020, there were a significant number of White Sox prospects who made big strides. The White Sox had 12 players make their MLB debuts, but they weren’t the only rookies on the team.
Zack Collins debuted in 2019, but didn’t play enough to lose rookie eligibility. He crossed that threshold in 2020.
RELEVANT STATS
Regular season: .063/.167/.125, 2 BB, 5 K (18 PA)
Postseason: 1 plate appearance (strikeout)
The overall numbers are ugly. There’s no way around that. However, it’s worth noting how he never had consistent playing time. This is a different situation from Danny Mendick, who got a significant run as an everyday player before returning to a reserve role.
His most frequent stretch of playing time came from Aug. 4-7. On August 4, he entered the game in the sixth and got two at-bats. He sat out the next game, but got back-to-back starts after that. He was 0-for-8 with a walk and three strikeouts in that span, but the point is that represented half of his plate appearances for the season.
It was similar last year when he first came up in late June. Collins got sporadic playing time and was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte. However, he did get 71 plate appearances in September and held his own (.233/.343/.417).
It’s a chicken and egg thing with Collins. Is he struggling because he’s not getting consistent playing time? Conversely, how can the White Sox justify giving him more playing time when he often looks bad with what little he gets?
His September stint last year was a team trying to give a first-round pick a run of games when the team wasn’t playing for anything. Collins won’t be given anything with the White Sox in contention mode, as we saw in 2020.
If James McCann leaves via free agency, Collins is the favorite to win the backup catcher job ahead of Yermin Mercedes. That won’t result in a lot of playing time, but depending on how the lineup fills out this offseason, he could rotate in at DH as well. Collins has to make the jump at some point to live up to his considerable offensive potential.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.
He’s probably not playing as often as he should because the Sox are still uncertain about his receiving skills. If that’s the case, and they’re committed to Grandal for the next few years anyway, then trade/bundle the kid and get a useful part to the roster, such as a starter or reliever.