Cal Baseball: Tony La Russa `Raving' About White Sox Hopeful Andrew Vaughn
In order to make the Chicago White Sox opening roster, Andrew Vaughn is going to have to impress one person more than any other: Manager Tony La Russa.
The former Cal slugger is well on his way to accomplishing that.
La Russa, the franchise’s new manager and Hall of Famer, said he’d heard lots of praise for Vaughn before the start of spring training. Here's what La Russa told reporters on Saturday:
“They all raved about him and now I’m raving about him. He’s an advanced hitter for this point in his career.
“I know he’s never played higher than whatever it is, but boy he takes great at-bats, makes great adjustments. He has a bad at-bat, he’s ready for the next one. He’s got all the qualities. He’s still in serious competition for a spot on the team.”
Vaughn — who will turn 23 on April 3, two days after the Sox open their regular-season schedule — played no higher than Class A Advanced with Winston-Salem in the Carolina League in the summer of 2019 after being selected with the No. 3 pick in the draft.
He has just 245 minor league plate appearances and spent last summer training with the White Sox top farm prospects at an alternate training site after the minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic.
Andrew Vaughn
Photo by Mark J. Rebilias, USA Today
But Vaughn is getting special coaching for Hall of Fame designated hitter Jim Thome, an assistant to the general manager for Chicago, and he is impressing everyone who watches him as he pursues an every day job as the White Sox designated hitter.
“He does things that really good hitters do,” said La Russa of Vaughn. “He can handle different pitches, he really competes, never throws an at-bat away, uses the whole field and he’s got thump.
“He hasn’t made the club yet, but he’s making a very good impression,” La Russa said.
Vaughn blasted a 429-foot home run on Thursday, his second of the spring, and entering play Sunday he was sporting a .289 batting average and an .887 OPS through 17 games.
Vaughn, the collegiate player of the year as a Cal sophomore in 2018, is taking a methodical approach to every opportunity this spring.
“You just have to go out there every day and play your game, be ready for every pitch, every pitch on defense and go about your business,” Vaughn said. “Seeing pitches is the most important thing, getting my timing back. Just getting that approach fine-tuned and ready to go.
“I feel comfortable at the plate. I’m seeing the ball well and it’s just a challenge every time you go up there. It’s you versus the pitcher and you have to try to get your job done.”
It’s been a big help, Vaughn said, to have Thome available as a sounding board. Thome slugged 612 home runs — eighth all-time — in his 22-year MLB career.
“He’s a very awesome man,” said Vaughn of Thome. “And so knowledgeable about the game and drills he likes to do. We were working on a drill that he liked when he was with the Indians. Just the way he goes about it, it lifts you up, gives you that positive energy that is pretty special.”
La Russa sounds like he’s all but cleared a spot on a talented White Sox roster for Vaughn.
“You’ve got to be optimistic about him hitting in the big leagues,” he said. “A big advantage for him will be the depth of the lineup. There are some teams hurting for offense . . . and there’s a lot of extra pressure. But here, he’s just got to complement what’s already there.”
Cover photo of Andrew Vaughn by Mark J. Rebilias, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo