With Opening Day just a few days away, most of the White Sox position assignments have been established with one clear exception – second base. As of right now, it appears that rookie Nick Madrigal, Leury Garcia (the current longest-tenured Sox player), and Danny Mendick are all legitimate possibilities to be slotted in come Friday. While some have predicted Madrigal to get the starting nod, the concerns regarding his service time are legitimate and could result in the team’s fourth overall prospect spending the first week or so with the taxi squad in Schaumburg. If that’s the case, the decision for manager Rick Renteria then comes down to either Mendick and Garcia.
While many would likely turn towards the veteran Garcia in this scenario, I believe Mendick deserves to be under serious consideration. Throughout Summer Camp and really the course of his career, the determination of Mendick has been noticeable from everyone around him. We even heard firsthand on one of our recent podcasts how his goal was to make this team and contribute in any way he can.
Taking a look at his minor league career, the utility infielder has slashed .259/.344/.396 over the course of five seasons. While his more recent combined numbers from Spring Training and Summer Camp aren’t necessarily eye-popping, he had a solid enough stretch after his call-up last September and is someone who can make enough contact for what the team needs. He also has occasional power, though the Sox already have plenty of thunder throughout the rest of their lineup. Instead, this club needs someone at second base to be THE guy – making reliable throws and being able to turn a quick double play. Mendick checks those boxes.
What sets Mendick apart from someone like Garcia is his fielding and ability to read batters. When in the field, I’ve noticed he always has his eyes locked on the plate–nowhere else. Perhaps this keen focus has helped play a factor in him obtaining a career .987 fielding percentage at second over 148 games (all levels included). Believe it or not, it’s higher than Garcia’s at the position, which sits at .971 over 197 career games – just 49 of which have come at the Major League level.
With all of this in mind, should Danny Mendick be the ONLY second baseman the Sox use, especially as the season rolls on? No, not at all. While he deserves to own the role as the starter for a bit, allowing him to play regularly while switching out with someone else every few games or so could be an interesting move by Renteria. This keeps him fresh, gets Madrigal acclimated to Major League pitching and fielding, and allows an experienced utility player in Garcia to see some reps. Furthermore, the ability to rotate the position will make it harder for other teams to get a solid scouting report on the White Sox. Opposing pitchers would have a level of uncertainty in who they’re facing in a given series, and managers in the other dugout could be confused when it comes things like fielding alignments.
The Sox have an important decision to make on who to put at second base when Friday comes around. A key position in the infield, this player will be a large factor in how the club will perform defensively in 2020. Since last season, I’ve preached that Abreu-Madrigal-Anderson-Moncada was a playoff infield. However, this gutsy effort by Mendick in Summer Camp has made me switch over from Madrigal to start. He’s played hard, and proven that he has what it takes to be an infielder for this team.
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2 errors back to back by Mandick at SS on Monday leaves little to be desired.
Playing musical chairs at a premium defensive position like 2B does the White Sox no favors in an abbreviated 2020 season where each game takes on added importance. They already have a defensively erratic Tim Anderson at SS so stability at 2B is paramount. Nick Madrigal is the White Sox core 2B going forward and that will either start with the Friday season opener versus the Twins or as soon as six days later if the front office chooses to play the MLB service time game with their top infield prospect.
Madrigal has an offensive and defensive skill set that exceeds that of both Danny Mendick and Leury Garcia. The latter two are better suited to provide the versatility the White Sox will need as they finally begin their quest as perennial contenders after a painstaking rebuild.
If the organization opts to keep Madrigal in Schaumburg for the next week or so then Mendick will likely play 2B as Garcia splits time in RF with Adam Engel in the wake of the Nomar Mazara IL placement late Tuesday. Hopefully Rick Hahn will opt for the wiser baseball decision and allow Madrigal to make his MLB debut on opening day and worry about the business ramifications later.
The White Sox m.o. in the past decade has been to lock up all of their key young talent before they reach arbitration and even sooner in the cases of Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert who each received contract extensions ahead of their MLB debuts. This pattern should not change with Madrigal who as their 2018 first round draft selection has done everything possible to live up to expectations with his quick progression through their minor league system. Because of Madrigal’s elite contact and defensive skill set he’s the safest bet of any former prospect to succeed from the get-go. Madrigal might not have as high a ceiling as former top prospects Anderson, Jimenez, Robert and Yoan Moncada who each received contract extensions but his floor exceeds them all. If Madrigal should somehow struggle at the outset the organization would still have the opportunity to option him off the active roster and gain their service time leverage anyway.
I hope the White Sox gamble on Madrigal sooner rather than later. It could be a key decision for them in their quest to reach the 2020 postseason in what figures to be a dogfight with the Twins and Indians.