Chicago White Sox: 3 players vying to be the third baseman

Infielders Curtis Mead, Miguel Vargas, and Sam Antonacci (White Sox No. nine prospect) are competing to be the everyday third baseman, and all three have stood out this spring for the White Sox — Antonacci (Italy) and Mead (Australia) left camp to play in the World Baseball Classic.

Infielder Sam Antonacci |

Antonacci has been raking at the plate this spring, batting .308 with a 1.346 OPS and two home runs in six games. Antonacci got an RBI in Italy’s 9-4 win over the Chicago Cubs on March 3.

A combination of contact, power, and speed, Antonacci is giving Venable something to think about, with the 23-year-old being a non-roster invite to camp.

Infielder Miguel Vargas |

Vargas struggled before the All-Star break last season, batting .218 with an OPS of .680 in 93 games, but turned things around post-All-Star break, batting .267 with a .790 OPS. Having made the necessary changes to show he’s worth starting at third base and batting .409 with two doubles and two RBI in eight games this spring, Vargas could likely get the first crack to start at the hot corner.

Infielder Curtis Mead |

Mead got traded over to the White Sox from the Tampa Bay Rays in the deal that sent right-hander Adrian Houser over. Mead has also been productive at the plate in four games this spring, batting .308 with a home run and three RBI. Playing for Australia in the World Baseball Classic, Mead went 2-4 with a pair of singles in his first game against Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and started at third base.

His production during the World Baseball Classic and the rest of spring should help his chances of being an option to start over Vargas.