Chicago White Sox: Five prospects who could debut in 2020
The Chicago White Sox are a very young team and they could get a whole lot younger when these five prospects join the crew in 2020.
The Chicago White Sox have been all about the prospects for a few years now. It all started when they sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. They were added to the farm that was pretty weak at the time but they started to build it up. They kept adding and adding and we have slowly started to see them trickle in over the past year or two.
Well, they have had some graduates to the MLB and they are still waiting for a few of them to arrive. It is coming for a lot of them that aren’t there yet which should be very exciting for fans of the organization. There have been some players like Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, and Lucas Giolito amongst others who have made it up and been impactful. That should really start to help this team win a lot of games.
Well, they are hoping that some of the players who come up now have similar impacts to those who came before them. There is a really good chance that it happens and it could be as early as this season. Part of the fun of a rebuild is watching these kids come in, go through the ranks, and reach the MLB. Then, winning with them would be the ultimate prize.
The White Sox have been waiting for a year like 2020 for going on four years now. 2021 might be the more realistic year for something like a World Series but you never know what happens. You especially never know what happens now that it is only a 60 game season. These are the five prospects who could join for that 60 game season to make their MLB debut:
Luis Robert. 88. player. 128. . CF. Chicago White Sox
Not only is Luis Robert going to be on this team from day one, but he is also going to be one of their best players. The ceiling on this kid is so high and the White Sox are so lucky to have him. We don’t know for absolutely sure if he will have the pop of Eloy Jimenez or the hitting of Yoan Moncada but there is a chance he does both of those things better than those guys. He is a five-tool player that has such a bright future.
Robert is going to play centerfield for the White Sox on Opening Day and he is going to be one of their most impactful hitters. Where in the lineup he bats remains to be seen but he should be in a spot where he makes an impact. He is going to have guys ahead of him that are brilliant hitters. He is joining a much better lineup than most of the prospects before him did so that should be even better.
When the White Sox signed him as an international free agent, they knew they would be getting a great player. They probably didn’t even realize that he was this good back then. He is a big dude that can do everything well. If he was a defensive end in football, nobody would be surprised. We are glad he chose baseball because he will be on the White Sox for a long time.
player. 128. . 2B. Chicago White Sox. Nick Madrigal. 92
If it weren’t for Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal would be so much more hyped. He is still really highly touted but Robert is their number one prospect by far. Madrigal, however, has the potential to be a very good player himself. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Oregon State. The White Sox were able to move Yoan Moncada to third base knowing that Nick Madrigal would be there to take over as the second baseman one day.
Madrigal is a kid who is so good defensively. He won the Minor League Gold Glove in 2019 because he was so good defensively as he rose through the White Sox system. He is also an elite level contact hitting prospect. The White Sox have so much youth in their clubhouse right now and Madrigal is a big part of the next wave.
There was some question as to where he would start before COVID-19 delayed the start of the season. It seemed like they were going to ease him in with Leury Garcia starting at second but now it seems like Madrigal might have a bigger role than we thought. It is going to be fun watching him make his MLB debut but it is going to come in 2020.
128. . 1B. Chicago White Sox. Andrew Vaughn. 94. player
The Chicago White Sox already had a plethora of prospects ready to take the next step when the 2019 MLB Draft began. Well, they added another one when they took Andrew Vaughn with the third overall pick. He was highly touted as one of the best power-hitting prospects in the world. He came from Cal where he had a very good collegiate career.
Vaughn has come through the ranks of the White Sox organization pretty quick and the pandemic might make him reach the big leagues even quicker. If there was a Minor League Baseball season, he would for sure be making his way through AA and AAA but that is not going to be this year. It seems like he has a chance to avoid going to the White Sox taxi-squad in Schaumburg.
Vaughn is having a tremendous Summer Camp. He played some third base in the absence of Moncada and despite being a first baseman by trade. Moncada is back so he is going to be the man there at the position but knowing Vaughn can do it in his absence is really nice. Really, it doesn’t matter how he does in the field because he is an incredible hitter. He will have a major impact in the batter’s box at the MLB level for a long time. 2020 could be the year we see him make his MLB debut.
player. 128. . SP. Chicago White Sox. Dane Dunning. 78
The Chicago White Sox have a lot of great players on the horizon. As you can tell, there are plenty of good prospects on the way. The pitching is where things get interesting. There are some really good players that are coming along but the first pitcher to make his MLB debut should be Dane Dunning. He is a bright young pitcher that the White Sox are hoping can be an impact starter at the Major League level.
With Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon, Dylan Cease, Gio Gonzalez, and Dallas Keuchel already there, it may seem unlikely that the use Dunning but he could definitely make his debut at some point in 2020. There are bullpen opportunities and possible injuries that could come into play that could get Dane Dunning tapped.
Pitching is very important in today’s MLB. You need to have a lot of players that can throw the ball effectively otherwise there will be no World Series window for you. The White Sox seem to be trying to build that and Dane Dunning could be next in line to try and help that cause. If he is able to make even a slightly positive impact in 2020, that would be a huge win in this strange season.
C. Chicago White Sox. Yermin Mercedes. 75. player. 128.
There might not be a more intriguing player in this organization than Yermin Mercedes. He has taken the world by storm since the beginning of the 2020 Spring Training. He was so determined to be the 26th man on this roster and he was making it look hard not to keep him as more than that. He was awesome before it was paused.
Mercedes is one of those guys who is listed as a catcher but can also play multiple positions. He can play some first base and be a designated hitter but Chicago has also used him as an outfielder during Summer Camp. Regardless, the Sox aren’t using him as a guy that they need in big defensive situations. If he makes his MLB debut in 2020, it will be because of his bat.
Hot. Dylan Cease was as good as he's ever looked on Thursday. light
This team is already looking to be pretty lethal offensively so if Mercedes joined and became an impact player on a regular basis, that would make them even more dangerous. He has a lot of power in that bat as he showed many times now in Spring Training and Summer Camp. He also seems to have a knack for the clutch moments as well. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the big leagues but we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see.