Everson Pereira hoping to take advantage of opportunity with White Sox

Everson Pereira was in between a Winter League doubleheader when he heard about the trade that would take him from the Rays to the White Sox.

“I think everything happens for a reason, and I think this is a good opportunity for me,” he said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “I’m excited. I’m excited about this opportunity.”

Opportunity is one thing the Sox can offer to prospects who couldn’t find a footing with their previous teams. Pereira joins Miguel Vargas and Curtis Mead as players whom the Sox can afford giving a longer runway of at-bats.

The Sox adjusted Vargas’ hand placement, and he improved to become a league-average hitter. Mead said the hitting coaches suggested that he stand taller at the plate to increase his chances of hitting for extra-base power.

The Sox are becoming a home for former top prospects. Given that the team isn’t likely going to spend much this offseason, taking a flier on a reclamation project like Pereira is the team’s best pathway to improving the lineup. Pereira joins a Sox team that is lacking in outfield production. Collectively, Sox outfielders finished with an 87 wRC+.

But success isn’t guaranteed for Pereira. Though he was rated as a top-100 prospect while with the Yankees, Pereira has sputtered in his brief cameos in the majors. In 50 total major-league games with the Rays and Yankees, Pereira batted .146/.227/.215 with a .442 OPS.

“I think the opportunities that I’ve had in the majors, I haven’t been able to really take full advantage of those because I’ve been trying to do too much because I really want to show the kind of player I can be,” Pereira said. “Those cases [have] been playing against me, or against my performance. I just need to really control what I can do, slow down the game and be able to control that.”

The most significant area of concern for Pereira are his contact skills. His 38.6% strikeout rate is above the major-league average of 22.2%. That deficit prevents Pereira from showcasing his power skills — he belted 21 homers last season.

With solid bat speed and a patient approach at the plate, Pereira will work with director of hitting Ryan Fuller to improve his in-zone contact skills which will open up the rest of his offensive game.

“We identified some adjustments and Ryan was part of the process in evaluating Everson or [infielder Tanner Murray], just like any other player we bring in,” general manager Chris Getz said. “We’ll take advantage of the offseason to make some of those adjustments as we continue to build that relationship with these new incoming players.”