Chicago White Sox: 3 prospects off to a blazing start

Jake Burger

Jake Burger looks like he has a chance to be in the Chicago White Sox lineup soon.

Baseball America has Jake Burger listed as the No 17 prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization. He isn’t playing like it. Burger is tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A Charlotte. This past week saw him hit .333 with six extra-base hits, three home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, and one walk. He has been an offensive force.

This is a welcome sign for the White Sox, who have invested a lot in him. Burger was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Up until this year, 2017 was the last time Burger played in a professional baseball game for a team affiliated with the White Sox.

He missed the entire 2018 season due to a ruptured left Achilles tendon suffered in a spring training game. He re-ruptured the tendon in May adding insult to injury. In 2019 he missed the entire season because of a bruised left heel. Then the minor league season was canceled in 2020.

After missing that much time, people assumed that the White Sox would ease him back in. Instead, they added him to the 40-man roster and assigned him to Triple-A Charlotte. Burger has rewarded their faith by showing off the offensive potential the White Sox saw when they drafted him. He is slashing .259/.306/.655.

Almost all of his hits are extra-base hits as well which tells you how much power he has. His wRC+, which measures weighted runs created, is 143. Burger also has a ground ball rate well shy of 50% which suggests he is squaring up the baseball. The rate that he is pulling the ball is further proof that Burger is hitting the ball hard. He is still shaking off some rust. Although he has a very high strikeout rate, the early returns are very promising.