White Sox Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Luis Robert Jr., Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Benintendi, Dylan Cease and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Chicago White Sox as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles about the top players at every position, and while those kinds of stories will continue until the regular season starts up, we wanted to make sure we covered as many fantasy players as possible, so it’s time to look at options on a team–by-team basis.
We’ve covered the Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies so far, and now it’s time to discuss the Chicago White Sox.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Hitters
The top White Sox off draft boards, according to the FantasySP Average Draft Position list, is outfielder Luis Robert Jr. He’s ranked 58th overall and has an ADP mark of 66.88.
Robert got in nearly a full season worth of games for the first time in his career, but finished with his worst average. He hit a career worst .264 and had a .315 on-base percentage. He totaled 144 total hits, 65 extra-base hits (38 homers), 80 RBIs and 90 runs scored. It was a breakout season for him as a power hitter and it’ll lead to him hitting likely third in the order this season.
You’d love to see his average go back up closer to his .279 career mark, but even if it doesn’t his production is good enough for his ADP. There’s some risk with durability concerns, but his power and run-producing potential should help ease fantasy owner’s minds.
Eloy Jimenez is the next White Sox hitter off draft boards, ranking 213th and having an ADP of 161.79. He was the team’s primary designated hitter a season ago, with 14 games in right field, so it’s possible he has OF eligibility in your league. Jimenez is expected to hit fifth in the order.
In 2023, Jimenez played 120 games in total, tallying a .272 average, .317 on-base percentage, 124 total hits, 64 RBIs and 50 runs. He had just 41 extra-base hits, including 18 homers.
Most of his numbers were on pace with the ones he’s delivered over the course of his career, but with elevated numbers of the non-averages because he played in a lot more games than usual.
If Jimenez has OF eligibility, I like him a little bit more as a fantasy asset. If he doesn’t, he’s only a starting option at the utility spot, which limits how you can construct your roster otherwise. Near his ADP, he’s not a huge risk, but it also could limit how you tweak your roster throughout the season. Again, I’d prefer him more if could start in the fantasy outfield, but he can still provide fantasy teams with some positive things over the course of a season.
Andrew Vaughn is the next Chicago player on the ADP list, ranking 275th with a mark of 180.33. He’s expected to hit second in the team’s lineup.
Vaughn played in 152 games last season, playing 143 of those at first base. He was a DH for the other games, so he also lacks much versatility going into the season.
The 1B finished with a .258 average, .314 on-base percentage, 146 total hits, 80 RBIs and 67 runs scored. Vaughn had 53 extra-base hits (21 homers). His average dropped 13 points from the previous season, but he increased his runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers and RBIs because he played in 18 more games. Availability remains a huge aspect of fantasy baseball.
The White Sox aren't very good from top to bottom, but there’s enough talent in it to help Vaughn and a few other guys be solid fantasy assets. There’s not much risk in drafting Vaughn near his ADP, and the upside of being able to play him every day or package him in a trade make him a solid fantasy player.
Andrew Benintendi is the last hitter to appear on the ADP list, ranking 283rd with a mark of 182.44. The left fielder is expected to hit leadoff for the team this season.
In his first season with the White Sox, Benintendi played 151 games, finishing with a .262 average and .326 on-base percentage. He had 147 total hits, 41 of which were extra-base hits. He homered five times, drove in 45 runs, stole 13 bases and scored 72 runs.
His lack of power keeps a lot of fantasy owners from drafting him, but as a fill-in option, Benintendi is a solid fantasy player. He plays nearly every day and hits for a decent average. Hitting atop the lineup could help him - he hit first or second last season. Again, there’s not much risk involved with a pick that late.
Yoan Moncada, Paul DeJong, Nicky Lopez and Martin Maldonado are the projected other starters, while Dominic Fletcher and Kevin Pillar are projected to platoon in right field.
Maldonado, a catcher, played in 116 games last season for the Houston Astros. He hit just .191, with 15 homers among 69 total hits. He drove in 36 runs. Max Stassi is likely the top backup at catcher.
Lopez played for the Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves a season ago, finishing with a .231 average across 93 games and 262 plate appearances. He homered just once among his 52 hits and drove in 25 runs, while stealing six bases.
DeJong played MLB games for the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants last season. Across 112 games, DeJong had a .207 average and 77 total hits across 400 plate appearances. He homered 14 times and drove in 38 runs.
Moncada was with the White Sox last year, playing just 92 games though. He had 87 total hits and a .260 average, driving in 40 runs. He homered 11 times. He’s expected to hit cleanup for Chicago, so with a full season, he’s got a chance to at least be a top bench option for fantasy purposes.
Colson Montgomery is the ninth-ranked prospect in the game and is expected to debut this season. He’s yet to play at Triple-A, so he’ll likely need more minor league seasoning before getting the call. Still, he’s a name to keep an eye on with so many of the regular starters being average or worse.
Top Fantasy Pitchers
Just one White Sox pitcher, Dylan Cease, is on the FantasySP ADP list. He ranks 74th with a mark of 76.58.
Cease was great in 2022, but struggled mightily in 2023. He went 7-9, with a 4.58 earned run average across 177 innings and 33 starts. He struck out 214 batters along the way, so that was a positive.
Cease has a career 3.83 ERA, so I expect him to improve his ERA quite a bit from last year. He’s still a great source for strikeouts and has made over 30 starts in three straight seasons. If he can improve his ERA, you’ll be getting a steal if you land him near that ADP.
Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, Michael Soroka and Chris Flexen are projected to fill out the starting rotation to start the season. Garrett Crochet and the injured Davis Martin could factor in at some point this season.
Kopech made 30 appearances (27 starts) for Chicago last season, finishing 5-12 with a 5.43 ERA over 129 1/3 innings. He struck out 134 batters.
Crochet was the only other pitcher who pitched for the White Sox last season. He made 13 appearances and went 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA over 12 2/3 innings. He’s prepared to be a starter this season.
Martin hasn’t pitched since 2022. He worked 63 1/3 innings that season across nine starts and 14 total appearances, going 3-6 with a 4.83 ERA. He’s expected back sometime in August.
Fedde hasn’t pitched since 2022 either, but is expected to be ready to go right away. He has a career 5.41 ERA over six seasons.
Soroka pitched in seven games (six starts) for the Atlanta Braves last year after missing the previous two seasons with injuries. He’s got a career 3.32 ERA over four seasons, but only has topped 10 starts once (29 in 2019).
Flexen joins the White Sox after pitching for the Seattle Mariners and Rockies last season. He had a combined 6.86 ERA across 29 appearances and 16 starts.
None of those starting options are all that appealing at this point, but maybe one will breakout this season, so keep an eye on them. They at least could be streaming options here and there.
John Brebbia is projected to be the team’s closer, although it could be a committee most of the season. He’s got a career 3.42 ERA and just two saves to his name. We’ll help fantasy owners determine the top closer option (if one ever emerges) before the regular season kicks off, so check back for that.
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