White Sox season review: Second base

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As the White Sox head into the winter following a 76-86 offseason, CSNChicago.com will examine the past, present and future of each position group at 35th and Shields. We'll look at second base today.

Depth chart

1. Carlos Sanchez: Pre-arbitration eligible
2. Micah Johnson: Rookie

What went right

Sanchez's glove lived up to the hype in 2015. His fielding percentage (.99) was sixth best in the majors this year at his position and was the second best on the team (only behind Tyler Flowers).

An odd stat from Sanchez's season: In wins, he hit .295 with four home runs and 23 RBI. In losses, he hit .148 with one home run and eight RBI. 

[MORE: White Sox season review: Catchers]

After Johnson was sent down from the majors early in the year, he thrived in Triple-A, hitting .315 with eight home runs, 36 RBI and swiped 28 bases. His hitting and speed is something the Sox need going forward. 

What went wrong

As good as Sanchez was in the field, he was frustrating at the plate. Sanchez hit just .224 on the season and was even worse with RISP (.220). With men on base, he hit just .194. 

[MORE: White Sox season review: First Base]

Johnson's issues are different than Sanchez. The 24-year old's glove has been a question mark and while he's done great in the minor leagues, Johnson struggled mightily in his first stint in the majors (.230 4 RBI 2 SB in 36 games). It obviously doesn't mean Johnson is a bust but he's going to need to prove he can play at the major league level 

The future

The good news for the Sox is that both Sanchez and Johnson are young and their contracts are cheap so there's not a lot of money invested at the position. The front office would love to see one of the two grab the starting role in spring training but it may be a platoon situation going forward between them. Would Rick Hahn really spend more money on a guy like Daniel Murphy? Probably not, but crazier things have happened. 

Best case scenario is Sanchez boosts his average a few points (he hit .259 from July 7 to the end of the season) and continues his steady play in the field. 

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