White Sox might have tipped their hand to how Andrew Vaughn will be used in 2020

MLB teams will be trying new things in this short season, and the White Sox seem to have all options open for top prospect Andrew Vaughn.

As the start of the 60-game sprint that will be the 2020 MLB season nears, teams will have to think outside the box and consider all options. The Chicago White Sox are a team on the rise, but finding room for top prospect Andrew Vaughn this year might be worthwhile.

The White Sox drafted Vaughn third overall in the 2019 draft out of Cal. He played first base and pitched in college, but his future appears to be as a first baseman. He made his pro debut last year, with an .832 OPS over 235 combined plate appearances in Rookie Ball, Single-A and High-A. Entering this year he was ranked as a top-30-ish prospect by Baseball America (No. 30), MLB.com (No. 16) and Baseball Prospectus (No. 31).

Ultimately, as is easy to see with 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson, Vaughn’s primary defensive position will be moot as long as he hits and isn’t a complete disaster in the field.

Still, as the White Sox go through summer camp, where Vaughn was spotted taking grounders on Wednesday morning is interesting.

Will Chicago White Sox use Andrew Vaughn at third base in 2020?

Vaughn took grounders at third base, perhaps not for the first time during summer camp. As a former pitcher he should easily have the throwing arm to play the position.

Starting third baseman Yoan Moncada has yet to participate in the White Sox summer camp workouts. That invites speculation he was one of two positive COVID-19 cases the team had. But in any case there’s an opening (or a practical requirement) to try other guys at third base, including Vaughn, if only to see if there’s something.

Vaughn could be with the White Sox when the shortened season starts, and there’s a fair chance he’ll be tapped into from the team’s 60-player pool at some point if he’s not. So trying him anywhere, including a position he seems to have never played before, is well within reason right now.