In all five cases, some fans -- including me -- criticized the Sox for slow-cooking the rebuild and leaving the prospects in the minor leagues for too long. General manager Rick Hahn's "abundance of caution" quotes have become both the stuff of legend and annoyance.
Now, the team is expected to call up its 2016 first-round draft pick, catcher Zack Collins, before Tuesday's game against the crosstown Cubs, and I don't think too many people are going to be repeating that criticism.
Collins is a curious case because his defense behind the plate is a work in progress, and some people don't believe it will ever be good enough for him to be a big league catcher. In addition, his bat has been respectable but not dominant this season at Triple-A Charlotte. Is he really ready? Good question.
Collins is slashing .250/.374/.482 with nine home runs and 39 RBIs in 50 games. He takes his walks -- 36 in 206 plate appearances -- but he's also struck out 66 times.
The Sox insist Collins can stick behind the plate, but he's also been playing some first base in Triple-A, sharing the catching duties with fellow prospect Seby Zavala.
It looks as though Welington Castillo could be headed for the injured list after leaving Sunday's 10-3 loss to the New York Yankees with lower back tightness. That would create room for Collins to do some catching, but it's hard to see a scenario in which he would play every day, with James McCann slashing .324/.374/.509 and earning praise for the way he handles the Sox pitching staff.
McCann is getting All-Star consideration and has earned the right to most of the playing time behind the plate for the Sox.
But, McCann and Castillo have *both* been in the lineup in recent games. Whichever man is not catching has served as the designated hitter, with Yonder Alonso continuing to swing the bat poorly and generally riding the bench.
After playing regularly throughout April and May, Alonso has seen his playing time slashed in June. He has only 20 plate appearances this month. Alonso, who is slashing .180/.280/.312 for the season, is 2 for 18 in June.
Might Collins be taking over for Alonso in a 1B/DH role on days in which McCann is catching? I think that's quite possible, if the team wants to cut ties with Alonso.
One skill that Collins seems to bring is an ability to hit right-handed pitchers. Here are his splits at Triple-A:
- vs. RHP: .268/.400/.512, 18.75% BB, 27.5% K
- vs. LHP: .189/.283/.378, 13.0% BB, 47.8% K
But once the Sox return to American League action Friday against the Texas Rangers, we may very well see Collins at DH when McCann is catching, and McCann at DH when Collins is catching. Or, we may see Collins at first base for a couple of days here and there to get Jose Abreu a "half-day" as a designated hitter. We've seen Alonso in that role throughout the season to this point, but his bat is weighing down the lineup, and his time may be up.
I wouldn't think the Sox would call up Collins unless they were intent on giving him an extended chance to stick. Castillo was on the seven-day concussion list earlier this season, and the team called up Zavala for a few days.
Collins is a more significant prospect than Zavala. He's a former first-round pick. A significant investment has been made in him. I don't think the Sox would call him up for just "a few days."
That must really believe he's ready, despite his weakness against left-handed pitching and his defensive shortcomings. That .912 OPS against right-handed pitching at Triple-A makes Collins interesting, and we'll see if he can carve a niche in the big leagues by hitting right-handers, whether he's catching, playing first or DH'ing.
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