Fletcher looking to fill White Sox’s hole in right field
The plan was simple, and it seemed sound.
Power-hitting prospect Oscar Colas was going to be the White Sox's starting right fielder and he was equipped to make a run at the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Like just about everything else with the 101-loss Sox last season, the plan failed.
Batting .211/.265/.276 with 1 home run and 7 RBI at the end of April, Colas was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte.
He returned to the White Sox in early July, but the left-hander didn't show much improvement while ending the season back in the minor leagues.
Colas slashed .216/.257/.314 with 5 homers and 19 RBI over 75 games with the Sox, leaving new general manager Chris Getz with a gaping hole in right.
Dominic Fletcher is getting the first crack at filling it.
Two weeks before spring training opened, Fletcher was traded from the Diamondbacks to the White Sox for minor-league starting pitcher Cristian Mena.
Crowded out of a talented outfield in Arizona, Fletcher made his major-league debut last year and hit .301/.350/.441 with 2 home runs and 14 RBI in 28 games with the Diamondbacks.
The 26-year-old lefty spent most of the season at AAA Reno and slashed .291/.399/.500 with 10 homers and 45 RBI in 66 games.
“You look at the offensive profile and what he’s capable of doing, you weigh that with the defensive side as well, the complete package,” Getz said. “We like the offensive potential.”
Fletcher likes the opportunity.
“I was fortunate enough to get up there last year on a really good team,” he said. “I got to be around a lot of really good players and learn from the guys around me. But most of all, I think just seeing that it's the same game and knowing I have the ability to go play, and play well, in the big leagues, I think was really good for me.”
Having a solid spring would have cemented Fletcher's spot in right field, but he's hitting just .159/.260/.205 with 1 RBI in 16 Cactus League games after going 0-for-3 vs. the Athletics Sunday.
If the slump spills into the regular season, the White Sox could turn to Gavin Sheets, Kevin Pillar or Brett Phillips.
Sheets is a natural first baseman, but he's played 166 games in right over the last three seasons.
“We feel like right field was an area which certainly needed to take a jump forward,” Getz said. “We’ve got personnel that, if they play to their capabilities, they can do that.”