Andrew Vaughn Hype Thread

[Dominikk85]

I wonder what kind of hitter Vaughn will be. It is already apparent that he has great patience and he can turn on balls in certain locations. 

 

Currently his K rate is a little high at 30%, however he still is getting used to mlb pitching and already starting to lower his K rate (first week high 30s, this more mid 20s) and I expect that K rate to be better than average (19-20% maybe) eventually. 

I do start to see the konerko comp a bit. Both had good K to bb rates and around 30 hr pop but the other thing I start to see is that Vaughn pulls the ball a lot. As I said in the other thread right now he doesn't handle the ball away well and he is pulling the ball a lot. 

I did not see that before but even in the minors he had quite high pull rates (mid to high 40s). That is maximizing is power output but also will hurt his babip if he keeps that up. 

That is were a bit of variability comes into play. Vaughn has good but not monster power that he can tap into very well. Now there is a decision whether he wants to be a 30 HR guy who pulls the ball a lot but runs babips in the. 270s like konerko did or whether he works on staying on the outside pitch more and use the whole field which he has the bat control to do so but might mean he is more of a 22-25 Homer guy who can hit 300.

Either way I think he will be fine 

[tray]

1 hour ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

 

Engel provides much better defense and even if I were willing to say Vaughn is better offensively than Engel ( which I'm not ) it's hard to justify keeping a sub par bat in the lineup who also doesn't provide anything but average defense . There will be games when the Sox pitching gets rocked and we will see more chances for Vaughn in the OF and God help him if he starts looking below average in the OF while still struggling at the plate.

When does that faith in Vaughn over ride what's best for the team ? I think Vaughn will become a good hitter but it is possible that time isn't now and the Sox may not want to keep developing him at this level while they are supposed to be trying to make the playoffs . If the other guys were hitting and the Sox start winning more often it will take some pressure off Vaughn and the Sox could still keep him in the lineup.

I don't want to see it but there might come a time earlier than the end of May that it becomes apparent that Schaumburg was no substitute for AA and AAA and his fielding is hurting the team. There is already enough bad defense to say we can carry more of it. 

 

IMO Vaughn needs at least one season in the high minors to refine his hitting and fielding.   His talent is too raw to develop at the major league level.  In comparison, consider how long Mercedes has had to develop his hitting skills.

The reality for Vaughn is that Engel will soon  return and Mercedes has sewn up the DH spot for the foreseeable future.

[Boopa1219]

What?

Vaughn too raw? One of the most polished college hitters in recent memory?

Vaughn will be fine, he just needs regular  playing time. Engel is someone who’s good to have in short stints or coming off the bench, I don’t want him taking anywhere near 600 PA in a regular season.

Give Vaughn, some time to get his feet wet and he’ll be fine. Eloy didn’t really set the world on fire, his first month/month and half of his rookie year. 

[ShoeLessRob]

When does Soxtalk turn on Vaughn?

[Soxfest]

Not hitting like I thought he would 

[TheTruth05]

just straight garbage hits man

[Dominikk85]

He had like 30 ABs, give him some time. But maybe some AAA time would help him

[wegner]

40 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

He had like 30 ABs, give him some time. But maybe some AAA time would help him

I think time in the minors would help when they open....he seems outmatched right now.

[CentralChamps21]

5 hours ago, Joshua Strong said:

What?

Vaughn too raw? One of the most polished college hitters in recent memory?

Vaughn will be fine, he just needs regular  playing time. Engel is someone who’s good to have in short stints or coming off the bench, I don’t want him taking anywhere near 600 PA in a regular season.

Give Vaughn, some time to get his feet wet and he’ll be fine. Eloy didn’t really set the world on fire, his first month/month and half of his rookie year. 

There were no team expectations in Eloy's rookie year. Fair or not, Vaughn is coming up at a time when there's no margin for error. Sending him down doesn't help. Just have to keep batting him 8th and push through the struggles.

[chitownsportsfan]

He's developed a hitch.  He looks bad.  The quick short stroke he had coming out of college isn't there right now.  

[JoeyCoralFanClub]

12 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

He's developed a hitch.  He looks bad.  The quick short stroke he had coming out of college isn't there right now.  

The dude had like 200 at bats at A ball before he was rushed to the Show. He's clearly not ready but is being forced to play, out of position as well, due to the incompetence of the Sox FO.

[Dominikk85]

Vaughn should definitely play regularly until at least early may. Sending him down now makes no sense because Sox have no real replacement and also there's no minor league season currently. 

But he does look a little overmatched currently and if he isn't hitting when Engel is back they might send him down for a month or two

[greg775]

3 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

He's developed a hitch.  He looks bad.  The quick short stroke he had coming out of college isn't there right now.  

If this is true, it's alarming. You'd think he remembers how he hit in college.

[Dominikk85]

He always had that "hitch". Josh Donaldson has a hitch too, it is only problematic if it is not well timed. 

If you use a hitch to load you need to drop the hands as you lift the foot so the hands are back up as you land. If you do it later it becomes an issue. 

[black jack]

Feels like he's leaving A LOT of guys on base.  Kid needs a bloop single in the worst way.    

[caulfield12]

29 minutes ago, black jack said:

Feels like he's leaving A LOT of guys on base.  Kid needs a bloop single in the worst way.    

The whole lineup, other than Eaton, Robert and Yermin is either underachieving or putting additional pressure on themselves.

With Moncada, absolutely no clue what makes him tick, and exactly what’s going on in that head of his for the last 18 months.

[Dick Allen]

Vaughn is uncharacteristically swinging at bad pitches. I think he sees his average on the scoreboard and it is messing with him. 

[pcq]

Sox need Engel back so we can stop with the failed Vaughn experiment. This team looks like dead fish. 

[Dominikk85]

40 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

Vaughn is uncharacteristically swinging at bad pitches. I think he sees his average on the scoreboard and it is messing with him. 

 

Wouldn't worry about that, he has to get used to mlb stuff. He has a good eye but mlb pitches just move differently. 

I wonder if the Sox have overrated the alternate site thing a little though. Longenhagen was always sceptical about this, he said Sim game ABs are less competitive, you face the same pitchers over and over and pitchers won't be as willing to pitch on the hands because Nobody wants to take out a top100 prospect with a fractured wrist. 

Not sure why they wouldn't give him some more time in AAA. 

In the end it wasn't an easy decision though you had the scouting reports and good looks at the alt site vs him never playing above high A and doing well there but not destroying it either. 

The Sox decided the former is more reliable but maybe it wasn't. 

I think he should Still be given the next two weeks but if he doesn't hit by then send him down 

[Dick Allen]

5 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

 

Wouldn't worry about that, he has to get used to mlb stuff. He has a good eye but mlb pitches just move differently. 

I wonder if the Sox have overrated the alternate site thing a little though. Longenhagen was always sceptical about this, he said Sim game ABs are less competitive, you face the same pitchers over and over and pitchers won't be as willing to pitch on the hands because Nobody wants to take out a top100 prospect with a fractured wrist. 

Not sure why they wouldn't give him some more time in AAA. 

In the end it wasn't an easy decision though you had the scouting reports and good looks at the alt site vs him never playing above high A and doing well there but not destroying it either. 

The Sox decided the former is more reliable but maybe it wasn't. 

I think he should Still be given the next two weeks but if he doesn't hit by then send him down 

He has everything working against him. Very inexperienced.  Learning a new position.  Sporadic playing time. That isn't helping. I know eventually he is going to be one of the better, if not the best, hitters on the team.

[Rounding_Third]

4 minutes ago, Dominikk85 said:

 

Wouldn't worry about that, he has to get used to mlb stuff. He has a good eye but mlb pitches just move differently. 

I wonder if the Sox have overrated the alternate site thing a little though. Longenhagen was always sceptical about this, he said Sim game ABs are less competitive, you face the same pitchers over and over and pitchers won't be as willing to pitch on the hands because Nobody wants to take out a top100 prospect with a fractured wrist. 

Not sure why they wouldn't give him some more time in AAA. 

In the end it wasn't an easy decision though you had the scouting reports and good looks at the alt site vs him never playing above high A and doing well there but not destroying it either. 

The Sox decided the former is more reliable but maybe it wasn't. 

I think he should Still be given the next two weeks but if he doesn't hit by then send him down 

Agree.  Give him until AAA opens with full season there.  Then hope that Engel truly has turned the corner.  If not, start the trade discovery.

[ChiSox59]

He looks good in LF. That’s about all the positive I have to say. 

[Rounding_Third]

3 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

He looks good in LF. That’s about all the positive I have to say. 

Yeah, he's done a nice job; nothing's fooled him.  Looks like he's been playing out there his whole career.   

At the plate, teams figured him out halfway though ST.  He's pretty confused right now.  Overmatched. 

[chitownsportsfan]

1 hour ago, Dick Allen said:

Vaughn is uncharacteristically swinging at bad pitches. I think he sees his average on the scoreboard and it is messing with him. 

I think it's seeing A ballers <<<<<<< Major Leaugers.  The FO fucked up.  He was never ready.  They panicked.

[caulfield12]

1 minute ago, chitownsportsfan said:

I think it's seeing A ballers <<<<<<< Major Leaugers.  The FO fucked up.  He was never ready.  They panicked.

Or were unwilling to spend the extra $10-20 million we supposedly ran short of to put a much deeper roster together...no other team in the majors has both their 2020 and 2019 first round draft picks up.  Most don’t have either.