Chicago White Sox: 1 big prospect takes a huge step to AAA

The Charlotte Knights announced Wednesday that outfielder Micker Adolfo has been promoted from Double-A Birmingham. Adolfo is ranked the number 10 prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization.

This season, he is hitting .249 with 46 RBIs, 33 runs scored,15 home runs, 15 doubles, and a stolen base. His 15 home runs were good enough to tie him for the most this season in the Double-A South. He also leads the league in RBIs, slugging percentage (.525), extra-base hits (30), and total bases.

The San Pedro native was initially signed by the White Sox in 2013. At the time, the $1.6 million he received was the largest international signing bonus in White Sox history. His impressive 6-4, 230-pound frame mixed with his arm strength and power makes him one of the more exciting prospects in the farm system. In 2017, Baseball America ranked him as the top outfield arm in the entire White Sox organization. He can also move well considering his size.

Injuries have put a damper on things, which is why he is just reaching Triple-A despite being 24 years old. He has only played 364 games since turning pro. In 2015, he suffered a season-ending fractured left fibula after sliding in a game on August 5th. He was on the IL from May until August the following season before returning to full strength in 2017.

The Chicago White Sox believes that Micker Adolfo could be a good MLB player.

That year he was named to the South Atlantic League postseason All-Star team at Class A Kannapolis. He was also named organizational player of the month in May and June. He slashed .264/.331.453 with 16 homers, 68 RBIs, and 46 extra-base hits for the year. Once again, however, he landed on the injured list with a fractured left hand from August 23rd until the end of the season.

In 2018, he appeared in 79 games in Class A Winston-Salem before being shut down in July due to season-ending Tommy John surgery. In 2019, he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow which limited him to 36 games. Adolfo can’t seem to catch a break from injuries. This is the first full season that he appears to be 100 percent healthy.

With his talent, it will be interesting to see if he can work himself into the outfield for the Major League club. His arm is graded as a whopping 70 by MLB Pipeline which means he would be an ideal fit in right field. If he performs well in Charlotte he may also be dangled as trait bait before the deadline. With his intangibles, there should be a number of teams that would be willing to take a flyer on him.

His walk-to-strikeout rate has quietly improved each season. The White Sox clearly like him and what he brings. They added Adolfo to the 40-man roster in the 2017 year to avoid losing him in the Rule 5 draft. A good guess on his potential MLB arrival is 2022.