Without having the luxury of minor league games to cover, it’s productive to see numerous prospects with rookie eligibility thrust into action with the Chicago White Sox in the early going.
The Pale Hose will begin a three-game series in Milwaukee on Monday against the Brewers after dispatching the Royals in Kansas City over the weekend. Some rookie milestones were achieved at Kauffman Stadium while the talk of the sport (Luis Robert) had another stellar weekend as well.
After playing Sunday, the White Sox offense ranked first in the majors in batting average, seventh in on base percentage, fourth in slugging, fifth in wOBA and fourth in wRC+. Nine additional runs will help those totals. A dozen players drafted by the Sox have played for the team this year in addition to numerous members of our most recent top 30 prospect list.
Righty Dylan Cease pitched well on Sunday and earned the win for the White Sox. Cease bounced back in a big way and he was highly ranked on our lists multiple times over the years.
Other standout performers who found themselves ranked high on top prospect lists across the sport are playing big roles for the 2020 White Sox as well. Tim Anderson is on the injured list with a strained groin. but he’s posted a triple slash of .333/.355/.567 in the early going. The 27-year-old shortstop shouldn’t be hampered for too long. Third baseman Yoan Moncada has posted a 171 wRC+ already with a .313/.421/.469 line. Eloy Jimenez has been the best of the bunch so far though. The 23-year-old slugger has posted a wRC+ of 212 while hitting .320/.357/.640 with a couple of homers.
That is what we call fun with small sample sizes. The White Sox will be in a great spot if it continues.
Rookie of the Year Favorite
Robert has burst onto the scene in 2020 in a big way and he compiled another stellar weekend in Kansas City. In addition to his prowess in the outfield and on the bases, Robert reached base seven times this past weekend.
The 22-year-old center fielder provided a single and a walk in Sunday’s win after his powerful performance on Saturday evening. That night La Pantera went 4-6 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. Robert smacked a home run to right center field in addition to a single and two doubles.
Robert is already a stat cast darling and he joins elite company with 75th percentile exit velocity to go along 75th percentile sprint speed. The athletic marvel is on pace for 3.5 fWAR over the course of a 60-game season. He’s hitting .351/.385/.595 in the early going and he’s hitting the baseball extremely hard.
Robert saw his first action in the leadoff spot against the Royals and he did his best to stay there long-term. The Cuban outfielder started the season in the No. 7 position in the lineup with Rick Renteria attempting to ease in the young slugger. With his early performances in games though, it might be imperative for the club to get Robert as many plate appearances as possible.
The Magic Man
Nick Madrigal was called up to the majors on Friday as he joined the big club in Kansas City. Madrigal is our fourth ranked White Sox prospect and the fellas at MLBPipeline.com list the second baseman as the No. 39 overall prospect in the sport. His playing profile is a controversial one. With at least 60-grade speed, defense and hitting ability, the former fourth overall pick has the look of a long-time big leaguer. His ability to hit will determine just how good his major league career is.
In three games at second base, Madrigal looked the part defensively and the polish is evident. He started 0-8 in first two games. Going hitless hasn’t been a common occurrence for the Oregon State product and the minor scuffle didn’t last very long. On Sunday, Nick Madrigal went 4-5 (all singles) with an RBI and two runs scored. Just like that he raised his average to .308 on the young season. Madrigal’s game was on full display right off the bat and he’s ready to keep contributing to the club.
Madrigal didn’t panic after the 0-8 start but he wasn’t too happy about it.
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night,” said Madrigal said before Sunday’s game. “I don’t think my mindset changed at all. I was seeing the ball pretty well, but nothing to show for it. I was still thinking it was going to come around.”
The full Madrigal was on display Sunday as he showed the world how he can contribute in numerous ways to a winning ball club.
Standing on first base prior to a single to left field, Madrigal did all the measuring in his head. He recognized how deep Alex Gordon was in left field and plotted his next move. Then he reacted to a single hit into left field and he ended up on third base when it was all over. “You’re on base, seeing where the outfielders are. It’s a big park so they play deeper. A single off the end of the bat would be a rough play for {Gordon} to come in on,” Madrigal said.
More Milestones
In Saturday’s game, Matt Foster earned his first career major league victory and Codi Heuer earned his first save.
Heuer has posted a 2.70 ERA with a 0.65 FIP in his 3.1 innings so far. The 24-year-old is looking forward to many more save opportunities and he even joked after the game that the team can’t find the ball from his appearance. Heuer was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft out of Wichita State and he’s one of the first players from that draft class to play in the major leagues.
Foster also joined the White Sox over the weekend and he hopes to remain a member of the home grown bullpen on the South Side. The 25-year-old right hander was a 20th round pick out of Alabama in 2016. He pitched a scoreless inning on Saturday in his debut and earned the win for his efforts.
Yermin Mercedes, a 27-year-old catcher, made his major league debut over the weekend as well after being added to the active roster in place of the injured Tim Anderson. The slugger is a bit of a cult hero to fans. Mercedes raked his way through the minor leagues after some initial struggles. Yermin can swing the stick but he has defensive deficiencies. It’s unknown how long he’ll be on the active roster, but it’s a tribute to the work that he’s put in over the years.
Dancing Fools!
Infielder Danny Mendick had a hit on Sunday. Zack Collins, a 2016 first rounder, never made an appearance in Kansas City. However, they did get the theoretical brooms out on Sunday and this is becoming a thing.
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