2025 Fantasy Baseball: Andrew Vaughn Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Delivering winning stats in any area is incredibly challenging when playing for a team with a basement offense. Andrew Vaughn has three seasons of mediocrity on his major league resume while just hitting the prime of his career.
Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. homer back-to-back! 💥 pic.twitter.com/KyFu1bPz9S
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) June 14, 2024
1B – Andrew Vaughn, CWS (ADP – 270.2)
The words dull or uninspiring stand out for anyone looking for a description of Vaughn’s bat in 2024. Over the past two seasons, his batting average regressed each year while his league average strikeout rate (21.3) increased slightly. Last year, the White Sox finished 30th in runs scored (507 – 641 in 2023), 97 fewer than the next team above them in the rankings.
Each year with Chicago, Vaughn saw his plate appearances and at-bats rise. His contact batting average has been in a tight range over the past three seasons (.333, .334, and .320). Any thought of an uptick in power isn’t shown in his boring average hit rate (1.636) for a corner infielder.
His exit velocity (90.3 mph) ranked 72nd, with some fading each year with Chicago. On the positive home run side, Vaughn had more loft on his swing in 2024 (launch angle – 16.6 and fly-ball rate – 45.8), showing his desire to put more balls in the seats. He had the most barrels (41) of his career but regression in his hard-hit rate (43.1).
Vaughn was better against left-handed pitching (.281/13/5/22 over 146 at-bats). After struggling in April and May (.199 over 201 at-bats with 14 runs, four home runs, and 19 RBIs), his bat shined over his next 102 at-bats (.333/18/7/21), showcasing his power potential. He delivered below replacement stat over his final 267 at-bats (.247/23/8/30/1).
Fantasy Outlook: Vaughn will turn 27 in early April. He made it to the majors with only 212 at-bats in the minors after showing a more potent power bat in college (50 home runs over 596 at-bats) and an exceptional approach (123 walks and 75 strikeouts). Any growth in runs and RBIs starts with improvement in the White Sox batting order.
With better timing at the plate and a similar swing path, I could see Vaughn reaching the 25-home run mark. Based on his at-bats (570) in 2024, he had a top-50 opportunity. Viable in deep formats at the right price, as his batting average should be much higher, and his runs and RBIs should naturally improve.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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