How should the White Sox order their suddenly dangerous lineup?

Now that the White Sox have reportedly agreed to terms with Edwin Encarnacion, they have what is arguably their deepest lineup since the years of Konerko, Thome, and Dye – if not earlier. Finally, discussion topics are beginning to change from whether the White Sox will acquire talent to how the White Sox will manage their talent. The 2020 batting order will naturally be a major conversation topic throughout the offseason, as the team’s newfound depth, which I wrote about a few days ago, is a pretty big deal:

In 2019, the White Sox gave 3,252 plate appearances (53.8% of the total) to hitters that were below league average (using wRC+).

8 of the 9 projected 2020 White Sox starters hit above league average in 2019, and the lone exception, Nomar Mazara, was only 6% below the average.

— Nik Gaur (@Gaur_Nik) December 26, 2019

How will Ricky Renteria choose to order these players? For the purposes of this exercise, let’s assume that Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal are on the MLB roster, as they figure to be for the majority of the 2020 season. Also, these lineups will suppose a right-handed starter is on the mound for the opponent, both because this will be the norm, and because I believe that the platoon complement to Nomar Mazara may not be on the roster yet.

The wild cards in these discussions are Robert and Madrigal. As rookies, we cannot know how quickly they will adjust to MLB pitching. While both have long-term top of the order potential, I believe that Robert is more likely to have an immediate impact, mostly because his theoretical struggles can be counteracted by his propensity to hit home runs. I believe Robert can play a Ronald Acuña sort of role as a leadoff hitter, both in 2020 and beyond. Thus, for the time being, it would make more sense to keep Madrigal lower in the order.

There’s no better Luis Robert highlight than a 443-foot bomb off the batter’s eye pic.twitter.com/fs2oIALWe9

— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) August 16, 2019

Another factor to consider is the organization’s commitment to Jose Abreu. While circumstances may change with a more dangerous lineup, it seems as though Ricky Renteria will keep Abreu in the #3 slot in perpetuity. I will now present the lineup I predict Renteria will often use, and later will share what I would prefer he employ. As for what I foresee him using:

1. Luis Robert (R)
2. Yoan Moncada (S)
3. Jose Abreu (R)
4. Yasmani Grandal (S)
5. Eloy Jimenez (R)
6. Edwin Encarnacion (R)
7. Tim Anderson (R)
8. Nomar Mazara (L)
9. Nick Madrigal (R)

The above lineup presents a sufficient division with respect to handedness, features plenty of power in succession, and is refreshingly loaded with potential high on-base percentage threats. The beauty of this exercise is the realization that there are very few 2020 lineup configurations which would be considered inadequate. With this much talent, batting Tim Anderson in the #7 spot, for instance, is no longer a ridiculous choice.

While the above lineup, or something fairly similar to it, seems realistic to me, I would not mind seeing the White Sox adopt an even more analytical approach in 2020. I do not expect this, as it defies conventional norms, but the main move I seek is for Yasmani Grandal to be the leadoff hitter.

Did Grandal homer? Yaz he did! #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/EjfNYRCMF7

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 17, 2019

Grandal is quite slow and hits for a relatively low batting average, so at first glance, suggesting him to be a leadoff hitter may come off as absurd. But Grandal, who has always maintained healthy walk rates, took a staggering 109 of them last season. If he can come close to replicating his .380 on-base percentage from 2019, he would often find himself standing on first base with a star in Yoan Moncada at the plate. For similar reasoning, I would move Encarnacion, another slugger with a strong history of taking walks, to the #3 spot. I would then drop Abreu behind Jimenez so that he can continue to focus on driving in runs. Here is what I would prefer to see:

1. Yasmani Grandal (S)
2. Yoan Moncada (S)
3. Edwin Encarnacion (R)
4. Eloy Jimenez (R)
5. Jose Abreu (R)
6. Nomar Mazara (L)
7. Tim Anderson (R)
8. Luis Robert (R)
9. Nick Madrigal (R)

The primary issue with this setup is that the handedness balance is somewhat ruined by having two switch hitters at the top of the lineup followed by three consecutive right-handed batters. I placed Mazara in the #6 spot in a perhaps feeble effort to mitigate this. Nevertheless, this lineup provides what, in my opinion, is a terrific equilibrium between on-base skills and power. The team’s run producers would have many plate appearances with runners on base, and there is elite speed stacked at the bottom of the order (Anderson/Robert/Madrigal) which would help increase runs driven in by Grandal and Moncada.

Given how deep the White Sox lineup is – and I will definitely need some time to get used to saying that – there exist several combinations that I would also support. Therefore, I am curious to know your thoughts. What do you expect Renteria to come up with, and what would you prefer he do? Let me know what you think in the article comments, in Facebook comments, or in Twitter replies!

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