The White Sox made a very interesting trade with the Braves about two weeks ago. The White Sox received some interesting high-upside pitchers, as well as Nicky Lopez. But someone who is not getting a lot of attention in this deal is shortstop Braden Shewmake.
Shewmake was a first-round pick in the 2019 draft by Atlanta. They selected him 21st overall out of Texas A&M. In three years at A&M, Shewmake showed off his potential hitting .323 with 22 home runs and an impressive 161 RBIs. He added 32 stolen bases in that timeframe as well. This plus his sure glove at shortstop earned him his first-round selection.
Since then Shewmake has not wowed anyone in the minors, but he has been a very solid contributor. Overall, he has hit .250 with 38 home runs, and 174 RBIs over 346 minor league games. He has also added 53 stolen bases in that same timeframe. While these aren’t world-beating numbers, this shows a glimpse of his potential in the major leagues.
The best tool with Shewmake is his glove. According to MLB, he is one of the better defensive shortstops in all of the minor leagues. Defense is something that new GM Chris Getz has been prioritizing in his free-agent moves, so look no further than Shewmake.
At this point, the options for shortstop are bleak. Paul DeJong used to be good, but now he is more of just a fielder with power potential. He is not going to be a long-term answer at shortstop. Nicky Lopez is a glove-first utility player with little upside at the plate. These aren’t bad players to have on your team, but they should be regulated to more of a utility role for their limited bats.
Shewmake on the other hand has only had four major league at-bats. He is still a question mark as to what he can provide in the major leagues, so why not give him an opportunity to play every single day?
This season is likely to be one to forget for the Chicago White Sox. They are cutting payroll and they are trading their best players away. Why not let the younger guys play? Last year in AAA, Shwemake hit 16 home runs and drove in 70 runs. These are pretty solid numbers, so why not see if they can translate to the pros? He also added 27 stolen bases, which is desperately needed for a slower White Sox team.
I’m not sure what the plan for Shewmake is, but he should at least be given an opportunity to play every day. Worst case scenario, you find out now that he can’t play and you know to move on. Best case, you find out that he can be a solid contributor on a major league roster and now you have another solid player to work with. He clearly has the most upside out of guys like DeJong and Lopez, and at this point, Lenyn Sosa seems to fit in at second base, if anywhere at all.
This is a perfect opportunity for the Sox to find out what they have in their younger players with little to no pressure. See what these guys can do, and if they can’t play, at least you know before you try to compete.
