The post The Chase Meidroth-Nick Madrigal comparison needs to end appeared first on Sox On 35th.
They’re middle infielders. They’re short (for baseball players). They’re contact hitters. But the comparisons between Chase Meidroth and Nick Madrigal need to stop there.
The White Sox recently selected the contract of second baseman/shortstop Chase Meidroth, and while his early performance has been unspectacular, he has stood out amongst his much further from spectacular peers. A thumb injury led to a stint on the injured list, but the White Sox activated Meidroth on Thursday. In Meidroth’s first nine games, he has hit .267/.389/.300 for a .689 OPS and 111 wRC+ with a stolen base and solid defense at both of his positions. Of course, this is a very odd and unsustainable line — the .389 on-base percentage is fantastic but very unlikely to hold, while the .300 slugging percentage is quite low even for Meidroth, a career .414 slugger in the minor leagues.
From that description alone, it is easy to see why White Sox fans may compare him to former prospect and current New York Mets infielder Nick Madrigal. When the White Sox drafted Madrigal with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Madrigal was touted as a contact-oriented infielder with strong defense. (It’s worth noting that reports on Madrigal’s defense were always mixed, but the height of rebuild optimism shielded him from some of those opinions.)
There is some validity to the idea that Meidroth is who Madrigal was supposed to be. Especially on defense, Meidroth appears to be a much smoother infielder with more range and (so far) fewer mental gaffes. Those who paid attention to Madrigal’s defense in the minor leagues might have seen some of his shortcomings in advance, but Meidroth’s defense in the high minors has been less of an issue. However, as hitters, the comparisons between the two have become overdone.
There are two major differences between Chase Meidroth and Nick Madrigal as prospects, other than defense. One is power — while neither player has significant power at the plate, Meidroth has hit 23 home runs in 1,187 minor league plate appearances, or one home run per 51.6 plate appearances. In Madrigal’s 705 minor league plate appearances before his MLB promotion, he hit four home runs — one per 176.3 plate appearances. In other words, Meidroth hits a home run 3.4 times more frequently than Madrigal. Neither player is a power hitter, but Madrigal has essentially as little power as a professional baseball player can have. In contrast, Meidroth’s lack of power is far less of a detriment.
But the biggest difference between the two players as prospects is in their on-base skills. While Madrigal got on base at high rates as a White Sox prospect, his .370 OBP was largely driven by hits, considering his 7.2% walk rate. On the other hand, Meidroth’s .425 minor league OBP includes a 17.4% walk rate, more than double that of Madrigal. Meidroth has stated that he approaches each plate appearance with the goal of getting on base, and while he may strike out more than Madrigal as a result, the end result is a more complete player. (This was an obvious red flag for Madrigal, even when he was drafted.)
Brushing off the differences between Meidroth and Madrigal’s power, patience, and even defense to compare them is lazy, considering the staggering disparities in the first two areas in particular. “Nick Madrigal with 3x more power” is a fundamentally different player. “Nick Madrigal with 2.5x more walks” is a fundamentally different player. Put both of these together, and the player is even less similar to Madrigal. (In fairness, one needs to add “5x as many strikeouts” to this comparison too, but Meidroth still strikes out less frequently than the average hitter, and he walks more than he strikes out.)
The comparison between the two players will not die because they are both smaller infielders on (or formerly on) the White Sox who make a lot of contact. But when you dive deeper into their profiles, it is obvious that Meidroth and Madrigal are actually not very similar as players, as Madrigal’s utter lack of power, walks, or strikeouts make him more of an outlier. A player who strikes out far more often (but still at a lower rate than average), but with significantly better on-base skills, much more power, and stronger defense is better equipped for the modern game.
Be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more!
Featured Photo: © Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The post The Chase Meidroth-Nick Madrigal comparison needs to end appeared first on Sox On 35th.