Chicago White Sox: Robert and Madrigal’s magical seasons end
The Chicago White Sox have the third-best farm in the league, and the two leaders of it had magical seasons come to an end.
The Chicago White Sox still have about a month to go in their 162 game schedule. Their top minor league affiliate in the Charlotte Knights, however, have been eliminated and had their season come to an end on Monday. They needed to defeat the Norfolk Tides and see the Durham Bulls lose to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2012. The Bulls lost to the Gwinnett Stripers but the Knights were not able to get the win over the Tides.
Charlotte’s season came to an end which ended the seasons of both Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal. They both had such incredible seasons as they played in the White Sox minor league system and White Sox have a lot to be excited for in regards to these two. They are likely not going to be made September call ups but they are going to be a part of the White Sox in 2020.
Even though it is likely that they aren’t called up, they have a lot to be proud of. Both players started the season in class-A Winston Salem. It is so rare that a player ever goes through A, AA, and AAA just to reach the Major Leagues in the same season. They have at least made it a conversation which is so impressive.
Robert is the team’s number one prospect and may go into 2020 as the top prospect in all of baseball. In 122 total games this year across A, AA, and AAA, he has accumulated a .328 batting average, a 1.001 OPS, 32 home runs and 92 RBIs. It appeared as the season went on that he got better each time he was called up to another level. It was a great season for Robert, and he showed that one day he will be a force in this White Sox lineup.
Nick Madrigal’s progression went even faster than the most optimistic fan would have imagined. He was the White Sox first-round pick in 2018 and has come along very quickly. It took him relatively no time to get to AAA after playing in college just a year ago. He went five for five in the Knights must-win finale and would have been the star of the game had they ended up winning. His Knights portion of the season saw him slash .331/.398/.424 with 13 walks and 5 strikeouts in 29 games. He had 16 total strikeouts in 527 plate appearances for the whole season.
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The kids can play and proved it this year. They are the future of the White Sox and one day they will have Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez in the same lineup as them. It has been fun to watch their progression as the excitement grows in anticipation of their MLB debuts.