As Summer Camp nears its conclusion — yes, it is already over halfway done — three positive developments have caught my eye the most. While I am very excited to see many players contribute this season, three notable performers are Tim Anderson, Nomar Mazara, and Dane Dunning.
I have lost count of how many times I have written about Tim Anderson over the past few years. Suffice it to say, I believe he is a very talented shortstop with a much higher defensive ceiling than many seem to give him credit for. His work ethic and dedication to improving his defense since the end of last season have been well-documented, both on his own social media pages and in various interviews in which he and the White Sox coaching staff discuss his progress. What I have taken notice of, however, is his performance at the plate.
Of course, all the games we have gotten to track this year have been relatively meaningless scrimmages. Every March, I am the buzzkill who gets annoyed when people attempt to place too much importance in results from practice games. Yet, there is something intriguing about Tim Anderson’s recent home run barrage in intrasquad games.
Anderson has never been a prolific power hitter, and he still probably will not be. Yet, given his incredible work ethic, I would not be surprised if he is able to at least tap into his power more than he has in the past. There is a very real possibility that Anderson not only irons out his defensive miscues (he has looked quite smooth over the past few weeks), but also partially compensates for the expected decrease in luck with an increase in power. All told, if he stays healthy, he could be a consistent four-win player over his prime years, even after accounting for luck. Having such a weapon at shortstop would be massively stabilizing for the White Sox.
Nomar Mazara did hit an in-game home run the other day, but it was his words, not his actions, that piqued my interest.
We all know that Mazara has tremendous raw power and tools, but he has suffered from some nagging injuries, inconsistency in his approach, and faulty mechanics. Given that he and the White Sox believe his approach and swing have been corrected, I am very much a fan of the above quote. While it is too early to say if he should be the team’s right fielder past the 2020 season, the idea of having a corner outfielder who understands the value of slugging — especially in this day and age — is refreshing. Some may call it “selling out for power”; nevertheless, Mazara is a powerful hitter, and I am interested in the idea of a high-risk, high-reward approach. For better or worse, 60 games might be enough for the White Sox to know if they should look to augment the right field position this winter.
While many have been lamenting that Michael Kopech will not be pitching for the team this year, his absence does open up opportunities for other young arms. While this can also apply to Jimmy Lambert, Dane Dunning is yet another hurler that has recovered from Tommy John surgery and is looking to make an impact in the near future. Dunning was a fairly advanced pitching prospect when he got injured in 2018, and he has long been a particularly intriguing prospect to me. Dunning has looked good lately and could take Kopech’s planned role this year, which might consist of a mix of long relief and occasional spot starts. He typically offers good command and is known for limiting walks and home runs. While he does not have an overwhelming arsenal, Dunning also was adept at inducing swings-and-misses in the minors, where he struck out 10.2 batters per 9 innings. All of these traits bode well for this season. As long as he is healthy, Dunning is already polished enough to contribute despite not yet appearing in AAA.
As I mentioned before, there are plenty of reasons I am excited for the upcoming season; for example, I am surprised that I made it through this whole article without even mentioning the incredible Luis Robert. Nonetheless, the storylines of Anderson’s defense and power, Mazara’s new approach, and Dunning’s contributions should be compelling to follow over the next few months.
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