One of the many questions the Chicago White Sox front office will need to address this offseason is right field. This has been the case for the past several seasons. But yet again, the White Sox have failed to address it adequately.
Eloy Jimenez will likely shift to the full-time designated hitter, and AJ Pollock will shuffle into his place in left field. The three early favorites are Oscar Colas, the team’s No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, Gavin Sheets, and free agent Brandon Nimmo. Their are other candidates such as Andrew Benintendi. However given his recent hand injury and five home runs in 521 plate appearances, we are going to focus our attention on Nimmo, Sheets and Colas.
Brandon Nimmo
Brandon Nimmo is a fan favorite on the White Sox off-season wish list. He is coming off the best season of his career, hitting 16 home runs and slashing .274/.367/.433 in 151 games. According to FanGraphs, he also provides excellent defense, as evidenced by his 5.4 wins above replacement. That surpasses his previous career high of 4.8.
At the age of 29, he is still in his prime. His primamry postion is center field, but he has experiance in right field. Having somone in the conrer outfield with the range of a centerfilder can’t hurt. Adding Nimmo would solve a lot of the White Sox issues. The problem is he will come with a high price tag.
Scott Boras is his agent. He is the best in the business at maximizing a player’s value in free agency. Outside of Aaron Judge, who the White Sox have a snowball’s chance in hell of signing, Nimmo is the best outfielder available. Plenty of teams will be priced out of the Judge sweepstakes and will turn their attention to Nimmo.
The Mets also are still in the running to resign him. If it comes down to a bidding war, I don’t expect the White Sox to beat the Mets.
Another factor is AJ Pollock. Pollock will likely opt into his club option, which will eat up some White Sox outfield money. That shouldn’t hinder the White Sox, but given how they operate, it may cause them to focus their resources elsewhere.
Nimmo makes a ton of sense for the White Sox, which is why they probably won’t sign him.
Oscar Colas
Oscar Colas is the front-runner to be the White Sox right fielder next season. He is the No. 2 prospect in the White Sox organization and is cheap. It’s a perfect storm.
Colas has a ton of potential. He has a strong arm and the ability to hit for power and average. Last season Colas batted .314 with 23 home runs between three teams in the minor leagues. He hit 14 of those home runs off Double-A pitching, which tends to have the most talented arms in the minor leagues. During his seven games in Triple-A, he impressed to the tune of .387 and four extra-base hits. He is already 24, so he is going to get called up sooner rather than later. Left-handed power is something the White Sox lack, so at the very least, Colas will help balance the lineup.
While he could be a nice addition, expecting him to save the offense is unfair. He will be getting his first taste of major league action on a team with World Series expectations. That is a lot of pressure to put on a rookie. But if the White Sox can avoid dishing out money in free agency in favor of an internal option, you best believe they will.
Gavin Sheets
Gavin Sheets is coming off another solid season at the plate. On top of showing his usual power, he began hitting the ball to the opposite field. He is a rare left-hander with power on the White Sox roster, which was especially valuable considering the disappearance of Yasmani Grandal. However, he should not be considered a starting right fielder for the 2023 White Sox.
One reason the White Sox will let Jose Abreu walk in free agency is that Andrew Vaughn is a liability in the outfield. Purging the outfield of all the first basemen is a positive first step to improving a porous defense in 2022. There is no reason Gavin Sheets should be in right field. He is a first baseman by trade, and his offensive output doesn’t justify his lack of defense in right field.
Sheets can provide power from the left side of the plate, but his home-road splits are concerning. But he did hit 15 home runs and drove in 53 RBIs. Having him as a backup first base or a pinch-hitting option should be the move in the future.
Conforto