With the recent signing and promotion of a White Sox top prospect, who will be the next top prospect to make their major league debut this season?
White Sox top prospect Eloy Jimenez has gotten his first taste of MLB over the past two games. The third-ranked overall prospect wasn’t a guarantee to make the team out of Spring Training for a number of reasons but after getting a six-year, $43 million contract extension, he was on the Opening Day roster.
As the 2019 season begins, the White Sox have many more prospects in the minors that will be making their own major league debuts at some point over the next few years. With Jimenez’s arrival, which top prospect will be next in line to make his debut this year?
Since the Sox began their rebuild after the 2016 season, there have been many players that have made their major league debuts to much fanfare. Players such as Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez, and Michael Kopech, all had a lot of fanfare surrounding their individual debuts. Jimenez figures to have the same excitement surrounding him once he debuts at Guaranteed Rate Field on April 4.
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For now, Jimenez will be the only top prospect for the Sox to make his debut this season. Other top prospects such as Dylan Cease, Nick Madrigal, Zack Collins, and even Luis Robert aren’t close to being ready for MLB. However, there could be a surprise major league promotion this season if a player develops well.
Cease could be one of those players. The Sox third-ranked prospect had a good Spring Training this year as he only allowed one earned run through 2.2 innings pitched. He will begin this year with Triple-A Charlotte. After finishing the 2018 season with an impressive 12-2 record and 2.40 ERA combined with Single-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, Cease will take the next step in his development with the Knights.
There’s no pressing need for Cease to be a part of the Sox starting rotation right now. If he gets off to a hot start with Charlotte through April and May, he could possibly be in consideration for a promotion. But any Sox fan expecting his arrival to MLB before July should lower their expectations.
Another player that could rise through the Sox farm system this year is Madrigal. The 2018 College World Series champion with Oregon State University will start this season with Winston-Salem. He hit .333 through 15 at-bats in Spring Training and could find himself in Triple-A before the end of this season.
Madrigal has the tools at the plate to be solid major league contributor. He could also be a good second baseman for the Sox in the future. If Madrigal were to make his major league debut towards the end of the season, he will need to develop at an exceptional pace. He should be on track to make his debut in 2020, but don’t be surprised if he’s promoted when rosters expand in September.
As Sox fans are looking for some more hope for this season, they shouldn’t get their hopes up too much for another top prospect to make their debut soon. It could be Cease who becomes the next Sox top prospect that gets promoted. If it is Cease or another player, it will only serve to improve the Sox team.