This slugger's slump sums up White Sox slow start

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The stage was set for Andrew Vaughn's heroics on Thursday afternoon at Target Field.

Not just for Vaughn, the talented White Sox first baseman who is having a rough April. But also for the team, setting franchise records in the wrong direction during its 3-22 start.

Bases loaded, two outs in the ninth, trailing the Twins by three and Vaughn facing Griffin Jax. But the storybook finish never came to fruition, as Vaughn hit a hard ground ball to second to end the game. Vaughn lamented missing a good pitch to hit, but he was upset in the context of not helping his team.

These two ideas have frequently worked concurrently during this run.

“Been some tough times for pretty much our entire offense, myself included,” Vaughn told MLB.com prior to Thursday’s loss. “Just have to stay focused. Have to stay focused on the work, and mentally, be there every single pitch.”

Vaughn was selected with the third pick in the 2019 Draft, bringing a polished offensive approach coming from the top of the amateur ranks at the University of California. It’s not as if he has bypassed success since arriving. Vaughn led the team in homers (17) and RBIs (76) in ’22, then tied Luis Robert Jr. for the team lead with 80 RBIs in ’23.

Even more was expected of the 26-year-old, middle-of-the-order presence, and with Vaughn beginning his second season at his natural defensive position of first base, he seemed primed for that 2024 climb. Instead, Vaughn enters this weekend’s home series with the Rays slashing just .170/.255/.216 with four doubles (accounting for his only extra-base hits) and three RBIs.

So what has gone wrong through 24 games and 98 plate appearances?

Hitting coach Marcus Thames and Vaughn have some ideas.

“A couple of things,” Vaughn said. “Hitting the ball on the ground [and] a little too much swing-and-miss, for sure. Just getting back to the basics.”

Thames added: “He’s taking good pitches to hit and swinging at fringe pitches from their guys. He has to get back to the point where he’s dominating Andrew’s pitches and not the opposing guy’s pitches. When you do that, you shrink the zone. When he’s going well, that’s what he’s doing.”

Thames pointed to a situation from Tuesday night’s loss when Vaughn struck out swinging against reliever Jay Jackson with runners on first and third and one out. Vaughn took a first-pitch fastball in a spot he typically likes it for a strike, then swung at two fringe pitches.

“We have to get him back to having that confidence and swinging at his pitches,” Thames said. “One thing we talked about in the cage is he needs to be more aggressive, but aggressive in his zone. Sometimes people can be aggressive, but you are swinging at everything. Everyone has their strengths. What’s your strength? Let’s get back to that.”

Added Vaughn: “Nobody likes to struggle, but you learn a lot about yourself when you are going through those times. What you need to do to stay focused, stay in the game. It’s one of the toughest things to do in sports, hit a baseball. This game will humble anybody, so you have to go out there and stay focused on the next pitch, the next at-bat.”

Fortunes appear to be turning a bit for Vaughn, who finished 4-for-16 in the four-game sweep at the hands of the Twins, including a pair of hits on Thursday prior to the final groundout -- and even that had an exit velocity of 100.6 mph, according to Statcast. Vaughn is a tireless worker and a truly quality clubhouse persona who certainly can turn things around.

There’s no panic on his part, although there’s also no thoughts of, “It’s early,” during this prolonged slump.

“I hate to say that because every game matters, every at-bat matters -- everything matters. So you’ve just got to keep chugging along,” Vaughn said. “Got to stay headstrong, no matter what. If you are hitting .500 or hitting .100, the mindset is always the same.”