One year after emphasizing the need to improve the White Sox defense, Chris Getz has turned his attention to the offense.
One could argue that the defense, which ranked 29th in the MLB in runs prevented (-34) and Outs Above Average (-42), still needs plenty of work. However, the White Sox did reduce its total errors from 95 in 2023 to 90 in 2024, so some progress has been made.
But with an offense that ranked last in every major category last season the lack of run support was simply too much to ignore. Getz told reporters during the GM meetings in San Antonio earlier this month that “with any trade or free agent, we are looking for ways to improve our offense.” But with limited resources to spend, Getz has to get creative.
Enter free-agent outfielder Austin Slater.
The White Sox and Slater reportedly agreed to an MLB deal pending a physical. Slater’s offensive numbers don’t jump off the page. During seven-plus seasons with the Giants and brief stints in Cincinnati and Baltimore, Slater owns a career slash line of .252/.342/.385 and is fresh off a dismal season where he hit .209 with a .586 OPS.
He has never been much of a power hitter with just 39 career homers and 162 RBIs. His career high in homers came when he hit 12 in 2021. This is thanks in part to a career 52.4 percent groundball rate and 27.7 percent strikeout rate, which are both higher than the MLB average.
So what does Slater do well? He gets on base and he knows how to hit left-handed pitching.
Last season the Giants traded Slater to the Reds for left-hander Alex Young on July 7. He was then traded to the Orioles eight games later on July 30. While in Baltimore he worked briefly with the Oriole’s co-hitting coach Ryan Fuller, who was recently named the White Sox new hitting director of hitting. It was no coincidence that shortly after Fuller got the job, Getz signed Slater. Fuller had high praise for the 31-year-old outfielder’s game planning and “ability to control the strike zone.”
The White Sox did not control the strike zone well in 2024. They ranked last in the MLB in walks (395), OBP (.278), and owned the fourth-highest chase rate. That is where Slater could help. His career 10.6 percent walk rate is better than the league average of 8.4 percent. Last season Slater posted a 12.3 percent walk rate and only had a chase rate of 18.6 percent.
For most of Slater’s career, he has served as a fourth outfielder. He has played over 100 games at all three outfield positions. However, he also has 29 games at first base and appearances at both second and third base under his belt. Getz likely signed him with the intent of serving a platoon role with Dominic Fletcher.
Fletcher was seen by many to be the White Sox long-term solution in right field when Getz added him in a trade with the Diamondbacks last season. However, it became apparent that Fletcher still has a long way to go offensively. He batted .206 last season with a one home run, 17 RBIs, and a .508 OPS.
Many of his struggles came against lefties. Fletcher slashed .176/.276/.216 in 58 plate appearances against southpaws last season. This was reflective of a White Sox team as a whole that did not hit lefties well. The South Siders had 585 fewer hits against left-handed pitching than they did against righties, slashing just .220/.284/.326. Hitting southpaws is one of Slater’s specialties.
Between 2020 and 2023 he posted a 141 wRC+ against lefties. His career slash line against left-handers is .271/.365/.429 compared to his .229/.316/.333 marks against righties. However, Slater bucked that trend last season hitting just .188/.310/.231 against them in 142 plate appearances. Getz is hoping that it was just an outlier after Slater posted a 114 wRC+ against lefties in his 79 plate appearances with the Orioles down the stretch.
Paired with Fletcher and Zach DeLoach the White Sox now feel like they have multiple options to put their offense in a better position to succeed on a daily basis. Slater may not be a great player but he is a good fit for what Getz is trying to do.
The Grade: B-
