[ad_1]
Andrew Vaughn didn’t unleash the kind of power he’s known to show off, didn’t hit any homers, didn’t get any hits in the White Sox’s Cactus League opener in the spring.
But Vaughn has shown why the White Sox think he’s ready for a day-to-day job at the major league level.
So many questions swirled throughout the winter and early days of spring regarding Vaughn’s favorite status for the White Sox’s vacant DH, given he has all 55 games on his professional resume and that he’s never played a game over A-ball. Throughout the squad, the team were delighted with him, touting the advanced nature of his bat and the benefits he got from training at the alternate site of Schaumburg last year to have him be thrown to the bottom of the pool, asked to play. an important role for a team with World Series aspirations.
RELATED: Sox Continues to Rave About Andrew Vaughn: ‘The Complete Package’
Well, Vaughn didn’t go in-depth against the Milwaukee Brewers in Sunday’s first spring game, a 7-2 loss to the White Sox, but he did take a couple of steps, showing another side of his. offensive play which once again delighted the brass of the team.
“When I was trying to familiarize myself with the alignment and when I spoke to everyone at the top,… there was no one who was on Andrew’s barrier,” La Russa said after the Sunday game. “I have to see him in January, and he is for real.
“I don’t have a crystal ball to know if he makes the squad on April 1, but he’s going to have a lot of opportunities to play his way into this squad. And today was the great start you’ve been waiting for: really good batting, nice defensive play. It doesn’t take an inning. That’s the real deal. “
On this fine defensive play, a diving problem at first base, Vaughn doesn’t expect to see a ton of time on the pitch in 2021, not with reigning AL MVP José Abreu occupying that position. But the White Sox have spoken often about their desire to rest Abreu every now and then, and even if that means a day of Abreu sliding towards DH, Vaughn could certainly see a little time filling up for the big guy.
Even though La Russa isn’t ready to take Vaughn from the “pencil” group to the “ink” group, it is evident every time he asks him about Vaughn how impressed he is with the group. 22-year-old player.
Adam Engel, home run hitter
Even though Vaughn didn’t eliminate the power race on Sunday, the White Sox got a round-trip.
Adam Engel threw a two-point dinger in the first inning, picking up where he left off in 2020 with positive offensive production. So long regarded as a player first and foremost in defense – if not just defense – in the outfield, Engel had a great season at home last year, becoming a more complete player.
With that came a little more power. His slugging percentage climbed nearly .100 points, from .383 in 2019 to .477 in 2020. He hit a home run in the AL Wild Card Series opener against the Oakland Athletics, the first home run. in the playoffs by a White Sox hitter since 2008.
“Just being able to contribute offensively to the team,” Engel said last week, “is something that has kind of stuck with me like a question mark throughout my career. always felt like I had a lot to offer. The defensive side of the ball and also the basic running. Last year it proved to myself that I can also help the team from the batter’s surface . “
Who hit the White Sox’s first knockout homer in 2020? Engel. Who hit the White Sox’s first spring home run in 2021? Also Engel.
There’s a reason he was third in La Russa’s lineup on Sunday.
‘Wheels’ Moncada
Yoán Moncada said he is feeling much better after his 2020 season impacted by COVID. He showed a little extra energy on Sunday.
The White Sox third baseman described his 2020 campaign as a “daily battle” to find the energy to do just about anything on the baseball field, and it showed, especially when he ran the bases. At one point, after running the bases in Cleveland, he was spotted being fanned in the dugout by former manager Rick Renteria. At the moment, White Sox coaches were unsure if Moncada would be able to return to the field.
Fast forward to spring 2021, and Moncada stole a base in the first inning of his first spring game. He hasn’t attempted a single swept sack in 2020 after going 3 for 10 in stolen base attempts in his 2019 breakout season.
It’s a positive sign that confirms Moncada’s rhetoric that he’s back in good health after battling the aftermath of his COVID-19 infection last year.
“I have the chance to prove that I am the kind of player that I was in 2019, that this is the kind of player that I am,” Moncada said via team interpreter Billy Russo last week. “And I think I can do better.”
The Russa back in the canoe – and in there to win her
NBC Sports Chicago’s graphics team flashed a pretty amazing one at the start of Sunday’s show:
This is Tony La Russa’s ninth season at the helm of the White Sox and his first since 1986.
If that doesn’t say it all.
La Russa expressed her joy to be back in the canoe after almost a decade of absence on Sunday. After all, this is the guy who wants to be there, having spent time in front offices that he called “torture” can hardly be questioned.
Oh, and even though it was a six-inning game that didn’t count, he wanted to win.
“Familiar. Nervous about the competition,” he said, asking what it was like to make his comeback. “I think you have to practice to win. You have 30 chances (in the spring), so you don’t want to wait until opening day.
“Whether it’s the team or a manager, you’re supposed to use these games to anticipate and make decisions. That’s why I like it, in that when I get to opening day or in October , there is really no difference between focus and process. “
Click here to subscribe to the free White Sox Talk podcast.
Download
Download MyTeams today!
[ad_2]
Source link