Does Will Venable have to run out nine hitters all 162 games this year? Yes. Will it be a pretty sight? No
Opening Day for the Chicago White Sox is inching closer, and roster decisions are finalizing with every minute that passes. With most prospects sent back to the minors and veterans continuing to fill up the IL, an early lineup is starting to emerge. Every Spring Training game gets us closer to another piece of the puzzle locking into place, and at this point it’s only a matter of time before manager Will Venable makes an announcement.
Here is a projection of the Opening Day lineup with less than one week left in the before the games count for good.
1. Lenyn Sosa SS
Sosa’s performance this spring has been a pleasant surprise. Coming off a mediocre year with the Sox, Sosa has a .300 batting average and .330 on-base percentage in Cactus League play. He has accumulated six runs and 15 total bases in 15 games. Rewarding Sosa for his developmental improvement by giving him the leadoff spot is the right move.
2. Mike Tauchman LF
Tauchman is hard to place in the lineup because he doesn’t have any clear strengths or weaknesses. His main strength is consistency, as evidenced by a batting average that has hovered around .250 and on-base percentage that has remained around .360 in the last two years. Tauchman hasn’t been hitting well at Camelback Ranch, but his recent improvement is encouraging enough to put him towards the top of the lineup.
3. Miguel Vargas 3B
As one of the few (knock on wood) healthy hitters who doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, Vargas has earned the 3-spot in the lineup. His astronomical improvement this offseason has resulted in a .324 batting average and .409 on-base percentage with five RBIs and six walks. Although it’s unlikely that his production remains at this sky-high level for the next few months, the Sox need to take advantage of his at-bats while he’s still seeing the ball well.
4. Luis Robert Jr. CF
Until Vargas stops hitting, Robert will hit cleanup. Although he primarily occupied the third lineup spot, Robert is the best power hitter on the team. Putting him back-to-back with Andrew Benintendi gives the Sox the best chance of cleaning the bases. With a couple of home runs under his belt and a .452 slugging percentage this spring, Robert could hit 30 bombs this year.
5. Andrew Benintendi DH
After returning to Spring Training a week earlier than anticipated, Benintendi is expected to start the season as the DH. He was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture to his right hand in late February and wasn’t expected to take batting practice until the end of March at best, with doubts that he’d be ready by Opening Day. Beni’s aggressive recovery alleviates pressure for the rest of the lineup to try and pull the ball.
6. Chase Meidroth 2B
Between Josh Rojas’ fractured toe and Brandon Drury’s broken thumb, Meidroth could shift over from shortstop to second base. Although he has only played four games at second base this spring, Meidroth at least has experience at the position and probably project there long-term. His patience at the plate outweighs his underwhelming start at the plate, which could come in handy in the bottom half of the lineup.
7. Korey Lee C
Like most catchers, Lee isn’t considered a strong hitter. He hit just above the Mendoza Line last season and shouldn’t be expected to transform into J.T. Realmuto. Although he has a .329 batting average and lofty .552 slugging percentage this spring, don’t expect that to carry over to the regular season. At best, Lee keeps pitchers mentally in check — and at worst, he strikes out.
8. Andrew Vaughn 1B
Until proven otherwise, Vaughn will sit at the bottom of the lineup. Unfortunately, the Sox only have Bobby Dalbec on the roster currently as a backup option (although Vargas has gotten a surprising amount of time at first), and Dalbec has far fewer reasons to be on the team than Vaughn. So by default, Vaughn has a spot in the lineup, but for no other reason than the Sox refuse to give up on unlocking Vaughn’s potential.
9. Austin Slater RF
With such a weak lineup, by the time we get to the No. 9 hitter the Sox just have to hope that they get a couple clutch hits throughout the season here. Slater returned from an oblique injury on March 19, and he still doesn’t have a hit at camp. Last year’s .209/.321/.266 slash line isn’t promising, but if Slater can avoid strikeouts he can wear down pitchers before turning it back to the top of the lineup, he’ll provide some value.