Even Amid Struggles, Andrew Vaughn: `Always Got to be Confident'

If Andrew Vaughn’s offensive numbers have nosedived during the most challenging season of his professional baseball career, the 27-year-old Cal alum insists his confidence has not taken a parallel dip.

“Just got to show up every day, ready to rock. Show up with confidence — that’s the main thing in the batter’s box,’ Vaughn said in an interview this week. “Always got to be confident, every day.”

The No. 3 overall draft pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2019, Vaughn has endured a season unlike any in his professional career.

Mired in a hitting slump from the start of the season, Vaughn was batting just .189 with five home runs and 19 RBIs through 48 games when he sent by the White Sox to their Triple-A affiliate in Charlotte, NC, on May 22. 

Over his four previous major league seasons, Vaughn batted .253 and averaged 18 home runs and 69 RBIs.

The hope was Vaughn would work out the kinks in his game and find success with Charlotte. But after hitting  .211 with two homers and 11 RBIs in 15 games with Charlotte Knights, the franchise traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers, who immediately assigned him to their Triple-A team farm club.

Vaughn signaled his arrival to the Nashville Sounds by hitting a grand slam in his first game. It’s been up and down for him through 13 games — a .245 batting average with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 12 RBIs — but Vaughn enjoyed a much-needed boost on Wednesday night.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth and the Sounds tied at 1-1 with the Memphis Redbirds, Vaughn delivered an RBI double to right that lifted Nashville to a 2-1 victory 

“That was good,” he said the morning after. “We had a tough couple games going there and the win was special. Wins are always special.”

Vaughn, the national collegiate player of the year in 2018 as a Cal sophomore, has always approached the game with a steady, level-headed approach. He doesn’t get too excited by the highs but he also tries to calmly work through the tough times. 

Both the demotion to the minors and the subsequent trade were new to Vaughn.

“The beginning of the season wasn’t going super great. I was hitting the ball hard but not seeing any results,” he said. “Got a phone call from (general manager Chris) Getz who said, `Hey, you need a reset.’ And I understood. I was hitting .180, maybe. Went down and just wanted to focus on my craft and get it right.”

Vaughn explained he’s not trying to overhaul his swing. “I was just missing some pitches that I shouldn’t miss,” he said. “Just focusing on that and doing the right work in the cage, just staying simple.”

The second shoe dropped with the first trade of his career. 

“It was a little surprising,” Vaughn acknowledged. “It’s always a part of this game but you never think it’s going to happen to you. And then one day you get a phone call and everything changes.”

Getting his first chance to experience the city of Nashville has been fun, Vaughn said, and he feels good about an organization whose MLB team resides in second place in the NL Central division.

“My short time here already has been great,” he said. “It’s a great city. Great team, great group of guys. It’s exciting to show up every day.”

Vaughn has been given no indication what the Brewers’ timetable or plans are for him. 

“Every day I just want to be me, drive in runs and hit the ball hard. That’s what I do,” he said. “I just want to be part of something great.”