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The Chicago White Sox announced on Tuesday that they would buy the contract of Andrew Vaughn, the No.3 pick in the 2019 draft, before opening day. Vaughn, a natural first baseman, should see the action in left field during Eloy Jimenez’s absence. Jimenez recently tore a pectoral muscle while trying to steal a home run. (Tony La Russa, director of the White Sox suggested he could start Leury Garcia left on opening day.)
Vaughn entered the spring ranked by CBS Sports as Chicago’s second-best prospect. Here is what we wrote at the time:
Vaughn is comparable in many ways to Spencer Torkelson, the No.1 pick in the 2020 Draft. They are both West Coast first baseman right-handed who have all the tools – eye, bat speed, strength, sense of the contact and make adjustments – and that should move quickly through the miners before taking their rightful places in the middle of an order. On that note, there’s a good chance Vaughn will make his league debut before the end of the year.
Vaughn played 24 games this spring, hitting .271 / .377 / .458 with two home runs and eight walks. Baseball Reference calculations suggest he faced an average-quality opponent who spent the 2019 season between High- and Double-A. In 55 minor league games in 2019, he hit .278 / .384 / .449 on three levels.
Vaughn is the second notable addition the White Sox will make before Opening Day, joining veteran corner fielder Jake Lamb. Lamb joined the White Sox earlier this week after being released from the Atlanta Braves.
SportsLine predicts the White Sox will win 87 games this season, placing them five games behind the Minnesota Twins at AL Central. SportsLine’s forecast gives the White Sox a 44% chance of making it to October for the second year in a row.
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