Andrew Vaughn

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Andrew Clayton Vaughn

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Biographical Information[edit]

First baseman Andrew Vaughn was the winner of the 2018 Golden Spikes Award following his sophomore season at the University of California. He beat out three top draft choices in the 2018 amateur draft for the honor: Casey Mize, Brady Singer and Kody Clemens. The award came after a season in which he hit .402 with 23 homers, tying the school record, and 63 RBIs. That summer, he played for the USA College National Team. Surprisingly, he had not been considered a serious prospect coming out of high school, but saw his stock rise extremely fast due to his performances with California.

Vaughn was the third overall pick in the 2019 amateur draft, by the Chicago White Sox. He played for three different minor league teams his first season, the AZL White Sox, Kannapolis Intimidators and Winston-Salem Dash, putting up a combined line of .278/.384/.449 in 55 games. However, he was one of the multitude of minor leaguers who saw their 2020 season wiped out by the Coronavirus pandemic. He did make the White Sox's opening day roster in 2021 and when he started his team's second game of the season in left field against the Los Angeles Angels on April 2nd, a day short of his 23rd birthday, he became the first player from the 2019 draft to play in the majors. He went 0 for 3 with a run scored in his debut. Overall, he hit .235 in 127 games, with 15 homers and 48 RBIs, for a team that finished in first place in its division. He played mainly in left field, filling in during the first half of the season for an injured Eloy Jimenez, while also appearing in right field and at first base - and also making one start each at second base and third base. He could not play his usual position, first base, as Jose Abreu was a fixture there, and fellow rookies Yermin Mercedes and Gavin Sheets were the most frequent DHs. In the Division Series, he went 2 for 5 with a double in the White Sox's loss to the Houston Astros.

In his second full season in 2022, he played 134 games and hit .271 with 17 homers and 76 RBIs, improving his OPS+ from 91 to 111. He was probably the steadiest hitter on a disappointing White Sox team that missed the postseason. He continued to play mainly in the outfield, with 45 games in right and 44 in left, but also started over 20 games at both DH and first base. Following the season, it was announced that he would move to being a full-time starter at first base in 2023, due to the departure of long-time fixture José Abreu via free agency.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (2023)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Sarah Langs: "Why Vaughn's start to 2022 is built to last", mlb.com, May 2, 2022. [1]
  • Scott Merkin: "Vaughn much more ready for outfield in '22", mlb.com, March 24, 2022. [2]
  • Scott Merkin: "Vaughn has big shoes to fill at first for White Sox", mlb.com, January 3, 2022. [3]
  • Scott Merkin: "'It almost brings you to tears': How Vaughn is making difference in Chicago", mlb.com, November 21, 2023. [4]
  • Kendall Rogers: "GSA Spotlight: Andrew Vaughn", usabaseball.com, March 14, 2018. [5]
  • Mitch Sherman: "Cal sophomore Andrew Vaughn wins Golden Spikes Award", ESPN.com, June 28, 2018. [6]

Related Sites[edit]

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