Prep players are often selected after the 30th round in the Major League baseball draft. They don’t, however, usually sign professional contracts after going in that area. The White Sox have been exceptions to the rule recently. Bryce Bush signed after being taken in the 33rd round in 2018. The organization went back to the well in 2019. The White Sox have made a habit of trusting their area scouts with significant sums of money late in the draft. It’s something that was especially encouraged under the direction of former amateur director Nick Hostetler. Midwest area scout Justin Wechsler was responsible for the signing of Bush out of a Michigan high school in 2018. Robbie Cummings operated in a similar fashion when securing the services of Chase Krogman the following year.
THE PURSUIT
Cummings saw Krogman for the first time at an Area Code baseball tryout camp. The White Sox ultimately invited the player to come out and join their Area Code team that would play that summer in Long Beach, California. “His swing and arm strength stood out in the initial workout”, according to the area scout. After joining the team, Cummings said that the outfielder “went out and really shined in California against the best high school players in the country”. Krogman confirmed that the Area Code games assignment was extremely beneficial to his development. “I talked to the White Sox and Royals the most throughout the draft process and I developed a great relationship with Rob Cummings during that tournament”, said Chase.
Krogman played for Liberty High School in the spring of 2019 and Cummings saw the outfielder in person quite a bit. He noted that Krogman continued to get better in the offseason, following the Area Code games, and he noticed that the growth carried over into the spring. Chase went 4-4 with a towering homer to right-center field with the White Sox in attendance on a March afternoon. “He had the maturity and skills to take on the jump to pro ball”, said Cummings.
The fact that Chase’s father had some professional experience was a big help to the process as well. “I formed a relationship with Chase’s dad who also played pro ball. Throughout that process, the family and Chase made it clear that they wanted to start his professional career and begin that process as soon as possible”, recalled Cummings. “The White Sox met the asking price”, said Chase. “I wasn’t going to sign for pennies on the dollar. I’ve always bet on myself. “I told teams that I was interested in signing and gave them a number”. The White Sox gave Krogman a reason to turn pro as he accepted their offer of $190K. “They gave me a reason to go pro, but I would’ve attended Missouri State otherwise”, Krogman said.
WHAT DO THE WHITE SOX HAVE?
Krogman is from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri and attended Wentzville Liberty High School just outside of St. Louis. At the time of the draft, the outfielder was listed at 5’11” 180 pounds and he throws and hits left-handed. As a high school senior in 2019, Krogman hit .392 with a .722 slugging percentage. He also hit 5 homers and drove in 34 runs. He was the best player in his area and earned himself a scholarship to attend Missouri State, though he never intended to step foot on campus in Springfield. “Growing up, I always saw myself playing professionally”, said Krogman. “My dad was with the Mets organization back in the day and that was a goal of mine. I saw myself getting into a system much quicker out of high school than if I attended a four-year school. This was an opportunity I had to take”.
Perfect Game ranked Krogman as the 450th best player in the country in the lead up to the 2019 draft. The publication lauded his “athletic frame and strong build” and referenced that he “closes to the ball aggressively with a clean exchange and quick feet”. Listed as a “left-handed hitter with a spread and crouched stance”, a medium leg lift trigger is also in place as a timing mechanism. The report also indicated that the swing starts with a high back elbow and there’s some linear shift into contact as well. Krogman’s quick hands generate solid bat speed through the zone and there’s some extension through the baseball. The scouting report also noted that Chase “stays on a line drive plane with a whole field approach but better power to the pull side”.
Cummings liked that Krogman possessed a “quick bat with a smooth effortless swing”. “There’s looseness to his hands and strength in the swing with pull loft”, said the area scout. “He’s always in a good position to hit with plus pitch recognition and barrel awareness”. Krogman believes that one of those strengths was a primary reason why he was drafted. “I have very good barrel control. It was one of the main reasons I was selected. My power is starting to come along. Gap-to-gap is turning into home runs”, said the 19-year-old.
Krogman’s defense is a positive as well. “I have a strong outfield arm and good speed, but that’s an area that needs to improve”, said the young outfielder. In regards to which position would be the best fit for him long-term, Chase believes that he can stay up the middle, but possesses a strong enough arm with a bat adequate to fill a corner. “I think I can stay in center but I’d be good with whatever gets me to the big leagues the fastest”, Krogman said. Cummings said that Krogman shows a “well above-average arm with easy carry and accuracy and instincts in the outfield as well as on the base paths”.
In summarizing the reasons why Chase Krogman was such an appealing addition for the Chicago White Sox, area scout Robbie Cummings was pretty effusive in his praise of the Missouri product. “He’s a polished high school outfielder with an advanced feel to hit and uses the barrel to drive balls to all fields. His quick and athletic hands allow him to manipulate the barrel with limited swing and miss to his game. Chase is always in a good position to drive with a strong lower half that helps to create leverage. His bat and instincts will be carrying tools”, wrote Cummings. The veteran scout also stated that, “Chase may eventually lose a step as his body matures but currently has enough instincts to profile in centerfield with a move to a corner possible”.
Krogman has been praised for his character and old school plaudits get heaped onto reports in reference to his style. “Chase also pitched for his high school team and was up to 93 mph in one outing that I saw”, said Cummings. “He’s an all around athlete on the field. A gamer with a throwback mentality who can flat out hit and the ability to increase his power output with age”, according to the evaluator. “Chase has outstanding makeup, shows aptitude and confidence and displays leadership qualities”.
It didn’t take long for Liberty High School head coach Nick Clement to notice the type of player that he had in his program either. In reference to Krogman, the coach said, “He hadn’t even picked up a baseball, just how he carried himself as an athlete, I knew the kid was legitimate”. Krogman was drafted in the 34th round and instead of celebrating with friends and family, he went back to work, which is a testament to his character according to Clement. “We were having our youth camp and he was still helping us out. That just shows who he is”.
PRO BALL AND THE PATH FORWARD
The White Sox needed to ensure that the funds would be available in their pool for draft bonuses before signing Chase Krogman to a minor league contract. The organization officially made that commitment and the player put ink to paper on July 17 of last year. Atypical of many players, the Missouri prep got a bit of a late start in reporting to the Arizona League affiliate in Glendale. “Arizona was a good learning experience”, said Krogman. “I came in a little late after negotiations and then injured my hamstring after my first hit in the first game, so that was a setback”, Chase said. The outfielder kept a positive outlook though and even made it back for 21 at-bats late in the year.
Krogman worked hard this off-season with the intention of reaching a full season affiliate at some point in 2019. “Everything went well in instructional league and the AZL was a good transition from high school ball to pro ball” said the young outfielder. With Camelback Ranch in Glendale closed to players currently, Krogman has been playing in some college baseball leagues in the St. Louis area and focusing on doing speed and conditioning work near his home. Improving his overall speed is one of the elements to his game that could use some further refinement.
“At the pro level we have some guys that can really fly. If I want to stay in centerfield and steal more bases, I need to improve in that area”, the Missouri native said. There were some other areas to tackle this off-season as well however. “I made a lot of strides in the off-season and got a lot stronger”, said Krogman. “My main goal is always to move up the ladder and I felt like I had a shot at full season ball this year and wanted to reach Kannapolis”, he said. Krogman noted that he has gained strength since last season ended and he’s focused on improving his power.
In addition to playing sandlot style ball with his peers and hanging out with former White Sox’s 1st rounder Jake Burger, Krogman has been in consistent contact with the White Sox throughout the pandemic. Weekly Zoom meetings with Chris Getz, Ben Broussard, Cam Seitzer and Ryan Johansen have been enlightening. “I study the game very intensely”, Chase said. He was enamored with the organization’s setup during spring training and was happy to hear from key cogs in the club’s development system.
Krogman had some experience using biomechanics from high school and he loved analyzing the data afforded to him by the development staff in spring training. “The White Sox built a brand new hitting lab that is very beneficial and Ryan Johansen (Assistant Hitting Coordinator) is great at sharing information with us”, Krogman said.
With the official cancellation of the minor league season and no minor league games played in Arizona other than inter-squad action, it’s imperative that players filling out systems get their work in somehow. There was some talk about players in Chase’s position being able to potentially latch on with an Independent League team in some fashion but that doesn’t appear to be on the horizon currently.
This is the first summer of Krogman’s life where he didn’t have a schedule of organized baseball to play. Even as a kid, he would make his way to Busch Stadium and watch his beloved St. Louis Cardinals play. “Rick Ankiel is who I grew up idolizing and he’s the reason why I wear number 24”, Krogman said. In addition to watching videos on YouTube and plenty of Netflix programming, Chase can’t think of a time when baseball isn’t at the forefront of his mind.
“We have Division 1 guys and big leaguers in St. Louis throwing live BP regularly”, the outfielder said. “Devin Williams is a guy that has been very helpful down here. I’ve been fortunate to get live at-bats once or twice a week in addition to working out and hitting on my own”. Krogman has developed a great relationship with Burger and they’ve bonded over being professional baseball players from the same area. “Jake Burger is a great guy and he’s been a huge resource for me. He’s worked really hard to get back and it shows with how he looks right now”, said Krogman.
In a similar fashion to Burger, Krogman could have played a pivotal role for the Missouri State Bears. He decided that he preferred to start his big league career instead and while 2020 hasn’t gone according to plan, Chase has plenty of time to make up for the days of development that have been lost. Everyone is kind of in the same boat in regards to what is currently facing the sport. Chase Krogman is glad that he mad the decision he did last July and he’s eager to show the world what they’ve been missing.
Ideally, an extended prospect league of some sort could be on the horizon this fall and if that call comes, Krogman will be ready. The organization has a plan in place and Chase will continue to answer zoom calls, complete conditioning and strength work and get some swings in when he can. Until then though, he knows the organization is committed to his development. “The White Sox have been really good to us throughout this entire process, Krogman said.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom, if on a mobile device) and click the “create subscription” button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits you can read about here.