The White Sox's acquisition of AJ Pollock is big news, yet his history says it's best to downplay your excitement. Those counting on him to be the everyday, every-month right fielder might be crushed by an ill-timed hamstring strain, pulled groin, back tweak, broken thumb or elbow fracture, all of which have cost him chunks of time during three of the last four seasons.
When a team isn't counting on him to cut a distinct presence, lowered expectations make the experience much more enjoyable. You don't want him as your daily driver, but if you have an extra spot in the garage and it's only a mild inconvenience when he breaks down, you don't really have to overthink it when he shows up for the right price on Bring-a-Trailer.
The White Sox could really use 120 games of the above-average Pollock, but they also don't yet need it, so they're closer to the second paragraph than the first. That's a pretty good place to be, especially since they were on the wrong end of this game last winter.
Back when the Sox designated Adam Eaton for assignment last July, I wrote that the timing of the signing reflected unrealistic expectations. Had he signed for one year and $8 million at the end of January, the White Sox could say that they couldn't have used the money any better that late in the winter. By signing him in early December, it suggested that they thought Eaton could address a problem. The results would've been the same either way, but timing determined how wrong they were.
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With Pollock, trading for him before the lockout could've been construed as another corner-cutting attempt to solve right field. Besides the track record of injuries, he's played left field when not in center, so you shouldn't necessarily expect above-average defense in the tougher corner.
But by acquiring Pollock the week before Opening Day for Craig Kimbrel, it's hard to argue that they could've done much better with that non-liquid $16 million. The disagreement lies in discussing whether the Sox should have declined Kimbrel's option in order to free up actual legal tender, rather than hoping the barter system would bail them out, but under the present circumstances, it's impressive that Hahn found somebody who addresses just about all the outfield gaps on paper. Now it's just a matter of whether Pollock's body will allow him to be penciled in.
Picking up Pollock this late in the game has another context-based benefit courtesy of Andrew Vaughn's hip pointer. It doesn't really matter whether Hahn worked at this for weeks or whether it was inspired by Vaughn's life flashing before his eyes, but the timing of the deal heeds a cautionary tale nevertheless.
With Vaughn allegedly projected to miss just one to two weeks, the Sox could've adopted Tony La Russa's outward-facing mindset and figured Vaughn wouldn't be struck by lightning twice, or three times if you count the previous August.
Instead, it's as though the White Sox vowed to learn from their near-death experience and be a better ballclub from this point forward. Adam Haseley for Blake Rutherford was a baby step in that direction -- doubly so since Rutherford cleared waivers and remains in the organization -- but Pollock represents mouth meeting money, without eating money.
As long as Pollock is upright, right field is in a way better place. Look at these projection across the outfield, according to FanGraphs' depth chart:
| Name | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eloy Jiménez | 476 | .272 | .320 | .509 | 2.2 |
| Luis Robert | 644 | .281 | .334 | .502 | 4.8 |
| AJ Pollock | 420 | .265 | .320 | .480 | 1.7 |
An outfield is in great shape when a reasonably healthy Pollock projects as the worst of the bunch, and because the deal was done after FanGraphs posted its right field projections, we can see how much this accomplishes.
The previous allocation of right field innings had Vaughn, Adam Engel, Gavin Sheets, Leury García, Micker Adolfo and Haseley combining for 1.6 WAR, which ranked 23rd, so Pollock outclasses that entire group by himself. His presence also boosts the White Sox's right field situation from the bottom third of the league to the top half.
It also relegates the previous situation to a decent Plan B. If or when Pollock gets hurt and the Sox have to scrounge for options, this is where Vaughn, Engel and the Gang-el is more than fine. You'd expect a team's emergency situation to rank toward the back of the pack, and there's more upside here than most. Engel has hit righties better and better when his body actually allows him to do it, and a projection system won't see a Vaughn breakout coming until it actually happens. Now the Sox get such a development as a bonus, rather than a necessity to the success of multiple bat-first positions.
Vaughn figures to see playing time shaved off his total with this addition, yet a Pollock-first approach to right field might be fairer to Vaughn than ones that make him a bigger part of immediate plans.
For one, if he has to start the season on the injured list, he'll be afforded time for a proper rehab stint. The lockout-delayed start to the season means the Minor League Baseball season will be up and running before MLB's Opening Day, so Vaughn will be able to get his first-ever at-bats in the high minors if he needs them.
Afterward, he won't be expected to carry a position he's barely played for a second straight season. He'll be in the mix, and maybe he can earn more than Tony La Russa intends to mete out, but he'll have a welcome margin for error.
Everybody else should appreciate the cushion, for that matter. Pollock doesn't have to be the man here. In fact, he's going to a lineup that is one of the few to rival the Dodgers for depth. Here's one stab at it:
- Tim Anderson, SS
- Luis Robert, CF
- José Abreu, 1B
- Eloy Jiménez, LF
- Yasmani Grandal, C
- Yoán Moncada, 2B
- Pollock, RF
- Vaughn/Gavin Sheets, DH
- Josh Harrison, 2B
Maybe you want him batting in the middle of the order because his ground-ball rate would be the team's second-lowest behind Robert. Perhaps you'd want him batting ahead of the heart of the order because he's usually a plus baserunner. Maybe he bats eighth due to alternating righties and lefties as stringently as possible. However it shakes out, the bottom of the lineup boasts considerably more muscle than last year, when its 44 homers ranked 11th in the American League.
Those who are on the bench in a given game also have far less asked of them. Engel can ease into the season after a season plagued by hamstring and shoulder issues, with offseason labrum surgery to address the latter. García has more insulation from having to start in an outfield corner in games that matter. Haseley can take the time he needs to get his life back together in Charlotte. The only guy who appears to be pushed out by all this padding is Micker Adolfo, but his situation was precarious to begin with.
This is what happens when a team has more bats than spots: Anybody's best looks like a bonus, rather than a necessity. The White Sox were late than getting there, but they've completed one side of the ball while saving some immediate resources. If they want to redirect them toward the pitching staff to provide a similar cushion for Dallas Keuchel and Michael Kopech, the complaints would just about dry up, which is another thing better late than never.
