Charlie Tilson

Position: OF
Born: 12/2/1992
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 195 lb B-T: L-L
Acquired: Received from St. Louis for Zach Duke, July 2016
Career Stats

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

  • #18 – 2017 Preseason

FutureSox Media

Accolades

  • Florida State League All-Star, 2014 Midseason
  • Florida State League All-Star, 2014 Postseason
  • Texas League All-Star, 2015 Midseason
  • Texas League All-Star, 2015 Postseason

Scouting Report

The White Sox received outfielder Tilson in exchange for reliever Zach Duke just ahead of the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline. Tilson is a local product, growing up in Wilmette, Ill., and sharing alum status with Rick Hahn from New Trier High School. The outfielder also gets the added bonus of playing for his childhood team, having grown up a White Sox fan despite growing up on the North Shore.

Tilson was taken in the second round (79th overall) of the 2011 draft. He missed his first pro season due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He breezed through A-ball and reached Double-A Springfield as a 21-year-old. He struggled in his first taste at an advanced level (.593 OPS in 139 AB), but rebounded in 2015 with Springfield. He slashed .295/.351/.388 with 46 stolen bases, by far a career best for Tilson. He met a 2016 promotion to Triple-A Memphis with equal ease, hitting .282/.349/.407 over 100 games.

His fairy tale trade and immediate call up to the White Sox took an unexpected turn when he tore his hamstring tracking down a long fly ball in his MLB debut. Tilson would miss the rest of the 2016 season after having surgery for the rupture, then all of 2017 with two seperate fractures. He did appear briefly in the 2017 Arizona Fall League. In 2018, some 20 months removed from his last regular season games, Tilson returned with 67 rusty games with the Charlotte Knights (.577 OPS) and a short stint with the White Sox (.623 OPS in 41 games). More of the same in 2019 and Tilson hit free agency after the season, signing with Pittsburgh.

Chicago seemed to do well to get the polished outfielder with a high floor from a Cardinals organization that is consistently known to churn out playable pieces. Tilson has shown an above average hit tool at times as a pro, with a smooth left-handed stroke and solid bat-to-ball skills. There’s very little swing-and-miss in his game. Putting the ball in play and taking his share of walks had given him a stable OBP profile throughout his time in the minors, prior to the string of injuries. An ability to play competent center field defense bolsters his resume, but the injuries jeopardize that and anything else speed-reliant. One thing that was holding Tilson back from being a premier prospect even before then was his woeful lack of power.