White Sox Prospects showing early signs of positive developments in Glendale

White Sox players have been in Arizona for a few weeks now, but Cactus League play is still fresh as games started on Sunday. While the regular big league group got most of the attention in the early stages of camp, it’s been the prospects that have grabbed the attention of those observing now that games are underway. Even though Spring Training performances don’t always translate to success in the regular season, there’s still some positive developments from the prospects that are worth mentioning.

Blake Rutherford arrived in Glendale with a more muscular build and he confirmed to the media that it was something he wanted to work on this offseason. In addition, Rutherford looked great in batting practice.

The ball was exploding off his bat at a consistent rate and he showed an improved launch angle throughout his rounds. Granted, it’s easy for players to look good in batting practice, but he was doing it much more consistently than the other guys.

Rutherford’s played in four games thus far and is hit-less in five at-bats, but he’s continuing to drive the ball in-game. On Sunday, he sent a ball deep to center field that fell a few inches shy of the warning track, but it was deep enough to allow a runner to tag up and advance to third on the play. On Monday, he almost collected his first hit which would’ve been a home run, but thanks to a spectacular play by Cody Thomas, Rutherford came up empty.

Go up and get it! pic.twitter.com/o5NpN8twZa

— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2020

His swing looks better and even though it’s a small sample size, he’s putting the ball in the air more frequently. After experiencing struggles last season, 2020 is going to be a big year for Rutherford if he wants to try to carve out a role of some sort down the line. We are already seeing some positive changes in his game. He will just have to show that they are going to be consistent changes and that this isn’t just a brief stretch where he looks good.

With second base being a hole on the roster, there’s been speculation that Nick Madrigal will have an opportunity to break camp with the team. It’s been a frequent discussion among White Sox fans and media, and Madrigal knows the opportunity is there too.

On Sunday, he had a very uncharacteristic day in the field. He made an errant throw on a double play attempt that resulted in an unsuccessful turn and he also let a grounder get through his legs later on in the game. Could he be feeling a little bit of pressure knowing the opportunity that’s in front of him? Possibly, but it’s also been awhile since he’s been in game action so it’s understandable that there might be some cobwebs on the leather.

RBI single for Nick Madrigal. He scorched this one to give the #WhiteSox a 6-2 lead. pic.twitter.com/sQNdXYAnvw

— Sean Williams (@Sean_W10) February 23, 2020

Madrigal would make up for the mistakes in the field with his bat on Sunday. In the clip above, he drove in a run on a rocket of a line drive. The most impressive part of his day, however, was his ability to recognize what the defense was giving him.

The Reds did the same shift for Madrigal in both at-bats and he aimed for the gap between first and second base in both trips to the plate. The way Madrigal breaks down the defense and tries to work against what opponents are giving him is one of the many reasons that make him such a unique player.

This is typically something you see from someone who is a more developed as a professional. However, seeing the instincts from Madrigal in situations like this is an excellent return from Glendale. If defenses continue to shift around him, and he aims to beat it without trying to do too much, he’s going to get on base a lot as a result. He’s already working on analyzing the defense before he’s made his professional debut, and although there are some concerns about his profile, that ability can help make up for some of the lack of power to a degree.

2019 first round selection, Andrew Vaughn, is participating in his first Spring Training this year and will be someone to keep an eye on throughout the preseason. He will be up against Major League pitching and guys close to the majors, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the task at hand. So far, so good for Vaughn. He’s been himself by having deep, productive at-bats and he picked up an extra-base hit in his first start of the spring.

Thought y’all needed an Andrew Vaughn double to get you through your Monday

Stream the game here: https://t.co/Y9tO3I1GnP pic.twitter.com/OHNFZ3b03Y

— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) February 24, 2020

On Wednesday, he got another start where he went hit-less, but he managed to draw two walks. The early returns on Vaughn have been good this spring, as he’s been able to handle playing against a jump in competition in comparison to what he’s seen so far in his brief career as a professional. It’s unclear how long he will stick around, but Spring Training will be a great experience as he gets ready to move on to affiliate ball once the regular season gets closer.

Last but not least, Yermin Mercedes is having perhaps the best spring of any White Sox hitter at this point. He’s already seen more action this spring than the last two springs combined and he’s making the most of it. On Sunday, he nearly golfed one over the left field fence after battling in what was close to a ten pitch at-bat. However, on Monday, he finally got a hold of one and I don’t think the ball has landed yet.

Yerminated. pic.twitter.com/yzpVm9gTlQ

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) February 24, 2020

Mercedes is going to be a very interesting guy to keep an eye on for the rest of the spring. He can hit; he’s always been able to and there’s no question marks about that aspect of his game. However, he’s a bit of an awkward fit on the roster.

The White Sox revamped their catchers with the signing of Grandal and with McCann set to be the backup unless he’s traded away. There is room for one more body on the roster this year, but even then it will be hard for Mercedes to get at-bats in the big leagues due to Grandal (when he’s not catching), Abreu (when he’s not at first), and Encarnacion all available to be the DH.

I expect Mercedes to continue to have an impressive spring, and I believe he will make a case to be the final man on the White Sox roster. However, time will tell if he’s able to win that job in the end. He’s a fun player that a lot of fans are starting to fall in love with, but with the way the roster is constructed, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in Charlotte to start the 2020 season. Regardless of what happens, it’s a positive to have depth at this position. He would be a fantastic fill in player if an injury occurs during the regular season.

Spring Training is not the most effective evaluation method, especially when you are looking into spring stats as a reference. However, the prospects have overshadowed the starters at this point, and they’ve played key roles in helping the White Sox earn some early spring victories.

The developments they have shown outside of their statistical performances have been exciting. It will be interesting to see if they can continue to show these positive developments and continue to keep the momentum rolling throughout the spring season.

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