On the latest edition of the Sox Machine Podcast, Josh, FromThe108's BeefLoaf and I talked about what we think Jake Burger can ultimately give this White Sox team, and I'm surprised I beat a 108er in drawing a comparison between Burger and Daniel Palka.
There's are the numbers, which are close enough when accounting for the difference in baseballs:
- Palka 2018: .240/.294/.484, 110 OPS+, 109 wRC+
- Burger 2021: .245/.289/.434, 107 OPS+, 109 wRC+
There are also similarities in body type and platoon limitations, although Burger is more athletic, and his susceptibility against right-handed pitching isn't as final as Palka's struggles against lefties.
But beyond the tangible and trackable parallels, Burger brings Palka to mind because the quality of previous plate appearances don't seem to have any bearing on his ability to deliver if the game finds him. He'll go from being overmatched and out of the box in four pitches to making the team's only hard contact of the game, preferably in a big spot.
There are too many bad at-bats for me to trust what Burger could do if the White Sox cemented a larger role. In James Fegan's write-up of Burger's in-season revival, he puts a finer point on my general suspicions about Burger facing any and all right-handed pitchers:
On the flip side, Burger is hitting .241/.281/.407 against right-handers for his career, .210/.247/.333 this season, and .154/.241/.269 since being recalled — although that last figure comes with pretty good strikeout-to-walk numbers (20.7 percent to 10.3 percent) and just awful BABIP luck in a tiny sample. Whether it’s due to concerns about hand load, a big forward lunge in his swing that gets him out on his front foot too much to react to off-speed pitches in time, or just track record, league scouts are skeptical that a big improvement against right-hand pitching is coming through regular play. Whereas part-time, matchup-based deployment (he’s been notably good against groundball pitchers) would allow him to use his smarts to ambush heaters — or as was the case this weekend in Tampa, changeups. He gets identified by rival team scouts as a good bench player, and the best bench players perennially look like they are deserving of more. Burger seems to make the most of his opportunities, and after all, he’s waited too long for them.
Had Fegan not wrote this, my leading thought would've been "It's not surprising when Burger hits a grounder to the left side," and then I would've had to figure out how to elaborate on that hunch. Burger's come up with a few of the biggest hits of the season over the last 10 days. In between that, he also has the second-least clutch game in baseball this season, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout, a double play and six stranded in the 6-5 loss to Toronto on May 31. He's tied for the team lead in double plays despite the fewest plate appearances, and I'd be concerned that other teams could mitigate his efforts if they made it a priority.
Still, as long as Yoán Moncada is battling vague leg, Yasmani Grandal is working through his more known lower-body issues, and Gavin Sheets needs that kind of Charlotte slow-down Burger said he benefited from, there's no harm in playing Burger as much as possible. His flaws seem evident and exploitable, but after Andrew Vaughn, Luis Robert and José Abreu, who would you rather see in the box? Adam Engel and Danny Mendick, maybe, but only because they've received their opportunities to fail, and have improved enough to see regular action.
That's about the limit of my thinking right now, because it seems like the kind of situation that will resolve itself one way or another. Maybe Burger's a mirage. Maybe Moncada can't stay in the lineup and Burger is the default choice. Maybe Moncada's better at third, but the Sox don't have a DH, and Burger is the most suitable there. Outside of placing Grandal on the injured list for Carlos Pérez, there's no apparent immediate action to be taken, nor a confident timetable for knowing when one will emerge.
SPARE PARTS
Like the Burger conversation above, there isn't much of a point in figuring out Mendick's larger future until 1) Tim Anderson returns, and 2) Mendick shows the ability to sustain average play as a regular. That said, this Tony La Russa quote is worth filing away in case one of these unproven players emerges as the real best option:
La Russa has started Mendick in every game but one since Anderson’s injury. When Anderson returns, La Russa might consider playing Mendick at second. Harrison (.181/.265/.276) and Garcia (.189/.199/.265) have played 22 and 27 games, respectively, at second with minimal production.
‘‘Danny’s playing real well, and that’s supposed to be the criteria, right?’’ La Russa said.
It's not yet known whether Dallas Keuchel had MLB opportunities, or whether his best path back to MLB success involved a reunion with former Houston Astros pitching coach Brent Strom, who is currently in that role for the Diamondbacks. However it happened, he chose the latter, and he'll report to Triple-A Reno to start.
Steve Stone made his broadcasting debut on ABC's "Monday Night Baseball" back on June 7, 1982, so when he returns to the booth tonight after a week off, the White Sox will be celebrating his 40th anniversary.
When looking up the production the White Sox received from Grandal and Reese McGuire for the aforementioned post about calling up Carlos Pérez, I was surprised that five teams were getting less from their catchers. It's yet another byproduct of receiving being paramount for the position.
The four-seamer at or above the top of the zone is no longer an automatic out pitch. It's still a bear for hitters to square up, as evidenced by the above-average pop-up rates that are effectively as good as a swing and miss, but adjustments have finally taken root.
The Yankees' league-best 39-15 record shows that Josh Donaldson's combustible presence doesn't lose games for a good team, but there's an argument that he can't elevate fringe teams if his body won't allow him to play defense.
