Roundup: White Sox invite Vaughn to camp

The White Sox addressed their rotation, bullpen and outfield situation by adding Lance Lynn, Liam Hendriks and Adam Eaton this offseason. Their biggest opening might be at the designated hitter spot. They'll get a closer look at one talented internal option very soon.

No. 14 overall prospect Andrew Vaughn is headed to Chicago's Major League Spring Training camp as a non-roster invitee, the organization announced Thursday. Twenty-one players in total received non-roster invitations from the White Sox.

Coming out of the University California, Vaughn was taken by the White Sox with the third overall pick in the 2019 Draft. The right-handed-hitting slugger was an offensive force in all three of his seasons with the Bears and finished with a career .374/.495/.688 line and 50 homers over 160 games. After signing for $7,221,200, Vaughn held his own in the Minors that summer with a .278/.384/.449 line and six long balls over 55 games, 29 of which were spent at Class A Advanced (his highest Minor League level so far).

As can be surmised from his numbers, the 22-year-old first baseman's best tools by far are with the bat. He shows plus power in games but also has the potential for an even more impressive overall hit tool. Listed at 6-feet, 225 pounds, Vaughn has long been expected wind up at first base, but the White Sox have also given him playing time at third base and in the outfield. It's worth noting that 2020 American League MVP Jose Abreu is under contract through the 2022 season and would seemingly block Vaughn at the cold corner, making the DH an attractive option if the younger slugger can't play elsewhere.

Vaughn will likely begin the 2021 season with Triple-A Charlotte but could open on the South Side with a strong Cactus League showing.

The White Sox also announced the following players were signed to Minor League deals and invited to Spring Training: pitchers Ryan Burr, Tayron Guerrero, Jacob Lindgren, Alex McRae, Kodi Medeiros, Felix Paulino, Connor Sadzeck, Matt Tomshaw and Mike Wright; catcher Jonathan Lucroy; infielders Tim Beckham, Marco Hernández and Matt Reynolds and outfielder Nick Williams. Pitchers Danny Dopico, Kade McClure, Bennett Sousa and Emilio Vargas; catcher Carlos Perez and infielder Zach Remillard were the other internal players to receive invitations.

Pitchers and catchers have their first workouts in White Sox camp next Wednesday. The first full workout for the club is scheduled for Feb. 22 in Glendale, Arizona.

In other spring invite news:

Cardinals add Gorman, Liberatore as NRIs: Two Arizona natives headline the list of St. Louis prospects headed to Jupiter, Florida as non-roster invitees. No. 37 overall prospect Matthew Liberatore and No. 38 Nolan Gorman will join other Cardinals players in Major League camp.

This will be Liberatore's second spring as a Cardinal following his trade last offseason from the Rays. The 21-year-old left-hander pitched at the club's alternate site in Springfield last summer. His fastball and curveball are both considered plus pitches, and his changeup has above-average potential. He is the Cardinals' top pitching prospect.

Gorman is known primarily for his immense raw power from the left side. The masher also has a strong arm in the infield. Gorman's path to the Majors changed when the Cards acquired All-Star third basemanNolan Arenado from the Rockies, but he told MiLB.com last week that he planned to bring multiple gloves to Spring Training and is willing to play anywhere, including second base and the corner outfield, if it helps his chances of cracking the Major League lineup.

The other ranked St. Louis prospects to receive non-roster invitations were No. 5 Zack Thompson, No. 21 Luken Baker, No. 25 Roel Ramirez, No. 28 Evan Mendoza and No. 29 Griffin Roberts.

Angels add Detmers to camp roster: No. 74 overall prospect Reid Detmers also received a non-roster invitation Thursday.

The 21-year-old left-hander was the 10th overall in last year's Draft after spending three years at Louisville. He struck out 167 batters over 113 1/3 innings as a sophomore in 2019 and piled up 48 K's in 22 frames last spring before the NCAA season was canceled. His plus curveball is his best pitch, while he also possemsses an above-average fastball that typically sits in the low-90s and two average options in his slider and changeup. Detmers' well-rounded arsenal and impressive strike-throwing ability could allow him to move quickly through the Angels system.

Among the other Halos non-roster invitees were No. 3 prospect Jordyn Adams, No. 4 Jeremiah Jackson, No. 12 Packy Naughton, No. 18 Livan Soto and No. 29 Denny Brady.

Angels pitchers and catchers will first work out on Feb. 17 with position players joining five days later.

D-backs invite 21 to camp: Seth Beer and Josh Green headlined the list of spring non-roster invitees for Arizona. Beer, the 28th overall pick by Houston in the 2018 Draft, was named a Carolina League midseason All-Star the next year while with Fayetteville and was selected for the Rising Stars Game that fall. In two pro seasons, the team's No. 14 prospect has amassed a .289/.388/.516 slash line while working his way up to Double-A.

Green was drafted by the D-backs in the 14th round in 2018. The 25-year-old righty scored Northwest League midseason and postseason All-Star honors after posting a paltry 1.09 ERA while going 3-1 with 11 saves in 12 opportunities for Class A Short Season Hillsboro. Green went 9-1 with a 1.73 ERA in 14 starts for Class A Advanced Visalia to start 2019 and was promoted to Jackson. In eight starts at the Double-A level, Arizona's No. 18 prospect was 2-4 with a 4.28 ERA.

Also invited were righties Chris Devenski, Seth Frankoff, Carlos Navas and Bradley Roney; lefties Miguel Aguilar, Ryan Buchter, Tyler Gilbert, Joe Mantiply and Sam Moll; catchers Jose Herrera, Bryan Holaday and Jamie Ritchie; infielders Drew Ellis, Domingo Leyba, Christian Lopes and Juniel Querecuto; and outfielders Jake McCarthy, Trayce Thompson and Drew Weeks.