Andrew Vaughn will likely never have to pay for a drink in Milwaukee again after hitting the go-ahead and eventual game-winning home run in Game 5 of the NLDS.
Depending on the neighborhood in Chicago, he will still be expected to pay full price plus kick in a 25% tip.
His fourth-inning home run broke a 1-1 tie against the Cubs that further cemented his folk hero status in the Brew City.
That blast, along with Brice Turang adding an insurance home run in the seventh, eliminated the Chicago Cubs from the postseason in the biggest win of that NL Central rivalry. Vaughn crushed the hopes and dreams of every Cubs fan with one swing of the bat.
His blast also served as another reminder that former White Sox players thrive once they escape Chicago.
It is impressive that the guy who was hitting .189 when he was exiled from the South Side could disappoint two sides of town.
However, eliminating the crosstown rival in another uniform will still earn him an “atta boy” from the White Sox fan base. Unless your hate for Wisconsin sports teams knows no bounds. Then you would rather see the Cubs defend the honor of Chicago rather than see the Brewers advance. You are probably joining in the fury your Cubs fans feel toward the new king of Milwaukee. Hey, fan how you want, I am not one to judge.
He is King Vaughn in Milwaukee because he does not have to be the man in that lineup.
Could not handle the spotlight on the South Side
Vaughn never was able to handle being one of the bats that the White Sox were counting on to be successful. You can tell his is much more comfortable in a supporting role, much like in 2022 when he posted a .271/.321/.429 slash line. He had José Abreu and Tim Anderson to take the spotlight off of him.
Once those guys left town, and injuries removed Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jiménez from the lineup last season, he could not come close to producing the 113 wRC+ he had in 2022.
Vaughn’s season-starting slump (.190 in April and .208 in May) is on the Dead Sea-sized scroll list of reasons the Pale Hose lost a record 121 games in 2024. When he needed to be an impact bat yet again this season, he answered by hitting well below his weight.
I remember listening to a CHSN broadcast where play-by-play announcer John Schriffen asked Vaughn if he was worried about things not turning around for him in Chicago. Vaughn claimed he was not, because he always hit. No mention of being willing to make some adjustments — just pure faith.
Sure, he was always capable of eventually hitting. However, for Vaughn “hitting” only happened in June, with a career .292 average, .820 OPS, and 15 home runs. Then he would cool off in July and produce just enough over the final two months to get his numbers back to replacement level. This was supposed to be a player who, at the bare minimum, raised the team’s talent floor. Instead, Vaughn was a -0.5 bWAR player during his time on the South Side.
The franchise gave him opportunity after opportunity to snap out of his funks. It never forced a sense of urgency for Vaughn, that maybe he needed to make some changes.
Well, he was finally humbled, according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy. The White Sox finally demoted him in late May and eventually cut their losses by trading him to Milwaukee in June for filler pitcher Aaron Civale.
While the White Sox clearly lost that trade, it became clear the first baseman was not going to become the best version of himself at Rate Field.
Even Erick Fedde saw a change in Vaughn from their time as teammates in Chicago and now in Milwaukee with his role being changed. This is what Fedde told Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times:
“[For Vaughn] to find his way here and reinvent himself is just awesome to see. I got to see the whole thing from one side to another, and I’m just really happy for him. Sometimes just [getting a] fresh set of eyes or just a feeling of a fresh start can do a lot to your confidence.”
I mean, if the White Sox could fix Miguel Vargas’ swing, maybe they could have fixed Vaughn’s swing issues like the Brewers did.
Instead, as Williams pointed out, Vaughn likely needed to go to a team that did not need him to be an impact bat, just a supporting one.
The looseness of the clubhouse and the relative anonymity he can enjoy with the Brewers have allowed Vaughn to assimilate quickly. He’s not leaned on like he was with the Sox.
Being unable to handle the spotlight was why Andrew Vaughn was never going to be the king in Chicago. Instead, he is thriving just being a piece in a lineup playing for a National League pennant, and disappointing Chicago in the process.
