The Andrew Vaughn Outfield Conundrum
It was an all too familiar sight for White Sox fans. One of their young promising players leaving a Spring Training game early due to injury. Last season Eloy Jimenez went down after tearing a pectoral while trying to rob a home run in March. This time it was Andrew Vaughn who left Sunday’s Cactus League game in a cart early after making a diving catch in right field.
On Monday the White Sox announced that Vaughn had sustained a right hip pointer and is only expected to miss 1-2 weeks. The organization and White Sox fans let out a collective sigh of relief. If all goes well, Vaughn should be ready to return for Opening Day on April 8th against the Detroit Tigers.
While the news is obviously positive for the White Sox, it raises the question should Vaughn be roaming the outfield in the first place?
The 23-year old is in line to be the future first baseman once Jose Abreu’s tenure is over. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2019 draft.
He raked in college winning the Golden Spikes Award in 2018. Vaughn was nominated once again in 2019, becoming just the 17th athlete since 1978 to be named a finalist twice. David Price was the last player to accomplish this feat in 2006-07.
While his numbers didn’t jump off the page in his rookie season his professionalism did. He got nothing but rave reviews from his teammates and coaches. With just 55 minor league games under his belt, the White Sox asked him to be their primary designated hitter in 2021. Things quickly changed when Eloy Jimenez got injured and Vaugh was forced to learn an entirely new position while simultaneously adjusting to major league pitching.
He was still able to give fans a taste of what he is capable of at the plate. Vaughn’s hard-hit percentage in 2021 was in the MLB’s 81st percentile. His average exit velocity was in the 82nd percentile. Meanwhile, his Max exit velocity was in the top six percentile. The bottom line is that he is a valuable asset.
Vaughn is likely slated to platoon in right field and at DH. His splits against left-handed pitching were very telling. The Santa Rosa native batted .269 against lefties but just .221 vs. righties.
His recent injury raises some major red flags. As it currently stands the White Sox are serious contenders in the American League. Good teams do not play unproven guys in unfamiliar positions. Vaughn has spent the entire offseason preparing to play a corner outfield position.
While he may have the right attitude to play outfield, he is simply not good enough to be an everyday outfielder. Statcast places his sprint speed in the bottom third of the MLB. His outfield jump ranks amongst the worst in the league while he outs above average placing him in the fourth percentile.
Because he gets such bad jumps he needs to dive at flyballs at a higher rate than the normal outfielder. This puts him at greater risk for injury. He should be commended for his work in the outfield in 2021.But playing him there again in 2022 as a patchwork option in right field is hurting the White Sox in more ways than one.
His risk for injury increases, the White Sox defense suffers and Vaughn cannot focus on becoming the offensive force he is projected to be. They need a serious outfield solution, not another patchwork job.