Mike Rankin and James Fox discussed a plethora of Chicago White Sox related topics as Opening Day 2023 approaches. The show projects Oscar Colas’ future, details Bryan Ramos’ impressive spring, highlights a mechanical change in Andrew Vaughn’s swing and explores what the lineup may look like come March 31.
Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/3n2MHOBJsncp3DjHbcjXZL
Apple — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/futuresox-podcast/id850054474
Great Podcast today.
So, TA got a start at 2B last night for Team USA. Interesting.
I saw that. I’ve never thought that moving him to 2b would be a solution, however it would be interesting to see how he would adapt if he were given enough games there. I think he will be gone after next year anyway, but you wonder if other teams see him as a talented hitter but defensive liability at SS, and if a position change might be in his future. I could see him adapt pretty quickly to an OF slot as well, he’s certainly way faster and more athletic than Vaughn/Sheets/Eloy. I am sure he wants to remain at SS though.
I think it has more to do with having Trea Turner at SS, McNeil playing bad at 2B, and TA swinging a hot bat.
Trout was DH too and Mookie Betts was needed in the outfield.
It was also against a lefty SP.
It seems pretty logical when you have Trea Turner. Tim has also had a great WBC run at the plate so far, hitting .571/.625/1.000 with a stolen base in 8 plate appearances. That works out to a higher OPS than Joey Meneses, who is hitting .500 and has 2 homeruns.
Tim’s playoff OPS is also over 1.000. I wonder what his splits in nationally televised games are.
If Grifol is set on batting Timmy and Robert 1-2, I’d like to see Andrus and Colas 8-9. Andrus is more typically the 9 hitter, but why go 3 righties in a row if you don’t have to? Why make it easy for opposing managers to match up in the late innings? If Colas hits well, then you consider changes. The other option is to switch Benintendi and Robert. I could see Moncada getting his mojo back and moving back into the 2 hole and Benintendi going down to 5.
So despite the title, the content of the pod suggests that the bench is pretty unsettled. The only sure thing seems like Zavala (if they’re serious that Leury is competing for a spot). Eloy has reverse career splits and has been better than Sheets against right-handers for his career. Vaughn is worse than Sheets against right-handers for their careers, but was better than Sheets against them last year. And even though reverse splits take a long time to be predictive, I don’t think the White Sox are interested in platooning either Eloy or Vaughn. So is there room on the roster for Sheets in a Matt Stairs-like role?
4th outfielder and utility infielder also seem up for grabs (and may overlap). Again, assuming that they are not sold on Leury.
Who exactly is Leury’s competition for a roster spot, Hamilton, Reyes, and Marisnick? Those guys have a cumulative WAR under 1 in the past 3-4 seasons. I mean Leury isn’t good, but unless 2022 is a new norm for him, I would not dump him for any of those 3.
As mediocre as he is, I can’t see Leury being forced off the roster. His 2021 season is more upside than any of those guys offer. None of those guys can play infield, either. I don’t want to confuse my annoyance with Tony and how much Leury played with Leury’s actual value as a utility player if you couint 2022 as a down year for him. It may not be high but it is not zero. And their other options are as dumpster as it gets. Which is an ultimate tribute to Hahn.
The bench is tough, If Burger has no spot then the only ones to have played their way on so far, if there’s actually competition, are Haseley, Alberto, and maybe Sheets. If you keep Garcia over Sheets then, man… I think a power-lite bench would be a huge mistake. They aren’t going to replace their D-deficient starters with lite hitters who are only marginally better on D and they are not going to play the bench guys enough to raise the overall team play. This team is already a mediocre power team at best and that’s if everyone stays healthy.
Their bench will be one of the worst in baseball, no matter who they keep. I think both Garcia and Sheets make it. I can’t see them cutting either of them to make room for Haseley, Alberto, Hamilton, Reyes, Marisnick. They don’t hate Leury like some fans do, and they surely know that none of those guys is a much better player or as versatile. That’s one group of players that even Leury is the best out of.
The only reason Leury has any value AT ALL, is his ability to look mediocre defensively in the infield. Otherwise, there’s absolutely no value comparison to Hamilton. Hamilton only suffers at the plate, but as a defensive OF replacement or pinch runner, Leury who? Imagine the chaos Hamilton can cause on the bases with the pitchclock. Think of the jumps he’ll be able to time and how often he’ll be able to put himself in scoring position instead of Leury going station to station.
Also, everyone wants to look at Leury as having an off year because of overexposure from the moron known as TheRussa. The other explanation could quite simply be, declination from age. Never bet against a trend. That means there is no way you ever send him to the plate as a good option for handedness because he simply doesn’t have it anymore.
I’m not a Leury hater, just a realist. He doesn’t bring enough to the table anymore to warrant a spot.
Leury hasn’t even turned 32 yet. I mean the whole team had a down year and played like they were half dead under theRussa. I don’t think age decline is fair assessment. I can’t believe I’m defending Leury, it is ridiculous that they gave him a 3 year deal and don’t have someone better. But he did hit .270 like clockwork from 2017 to 2021, and can play many positions. He has some value. Hamilton is one of the worst hitters I’ve ever seen. All he can do is be a defensive replacement in the OF or pinch runner. He can’t hit righties a lick, has not posted an OPS over .600 against them since 2018. Or a WAR over .5 since 2019, or over 1 since 2017. Leury had a +.700 OPS vs RHP in 2021 with a WAR of 2. That’s something at least. On days when an outfielder needs a rest, Hamilton would be a black hole in the lineup, esp vs RHP, which they are weak enough against as it is. I see him as completely unplayable as a starter.
All else equal if you had several more roster spots Hamilton would be useful to have, I agree. But it’s tough to give a spot to someone that can’t start, hit, or play anywhere other than OF. If they have injuries, which is not unlikely, he might see time on the roster. I don’t see him kicking Leury off unless they truly believe that Leury’s 2022 is the new norm for him. I won’t shed a tear if they cut Leury, but considering what their other options are I think would be a mistake. Their epic pitiful depth is probably going to cost them big time again this year no matter who makes the roster. A shining tribute to Hahn if ever there was.
I agree that the WS need as much offense as possible. My contention is that Hamilton will bring more offense as a pinch runner than Leury will as a sometimes replacement. Sheets, Vaughn, Eloy, Colas, they can all bat for Hamilton. Once they put him on base, he’s way more of an offensive weapon and will result in more runs than Leury ever will with a bat in his hand. Betting against a trend is a suckers bet. It’s not like he’s young and we say, we’ve seen him do it once, now we just need to get it out of him consistently. What we saw from Leury was bad from a veteran. I don’t see how playing less is going to improve that for him.
As a defensive replacement in the OF, there’s no comparison. Who would you want late in a tight game? My answer would be Hamilton coming off the bench to pinch run and play OF over Leury 10 out of 10 times.