Fans of the Chicago White Sox all know how great their farm system is and all the top prospects that could be up soon to speed things along and quickly make the Sox good again.
Names like Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith, and Chase Meidroth, occupy the minds of diehard White Sox fans who long for the days of the Sox being great once again. The future is starting to come forward, as Meidroth is the first of those prospects to debut.
Part of that White Sox future is a prospect lying below the radar, who should be considered to be called up as he is on a heater down at Triple-A, and his counterpart at the big league level is struggling.
It might be time for the Chicago White Sox to make a change at first base
The White Sox, as a whole team, are struggling, but one player, the Sox counted on this season to be a force in their offense was Andrew Vaughn, who has gotten off to a cold start.
Vaughn is entering his fifth season as a major leaguer and is two years removed from becoming a free agent. As that’s the case, this season is set to be a make-or-break season for the 27-year-old, but so far he’s leaning toward the latter rather than the former.
In 13 games to begin the year, Vaughn has hit .102/.170/.204 for an OPS of .374 and an OPS+ of nine. Vaughn hasn’t done anything from a power perspective, having only one home run and two doubles in 49 at-bats (53 plate appearances).
These numbers aren’t from a lack of effort, as he ranks in the 82nd percentile for barrel percentage (14.3%) and the 85th percentile for hard-hit rate (54.3%). He also ranks above average in squaring the ball up, ranking in the 77th percentile for that category.
The only downside worth pointing out is Vaughn’s strikeout percentage is up to start the year, as he’s striking out 26.4% of the time. That’s up 5.1% from last season, where he finished with a 21.3% strikeout rate.
Vaughn’s overall numbers are a concern, as you would like to see more power from your first baseman, and Vaughn is not one of the best defensively over at first, as he ranked in the third and sixth percentiles for his range and arm strength.
Vaughn’s continued struggles could open up a pathway for someone like Tim Elko, a lesser-known prospect in the White Sox system, to swoop in and take his job as he’s raking down at Triple-A.
A possible replacement for Vaughn
Elko is a former tenth-round pick of the White Sox back in the 2022 MLB draft and is currently with the Charlotte Knights after getting some exposure with the big league club during spring training.
The 26-year-old Elko didn’t hit that much in his 12 games during the spring but did show off some pop, as he hit an opposite-field home run early in the spring.
Since the year started down at Charlotte, Elko’s bat has come to life as he is slashing .366/.435/.488 for an OPS of .923 in 12 games.
Not ranked on either MLB’s top 100 prospects or in the top 30 for the organization, Elko is the definition of an under-the-radar talent.
A possible promotion could be incoming
If Vaughn’s struggles continue and Elko continues to stay hot down at Charlotte then the White Sox will need to consider a change, as they need more offense.
Vaughn still has options available, and the White Sox could look to use one, as that could help break Vaughn from these struggles.
Since this is another rebuilding year and Vaughn having options, there’s no harm in swapping them out to see what Elko can bring at the Major League level.
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