GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Andrew Vaughn was the third overall pick in the 2019 Draft. He plays a first-base position usually profiled by big home run and slugging totals.

But the 25-year-old isn’t worried about what he should be doing based on lofty expectations. He’s worried about doing the best he can do.

“It doesn’t matter where you got drafted,” Vaughn told MLB.com prior to Thursday’s split-squad action, a 6-5 win against the Mariners and a 6-1 victory over the Royals. “You gotta do your thing on the field.

“You could be the first pick or the last pick. If you go out and perform, that’s going to prove it.”

Although it feels as if he was just drafted yesterday, Vaughn is entering his fourth Major League season in the 2024 campaign. He set career highs with 30 doubles, 21 home runs, 67 runs scored and 80 RBIs during his first full year at first base in '23.

More room exists for Vaughn to grow, and not just because fans expect more. Vaughn set out to boost his chances for improvement this past offseason by homing in on strength training and agility, focused upon bands, resistant shuffles, footwork and eating right.

“You name it,” Vaughn said. “There were a lot of things that went into it.

“Just eating smart. There was a time when I thought, ‘I can have a couple more bites of this,’ but now just stop eating. Eat the right stuff, good fuel for our bodies. I didn’t actually lose weight, but I transformed it into good weight.”

Vaughn has felt a difference since Spring Training and Cactus League action began.

“Yeah, the body feels really good. I just feel a step ahead of where I was last year, for sure,” Vaughn said. “I feel like the next big thing is just getting the timing back.

“Being able to be consistent through the 162 with the good head start I put in in the offseason, it’s going to power me through the whole season. It’s just about longevity.”

There’s also been a learning curve for Vaughn, who had to deal with playing out of position in the outfield during much of '21 and '22. When asked Thursday about the lessons from his first three years, Vaughn smiled and said, “There’s a lot of stuff.”

He's learned about himself, what he needed to go through a day and how to go through a season. And Vaughn feels as if he’s made progress with each season.

“I feel like I have. It’s not the jump I want to make,” Vaughn said. “I want to be the best player I can be on the field. I hold myself the most accountable, and I think the biggest thing is being on the field for as many games as possible. That’s huge.

“I’ve learned how to prepare. The mental preparation. There are so many things that go into a Major League season and just being able to prepare better each year than the last.”

Manager Pedro Grifol knows about the expectations built into Vaughn’s resume, a resume put together before he played a game for the White Sox. He also has known first baseman who didn’t hit that 25-homer, 100-RBI plateau and still turned into top contributors or even All-Stars.

As for Vaughn’s future, Grifol supported the right-handed hitter in the strongest words possible.

“What I personally think about Andrew Vaughn, he is going to be a run producer for a long, long, long time,” Grifol said. “That’s just what I believe.

“Knowing him, knowing the makeup, knowing the will to have success, that drive, how smart he is, he knows what he’s got to do or where his body has to be to be able to do that, and just that baseball player in him, I believe in him. I just think you go play, and you get a chance to drive guys in and you find a knack to drive those guys in, and you become a guy.”

Vaughn has the opportunity to be a leader on the '24 squad based on his demeanor, his talent and the vast roster turnover. But much like the quest for numbers, Vaughn simply wants to do whatever is best for the White Sox.

“Leadership can be a lot of things,” Vaughn said. “How you play on the field, presence in the clubhouse, how you go about your business.

“Definitely been a lot of moving parts the last couple of years. But we’ve got a good group this year. I’m excited. I think we are going to have a lot of fun.”