The White Sox have made their first move of the Winter Meetings. The team is in agreement with the Texas Rangers to acquire outfielder Nomar Mazara, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Scott Merkin of MLB.com later confirmed the move and announced that outfield prospect Steele Walker will be heading to Texas.
Sources: Rangers have agreed to deal Nomar Mazara to Chicago White Sox. I have a feeling this may get overshadowed in light of Gerrit Cole news.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) December 11, 2019
Mazara has spent all four seasons with the Texas Rangers since making his debut in 2016. The 24-year-old slashed .268/.318/.469 with 19 home runs, 66 RBI, 27 doubles and a .786 OPS. He also struck out 108 times compared to just 28 walks, a trend that has been pretty consistent since he entered the big leagues.
As for Walker, he was Chicago’s second round draft pick out of Oklahoma in the 2018 MLB Draft. He split his 2019 season between the Low-A Kannapolis Intimidators (20 games) and High-A Winston-Salem Dash (100 games). In that span, he slashed .284/.361/.451 with 10 home runs, 62 RBI, 36 doubles, and a .811 OPS.
This move points to Mazara being at least one of the players the team will employ in right field. He hits lefty which is a plus for this lineup, and can provide plenty of pop. As you can see above, his offensive numbers definitely won’t “wow” you and he does have difficulty hitting lefties, which could be a concern when Ricky is filling out the lineup card. This could lead to a platoon in right field, something similar to what we’ve seen the team do in the past. As for his defense, Mazara isn’t the greatest at minus-four Defensive Runs Saved last season. When all is said and done, the team will see if he can reach his offensive potential that so many hoped he would during his time in Arlington. If not, then they move on and look for another option.
If you ‘re a fan and don’t like this move, be patient to see how the rest of this offseason unfolds. No this isn’t a Castellanos or Ozuna, but Mazara is still an upgrade over what the team had out in right field in 2019. Plus, there are still more moves coming and this should not be the “big one.”
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Featured Photo: Texas Rangers/Twitter
Left-handed hitting Nomar Mazara has put up significantly better splits versus RHP in his career with a .271/.337/.462 triple slash. He was even better this past season with a .288/.344/.500 line. The White Sox will be wise to utilize a right-handed hitting platoon partner with Mazara who can also play plus defense in RF and become a late inning defensive replacement for him or LF Eloy Jimenez next season.
The White Sox actually have an in-house candidate in CF Adam Engel who could fit the bill. Engel is a right-handed hitter with great speed, some pop who also plays Gold Glove caliber defense. He posted an impressive .313/.360/.482 slash versus LHP in 89 PA’s as the White Sox primary 4th OF in 2019.
Meanwhile, the White Sox June 2018 second round draft pick is now Steele Walker, Texas Ranger.