White Sox Sign Veteran Outfielder to Minor League Deal

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with outfielder Jake Marisnick. Kenny Van Doren, a writer for Inside the Astros, was the first to report. If Marisnick makes the White Sox major league roster, he will be paid $1.3 million.

The addition of Marisnick creates an intriguing battle for the fourth outfield spot on the White Sox roster. The club has already signed Victor Reyes and Billy Hamilton to minor league deals this offseason.

Marisnick is a 10-year MLB veteran who has spent the majority of his career with the Houston Astros from 2014-2019. During that stretch, he appeared in 23 postseason games, including five in the 2019 World Series. He will be 32 years old once the season begins.

Since leaving Houston, Marisnick has struggled to find a home. He has had short stints with the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, and Pittsburgh Pirates since 2019.

Marisnick owns a career slash line of .228/.281/.384. As a right-handed hitter, Marisnick has faired much better against left-handed pitching throughout his career. He has a lifetime .704 OPS against LHP and a .640 OPS against RHP, which is a pretty substantial difference.

His best offensive season came in 2017 with the Astros, when he hit .243/.319/.496 with 35 RBIs and a career-high 16 home runs. Marisnik has only reached double-digit home run totals on three separate occasions. The first was during that 2017 season, followed by a pair of 10-home run seasons in 2018 and 2019. Considering that 2017 was the year the Astros got caught with the trash can cheating scandal, it is not surprising Marisnick had one of his best seasons at the plate.

His career .665 OPS and 81 OPS+ are evidence that he doesn't do anything particularly well in the batter's box. However, while his offensive numbers don't jump off the page, he is fast and has a good arm. The ideal skillset for a defensive replacement. Baseball Savant graded his arm strength in the top four percent of the MLB.

Marisnick can play all three outfield positions but has spent most of his time in center field. During his career has played 615 games in center field, 83 in left and 59 in right. He owns a .991 fielding percentage across all three positions. Marisnick has tallied a total +48 Outs Above Average (OAA) for his career. He has never had his OAA dip below zero for a season and had three seasons of +10 or higher. One such season was in 2018 when he recorded a +10 OAA. In 2022 he had an impressive +4 OAA in left field with just 24 chances.

The California native has also proven himself to be a capable base stealer. He has four seasons of 10 plus stolen bases, including swiping 24 bags in 2015.

In a worst-case scenario, he doesn't make the team but forces Billy Hamilton or Victor Reyes to elevate their game in a healthy Spring Training competition.

If he were to crack the Opening Day roster, he would improve the White Sox's defensive depth and give Pedro Grifol a late-game option off the bench. It's a low-risk signing that could prove beneficial down the road if he is deployed correctly.