On Friday November 22nd, (the MLB tender / non-tender deadline) it became apparent in this tweet from the White Sox account that Andrew Vaughn was returning to the team for his 5th season. The former #3 overall pick in the 2019 draft has been a disappointment thus far and has most fans fatigued with waiting for him to turn a corner and become the middle of the order mainstay that was originally promised. In a recent episode of my podcast The Au Jus I discussed a variety of White Sox personnel topics, including Vaughn.

Whether you were #1 on the Andrew Vaughn non-believer list (me) or still think he might become a superstar, it’s currently academic. He’ll be here. Now let’s breakdown (imho) how he has the best chance to be successful in 2025. No hoping, no wishing, no “he was one of their better hitters already”, aka NO BULLSHIT! Here is the three point Andrew Vaughn Success Plan.

The Andrew Vaughn Success Plan

#1 – Take His Fucking Glove Away!

We need to come to the realization that Andrew Vaughn is a fucking butcher at first base. It’s not for a lack of effort. He has minimal athletic ability, which leads to damn near zero range. His hands aren’t particularly good either. Look, it’s just not in the cards and if we are trying to max out AV’s potential, I think he should primarily DH.

In the 2024 Season, out of 43 First Baseman that registered a minimum of 350 Innings played, Vaughn ranked 42nd out of 43 in Outs Above Average and 38th out of 43 in Defensive Runs Saved. When he’s not playing the field, he can be in the cage working more, or staring weirdly at others on the bench. Either way, we shan’t let his glove hurt the White Sox anymore.

#2 – Nail His Ass to the Bench vs the Real Sweeper Monsters

One of the first episodes of The Au Jus that I ever recorded was with Josh Nelson from SoxMachine where we discussed our concerns about Andrew Vaughn. Even back then his issues with the Slider were of a high priority.

As much as things change, the more they stay the same. Below is a cut out of Vaughn’s 2024 profile from Baseball Savant and it appears that the Sweeper (the slower more horizontally floating version of the Slider) is still not a favorite of old Andrew.

Let’s act on this, in the 2025 season, when Sonny Gray or Corbin Burnes or Max Fried is on the hill the next day, tell Andrew he can go out partying late, because he ain’t about to see the lineup. Limit the damage, and put someone in there that is more equipped. I know Andrew is durable, but why run this dude down when it’s an exercise in futility. As Hawk would say “GRAB SOME BENCH” against these types of dudes. For all of our sakes.

#3 – Lock Him In A Room with Ryan Fuller

If there is a single player on the White Sox that could benefit from the tutelage of a man who preaches pulling and lifting the ball it’s Vaughn. While he’s not #1 on my personal list of guys that I want Fuller focusing on to start (I cover some of that fun stuff here). I think the guy that could most quickly benefit from a sesh or eight with the new Director of Hitting is AV. This is a make or break year for Andrew, with only a single arbitration eligible season remaining after this he needs to start proving his worth or learning Korean imo. I want Andrew making some PB&J sammies for him and Ryan, maybe even packing some Capri Suns. I might even nudge Getz into investing in some bunk beds, because these guys are going to need to get real chummy in Arizona.

I don’t know if any of this will truly work, but my glass is currently half full on the 2025 White Sox, so why not attack these problems with honesty and vigor? This is the hand we are dealt, so why cry about it, let’s figure out the best way to play it.

-BeefLoaf