On Thursday, the White Sox officially announced their Opening Day roster. The 30-man roster features players like Codi Heuer, Jimmy Lambert and Luis Robert (to no surprise) who are on our 2020 preseason top 30 list.
For Robert’s case, it’s obvious that he is the everyday center fielder and knew he would be in the lineup on Friday to make his much-anticipated MLB debut. Heuer, however, might not have had a clear idea when his time would come. He didn’t have to wait that long after all. He made his MLB debut with an impressive perfect inning on Friday.
Heuer was a sixth-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Wichita State. The last time he took the mound during a regular season game was with the Birmingham Barons in 2019. That’s the highest level he pitched at as a professional until last night. The White Sox have a good amount of young, intriguing bullpen arms throughout the farm system, and Heuer was someone that sort of flew under the radar until last season.
On Friday, he was tasked with facing a Twins lineup that is one year removed from setting a single-season home run record and the reigning AL Central Division winners. His appearance came in the top of the ninth in a five-run ballgame, but he rose to the occasion and didn’t not allow a base runner.
A strikeout and a perfect inning in Codi Heuer’s MLB debut! pic.twitter.com/2kUbjG2jVQ
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 25, 2020
It’s safe to say Heuer was fired up for his first taste of the bigs. According to Statcast data, the seven highest velocity pitches between both clubs all belonged to Heuer, ranging from 97.3 mph to 98.4 mph. The White Sox roster will be cut down in the near future, but if last night is any indication of what Heuer can bring to the club, he’s building a strong case to stick around and be a frequently featured member of the bullpen in 2020.
Robert does his thing in MLB debut
White Sox fans have been waiting patiently for Robert’s debut. He has not only been the top prospect in the organization for some time, but also one of the top prospects in the sport. His time finally came on Friday, and it did not take long for him to show why he’s worthy of that elite prospect status.
The first of many! pic.twitter.com/knvSkXd2ka
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 25, 2020
Robert took the very first pitch he saw from Jose Berrios and deposited it into left field for a single. The single had an exit velocity of 115.8 mph, which was the hardest hit ball of the evening and the hardest hit ball out of any player after game one of the regular season.
Hardest batted balls through 1 game:#WhiteSox Luis Robert 115.8 MPH#WhiteSox Eloy Jimenez 113.6. MPH#Yankees Giancarlo Stanton 112.2 MPH#Tigers CJ Cron 112 MPH#Royals Franchy Cordero
— Daren Willman (@darenw) July 25, 2020
111.3 MPHhttps://t.co/YwCIm2vykY
The single wouldn’t be all that Robert would contribute on Friday night. Later in the game, he sent a ball to deep right-center field that just missed leaving the yard. Instead, he had to settle for a double. Robert did get rung up once, but overall he had a really impressive MLB debut and didn’t seem like he was overwhelmed at all.
The double by Robert had an exit velocity of 103.5 mph, which was also one of the hardest hit balls from the game. This is something White Sox fans could easily get used to, and something we will see frequently with Robert.
Pairing his hitting ability and power potential with his glove and speed has Robert looking like a very special player in the making. Twins starter Jose Berrios echoed something similar when speaking about Robert after the game.
Berrios on Robert: “He’s a great athlete. He’s got really great ability. God blessed him with that skill. He’s going to be a great, talented player at this level. But at the same time, this is baseball. We are human, so we can make adjustments and figure out how we can pitch him.
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) July 25, 2020
The end result of the game wasn’t what White Sox fans hoped for, but there were some positives. A big key for the success of this team will be if their young talent can click and boost them through a 60-game sprint. Both Robert and Heuer got their opportunities on Friday, and both showed that they are ready to make an impact.
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