White Sox acquire RF Nomar Mazara from Texas Rangers

Nomar Mazara

Unless there are more moves to come, your starting right fielder for the 2020 Chicago White Sox is Nomar Mazara.

Underwhelming, isn't it?

The Sox acquired the 24-year-old outfielder from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for outfield prospect Steele Walker.

Before we talk about Mazara, let's be clear about one thing: While Walker had a good season at Class-A Winston-Salem in 2019, he was expendable. He's a 23-year-old who has never taken a single at-bat above A-ball. So, from that perspective, wouldn't you rather have a 24-year old with four years of MLB experience? That's Mazara.

Mazara batted .268/.318/.469 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 116 games for the Rangers last season. I'm not impressed, but before we get to why, let's check off some of the good points for Mazara:

• He bats left. That's an area of need, and he did bat .288/.344/.500 with 13 home runs against right-handed pitching last season. You can do worse than an .844 OPS against righties.
• He's clearly better than Daniel Palka, Jon Jay or Ryan Cordell. Duh. As I indicated, you can do worse than an .844 OPS against righties, and the Sox did do worse last season when their right fielders posted a collective .565 OPS. Blech.
• Mazara has hit 20 home runs in three of his first four seasons, and he has a 101-RBI season under his belt (2017).
• He's only 24, so there's still a chance that he could improve, and he's under control for two more years.

Now, here's some of the reasons NOT to be excited about this trade:

• In his four seasons, Mazara has posted a career OPS+ of 93. In each individual season, his OPS+ has been 93, 90, 96 and 96. A league-average right fielder has an OPS+ of 100, so Mazara has been 7% below league average for his career. His career OPS is a pedestrian .754.
• Mazara has never posted a WAR of more than 1.1 in any season, according to baseballreference.com. In part, this is because he is a subpar defender with limited range, who takes poor routes in right field.
• He can't hit lefties and needs a platoon partner. He batted .220/.252/.394 against left-handed pitching in 2019.
• He strikes out a lot, just like everyone else who plays for the Sox. Mazara struck out 108 times last season, and that represents a career low.
• He doesn't walk. Mazara also walked a career-low 28 times in 2019, and his career on-base percentage is .318. That fits right in with an endemic problem the Sox have: They don't get on base nearly enough.
   

It seems to me this move is only good if Mazara is placed in a platoon role. There are better outfielders out there in free agency -- Nicholas Castellanos, Marcell Ozuna, Yasiel Puig -- and most of them swing from the right side of plate. Maybe the Sox need to bring one of these guys in to play right field against left-handed pitching and serve as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching. (For the record, Puig is my choice.)

Mazara just doesn't strike me as a good "Plan A" in right field for a team that claims to be taking steps forward toward contention over the next couple of years.

Of course, Mazara is 24, so he could get better, but given the Sox's track record, do you trust that they can unlock whatever untapped potential may be lurking inside this player? 

Two steps back: White Sox swept at home by Detroit Tigers

Nicholas Castellanos

The Detroit Tigers are not a good road team. In fact, they are 13-20 away from Comerica Park.

But you would never know it by their performance at Guaranteed Rate Field this season, where they are 6-0 after sweeping a weekend series from the White Sox. So, the Tigers are 7-20 on the road against teams not named the White Sox.

Pathetic, and frustrating for Sox fans. It's especially frustrating after the Sox had shown signs of progress in June -- taking two out of three from the Brewers, splitting four games with the Twins, taking two out of three from the Red Sox and splitting four games with the Indians.

Now, the Sox go three games without ever taking a lead at home against the middling Tigers. Ugh.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, June 15
Tigers 4, White Sox 3: This game was characterized by suspect bullpen management from Rick Renteria.

The Sox trailed, 3-0, through five innings, but Omar Narvaez hit his first home run of the season, a 3-run shot in the sixth, to tie the game.

But for some reason, Renteria blew through relief pitchers Xavier Cedeno, Bruce Rondon and Luis Avilan to get three outs in the top of the seventh inning.

While those three relievers combined to keep the Tigers off the board in the 7th, it was strange that Renteria chose to play matchups when no runner reached scoring position in the inning. It was not a dangerous situation.

Then, Juan Minaya -- who is only in the big leagues because Nate Jones is on the disabled list -- was entrusted to pitch the eighth inning. Of course, Minaya immediately went single, walk to put himself in trouble.

He was allowed to stay in, perhaps because the aforementioned three relievers already had been used, and of course, the Tigers scored a run and won the game.

Head-scratching.

Saturday, June 16
Tigers 7, White Sox 5: Detroit right fielder Nicholas Castellanos was mired in a 1-for-21 slump until Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito took the mound.

Giolito took care of that, allowing a 3-run homer to Castellanos in the third and a two-run homer to him in the fifth. Both home runs came after Giolito had issued a two-out walk.

The Sox trailed, 5-0, going to the bottom of the fifth, but they rallied to tie the game. An RBI double by Tim Anderson, a two-run single by Charlie Tilson and a sacrifice fly by Trayce Thompson highlighted a four-run fifth.

In the sixth, Yolmer Sanchez tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jose Abreu. 5-5 game.

But Abreu missed a big chance in the seventh. He grounded out weakly to third with the bases loaded and two outs. Worse yet, he swung at two bad pitches to open the at-bat, after Detroit reliever Buck Farmer had walked Yoan Moncada and Sanchez to load the bases for Abreu.

It was a rare poor at-bat for the Sox's best hitter.

In the eighth, Detroit only hit one ball out of the infield -- a leadoff single by Victor Martinez -- but the Tigers plated two runs because Rondon walked two guys and misplayed a bunt.

It was a frustrating defeat on what could have been a feel-good day after the Sox erased a five-run deficit.

Sunday, June 17
Tigers 3, White Sox 1: Castellanos continued to punk the Sox. He got a hanging breaking ball from James Shields in the first inning and hit it out for a two-run homer.

That was essentially the game, as the Sox failed to generate much offense against soft-tossing Detroit left-handed Blaine Hardy.

Matt Davidson's team-leading 12th home run of the season provided the only Sox offense in the second inning.

But hey, Shields (2-8) went at least six innings for the 11th consecutive start, and he didn't allow the game to get out of hand.

Increase that trade value, James.