Grading the White Sox: Leury García

At midseason, the SSS staff graded the 46-46 White Sox, from head of the class Dylan Cease all the way down to Dallas Keuchel. We invented a WARsss metric that could very well be just a cute way to trot out our special site grades — but really for all you know could be the product of years of research in a stats lab.

Our expanded report card will take us through everyone who saw time in uniform for the White Sox, plus some front-office types. Most of our writers will take on a couple of players, with final grades and short writeups, running through the end of November. Enjoy!

Leury García
Utilityman pressed into full service
Midseason: -1.6 WARsss
Final: -2.7 WARsss

I like Leury García, and I am grateful for him due to his blast in the 2021 ALDS, which is the biggest White Sox homer since 2008. Because of that, this will not be easy to write.

Leury Legend did not play well enough to deserve a spot on a major league roster in 2022. García slashed .210/.233/.267 (39 wRC+) and accumulated -1.1 fWAR. He struck out in 20.6% of his plate appearances while walking at a measly 2.2% rate. Players who struggle this badly typically do not see much of the field, but García got a decent amount of plate appearances (315).

This was the first year of a three-year, $16.5 million contract. His average annual salary of $5.5 million is not ridiculous, but the three-year commitment was questionable — and it looks worse now than it did last offseason.

If García stumbles out of the gate in 2023, the White Sox simply cannot keep giving him playing time. While García is a switch-hitter who can play several positions, his flexibility does not mean much if he cannot hit or play any position particularly well.

2022 White Sox Grades

Leury García, UTIL, -2.7
Adam Haseley, OF, -3.146
Joe McEwing, Third Base Coach, -3.167
Ryan Burr, RHRP, -3.4
Tony La Russa, MGR, -3.5
Dallas Keuchel, LHSP, -3.9