Which surprisingly productive role player do you believe in the most?

[maxjusttyped]

Just curious to hear your guys' thoughts on this.

Edited May 28, 2017 by maxjusttyped

[daggins]

I' d add Narvaez to the list and I think his performance and skill set will be most viable and consistent going forward.

[chitownsportsfan]

good topic, I voted Sanchez, just because if he hits much, his defense is very good, near elite possibly.

[Jose Abreu]

good topic, I voted Sanchez, just because if he hits much, his defense is very good, near elite possibly.

I voted Sanchez for the same reason, but with Moncada almost ready, I unfortunately don't think he has a future here

[SoxAce]

I'm the biggest Sanchez fan (love Davidson too), but I think Garcia has the best future here from that list, as a utility guy at worst. At least with Garcia, no prospect we have in the minors currently is ready to step in for him unlike the other two possibly (Moncada, Delmonico)

[Dam8610]

How is Avisail Garcia not included in this? I personally don't think he'll sustain it, but I'm sure some here do.

[Quin]

Leury, as he bad been tearing up AAA for a while coming into this year and can serve as a utility player.

[maxjusttyped]

How is Avisail Garcia not included in this? I personally don't think he'll sustain it, but I'm sure some here do.

Different caliber of player, in my opinion. If I included him in the poll I think he would have been the fairly obvious choice.

[Dam8610]

Different caliber of player, in my opinion. If I included him in the poll I think he would have been the fairly obvious choice.

 

I disagree. While he is currently having the best season of the four, he also has the most evidence suggesting this is a fluke.

[TheFutureIsNear]

I think Davidson is the most likely to be able to continue what he is currently doing...although his average will drop some.

 

Leury is more of a 4th OF'er/utility guy. Which isn't a bad thing.

 

Yolmer is probably hitting over his head right now...although I think he too can be a useful bench piece, possibly even a league average 2B

Edited May 29, 2017 by TheFutureIsNear

[Lip Man 1]

Davidson in my opinion. I voted for him.

 

I think he can be a productive role player (part time DH, part time 3B) on the Sox when they get good in two or three seasons.

 

Can supply some pop and is very cheaply paid.

[Dam8610]

Davidson in my opinion. I voted for him.

 

I think he can be a productive role player (part time DH, part time 3B) on the Sox when they get good in two or three seasons.

 

Can supply some pop and is very cheaply paid.

 

Obviously it would be more valuable at 3B, but is a .250 BA/20-25 HR/.825-.850 OPS good enough to work at DH?

[southsider2k5]

good topic, I voted Sanchez, just because if he hits much, his defense is very good, near elite possibly.

 

Sanchez is also a guy who had some decent success in the minors as well. He always hit for good average once he learned a level.

[Jerksticks]

Obviously it would be more valuable at 3B, but is a .250 BA/20-25 HR/.825-.850 OPS good enough to work at DH?

Well a 20-25 HR guy with an .800+ OPS is never going to be the worst player in a given lineup- probably one of the best.

 

Personally I'd love a Delmonico/Davidson Corner combo with Abreu at DH/Backup 1B. Add in Good Frazier and I dunno where any of these guys are going to play. And then Yolmer and Saladino too? Glad I'm not Hahn or Rick this July.

[chitownsportsfan]

Sanchez is also a guy who had some decent success in the minors as well. He always hit for good average once he learned a level.

 

yea and he was usually young for his age, certainly a interesting player now that he's hitting in MLB.

[zisk]

yea and he was usually young for his age, certainly a interesting player now that he's hitting in MLB.

Yolmer could be a really good 2B for many years to come. What about a 2019 outfield of Robert,Moncada and Avi?

[bmags]

Going out on a limb with Davidson, a player I was not a believer in. I thought his first slump would tear him asunder, but he keeps fighting back with power. His plus power and 3b position mean more to me than Leury/Sanchez who are doing great but easier to find.

 

Davidson will fail harder than either, admittedly.

[Dick Allen]

I am not sold long term on any, but Sanchez is probably the one I would say has the best shot of staying near their current level. Leury has hit HR at a ridiculous pace for him. Davidson has a lot of homers. I just can't see Leury keeping up power-wise and his average is coming down. He could be a decent utility guy with his speed and ability to play a ton of positions. Davidson fans way too much. He to me is the 2011 Brent Lillibridge. You look at their offensive stats, Lillibridge for 2011 and Davidson for his career, they are almost identical. The massive amount of whiffs eventually catch up to you IMO. Sanchez probably isn't a .300 hitter or a .750 OPS guy, but he has a lot lower of a fall from current production to be believable moving forward.

 

At least we are discussing guys seemingly playing over their heads than the under of the previous several seasons. Hopefully they all keep it up, but that doesn't seem realistic.

[Chicago White Sox]

I voted for Leury, but am beyond happy with all three at this point. I do think Sanchez will be the odd man up in a few months, but should still be able to get plenty of playing time as the reserve infielder.

 

What's really impressive is how intriguing our projected 2018 lineup looks at the moment.

 

1B: Abreu

2B: Moncada

SS: Anderson

3B: Davidson/Delmonico

LF: Garcia

CF: Garcia

RF: Garcia

DH: Delmonico/Davidson

C: Narvarez

 

While there are still question marks, there aren't any wasted spots IMO. And if let's say someone like Willy Garcia struggles and doesn't deserve a shot, we have a ton of flexibility with the rest of that lineup and could leverage some of our depth with guys Sanchez, Saladino, Tilson, Engel, and maybe even someone like Danny Hayes.

 

Obviously we need to continue targeting potential impact bats like Robert & Collins and making it a priority, but I pretty damn happy how things have gone so far on the positional side. If we can get two legit starters out of Davidson & the Garcia trio, that speeds up rebuild considerably.

[southsider2k5]

yea and he was usually young for his age, certainly a interesting player now that he's hitting in MLB.

 

He was no exception at being young for his first call ups either.

[Bob Sacamano]

Is there any team that could use Sanchez? It sucks he doesn't really profile as a SS or 3B to be a reserve.

[ChiSox59]

Well a 20-25 HR guy with an .800+ OPS is never going to be the worst player in a given lineup- probably one of the best.

 

Personally I'd love a Delmonico/Davidson Corner combo with Abreu at DH/Backup 1B. Add in Good Frazier and I dunno where any of these guys are going to play. And then Yolmer and Saladino too? Glad I'm not Hahn or Rick this July.

 

Delmonico cannot and will not play 3B regularly at the major league level.

[Ozzie for Manager]

Delmonico cannot and will not play 3B regularly at the major league level.

I saw him play this year in Norfolk and completely agree, he does not look good defensively at 3rd base. He would either be a 1B, OF or DH. I do like his bat though.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

Is there any team that could use Sanchez? It sucks he doesn't really profile as a SS or 3B to be a reserve.

He may not profile at those positions full time but he can play a competent 3rd or SS and the Sox even put him in RF the other day.

Leury and Sanchez are respectively 2nd and 4th on the Sox in bWar (baseball ref right ? ) with 1.4 and 1.2 . Those numbers reflect both offensive and defensive value . They are the kind of players ( depth players) who the Sox have been lacking when trying to compete.

 

There is no reason to trade either because the more of these young valuable players you have the better the odds that there will be continued value going forward.

 

For instance if Sanchez and Leury can be 2+ WAR going forward and the Sox want to maximize value then Moncada should already be getting reps in the OF . Personally I see no reason for the Sox to settle for a middle infielder who's glove may end up lacking or not as good as Sanchez' especially with the current lack of depth in the OF.

 

Davidson is currently 7th among Sox position players in bWAR with .5 . People were worried when his BA plummeting down to .220 but he's turned it around and got it back near .270. Again he has been pretty valuable considering he's been playing a lot of DH and is over 50 plate appearances behind team leaders. The same can be said of Sanchez who was behind Saladino to start the year.

 

Davidson also has the 3rd highest team OPS+ at 137 which is very good.

Edited May 29, 2017 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[balfanman]

There is no reason to trade either because the more of these young valuable players you have the better the odds that there will be continued value going forward.

 

For instance if Sanchez and Leury can be 2+ WAR going forward and the Sox want to maximize value then Moncada should already be getting reps in the OF . Personally I see no reason for the Sox to settle for a middle infielder who's glove may end up lacking or not as good as Sanchez' especially with the current lack of depth in the OF.

 

I agree with this. I've always liked Sanchez and thought that he would start hitting in the majors after some struggles. His minor league track record is consistent at each stop.

 

I know Moncada is the hot prospect now and he may well turn out to be good in the majors, but as one who really values strong defense (especially up the middle) I would prefer to leave Sanchez alone and move Moncada to 3rd base or the outfield.