At what point does Yermin Mercedes get sent to Charlotte

[HomeFish]

I drove all the way from the northwest side to Bridgeport to eat a Yerminator burger back in April, but apart from that one home run Mercedes has not really made hard contact with a ball since the Yankees series. He is currently mired in a horrible slump.

Do the Sox wait for his average to fall under .300, which it will very soon? Do they wait for his OPS to fall under .800?

[blurry]

April: .415/.455/.659 1.113 OPS
May: .221/.292/.326 0.619 OPS

Obviously his April was absolutely not sustainable and his May is likely his regression toward the mean. June will be telling for him but sending him down is not a good option right now.

[PaleHoser]

He’s getting himself out more than pitchers are right now. You don’t have to throw him a strike for him to swing, so why throw him one?

He needs to:

1. Be more selective.
2. Lay off the breaking stuff away.
3. Quit trying to pull everything.

[Frater Perdurabo]

It’s OK to admit that we had high hopes that this time it would be different, after we experienced hot starts from fun players like Daniel Palka and Nicky Delmonico, who ultimately could not adjust to the adjustments of major league pitchers.

At this point, Mercedes looks like a platoon DH.

Jake Lamb is hitting better, runs the bases better, gets on base better, and thus has earned more starts at DH v. RHP.

I’m not saying Lamb is a long term answer. I’m saying he’s a better option v. RHP right now.

[LITTLE NELL]

I drove all the way from the northwest side to Bridgeport to eat a Yerminator burger back in April, but apart from that one home run Mercedes has not really made hard contact with a ball since the Yankees series. He is currently mired in a horrible slump.

Do the Sox wait for his average to fall under .300, which it will very soon? Do they wait for his OPS to fall under .800?

Not there yet, it may be time to platoon him with Lamb, see how that goes.

[MrX]

I'm growing tired of watching him almost swing himself out of his cleats until he gets 2 strikes when all they need is him to make contact and then he swings at garbage for strike 3.

It's safe to say what you do with him after Eloy returns is no longer a concern.

[Frater Perdurabo]

I'm growing tired of watching him almost swing himself out of his cleats until he gets 2 strikes when all they need is him to make contact and then he swings at garbage for strike 3.

It's safe to say what you do with him after Eloy returns is no longer a concern.

Exactly. The way opposing teams now deal with the heart of the Sox order is:

Step 1: Nibble the corners/edges to Moncada; it’s OK if he walks.

Step 2: Don’t give Abreu anything to drive; knowing Mercedes is struggling Abreu will expand his zone to hunt RBIs.

Step 3: Mercedes will chase breaking balls and/or GIDP.


The Sox really need some LH power (or RH power that can hit for power to the opposite field, like Eloy) behind Abreu.

[voodoochile]

Mercedes isn't succeeding in outcomes right now, but he has absolutely crushed a couple pitches recently that just found gloves.

[Krs1]

He's not getting sent down. He should be getting some bench time, however.

Yeah, he's had a few hang wiffums during this stretch. However, his AB quality has dropped greatly with many swings at completely unhittable garbage balls. Those are the guys that seem to need to sit back and figure things out mentally for a bit or else they get caught in quicksand.

[JazzyCyclist]

I’m guessing at the similar point to when Ventura was sent down after his 0-50something.

[HomeFish]

Yeah Mercedes has become something of a discount store Vlad Guerrero, swinging at 2-strike pitches waaay out of the strike zone, but instead of sending them to the bleachers he either fouls them off or hits weak pop-ups.

He has actually made contact with a lot of these pitches. On Gameday the other day I was surprised to see "foul" listed on a pitch to Mercedes that looked like it was a wild pitch in the dirt.

[Hitmen77]

I’m guessing at the similar point to when Ventura was sent down after his 0-50something.

Robin Ventura was a blue-chip prospect and hitting star in college who was selected 10th overall in the draft. When drafted he was pegged as a future all-star who would be the Sox starting 3B for years to come. Absolutely no comparison of riding out an 0-41 debut for a future star vs. a 28 year old career minor leaguer who was never on anyone's list of Top 100 MLB prospects and who had a meteoric first month in the majors before crashing back down to earth in his 2nd month in the majors.

I'm thrilled that Yermin gave us an exciting, fun ride and helped bridge some of the gap until Eloy returns, but now he's regressed and reality is setting in. The question at the start of the thread is a legitimate one. He at least should be platooned at this point. If Burger and/or Sheets are still raking at Charlotte by the end of June and Yermin hasn't bounced back, perhaps it'll be time to make a move.

[ChiSoxNationPres]

He shouldn't be starting every day like he has been/used to, but he deserves to get another month or 2 to work through this. He's not hot anymore, and teams have adjusted, but his incredibly hot start has earned him the right to get more ABs (especially vs lefties) to get back on track. Eloy isn't coming back in the next month or so, so DH vs lefties is still his at least. Lamb has earned more ABs, and I think we'll be seeing him in there somewhere (DH, 3b, LF, RF) vs most righties while he's swinging such a hot bat and having great ABs.

[Frater Perdurabo]

I’m guessing at the similar point to when Ventura was sent down after his 0-50something.

I’m not sure if we’re saying the same thing in different ways, but I want point out that the two situations are not even remotely similar.

Ventura was a first round draft pick and Team USA Olympian who spent exactly one season in the minors - at AA Birmingham - and also brought a good glove (and future gold glove) to an important defensive position for a rebuilding team that could afford to wait out his season-starting slump.

The 2021 White Sox have an elite starting rotation and have a legit shot to win the division and go deep in October, but we have Cleveland nipping at our heels and we have a lineup with numerous questions. We don’t have the luxury to be patient while our no-glove DH keeps flailing away at breaking pitches in the dirt.

[LITTLE NELL]

I’m not sure if we’re saying the same thing in different ways, but I want point out that the two situations are not even remotely similar.

Ventura was a first round draft pick and Team USA Olympian who spent exactly one season in the minors - at AA Birmingham - and also brought a good glove (and future gold glove) to an important defensive position for a rebuilding team that could afford to wait out his season-starting slump.

The 2021 White Sox have an elite starting rotation and have a legit shot to win the division and go deep in October, but we have Cleveland nipping at our heels and we have a lineup with numerous questions. We don’t have the luxury to be patient while our no-glove DH keeps flailing away at breaking pitches in the dirt.

There's a reason Yermin has been a career minor leaguer.