TUESDAY: Madrigal receives the full slot of $6,411,400, Heyman tweets.
SUNDAY: The White Sox will sign the fourth pick in this year’s draft, Oregon State infielder Nick Madrigal, Jon Heyman of Fancred tweets. The exact terms of his deal aren’t yet known, but the selection carries a slot value of just over $6.4MM.
Madrigal is coming off a championship-winning season at OSU, where he overcame a wrist injury to slash an eye-popping .367/.428/.511 in 180 at-bats this year. Thanks in part to his outstanding showing in 2018, Madrigal ranked among the top five prospects entering this year’s draft, according to FanGraphs (No. 2), Baseball America (No. 3) and MLB.com (No. 3), while ESPN’s Keith Law placed him at No. 11.
At 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, Madrigal is diminutive, but prospect experts have high hopes for his offense translating to the majors. BA, for example, contends that he “possesses arguably the best hit tool” in this year’s draft class, and adds that he could emerge as a legitimate stolen base threat in the majors. It’s not yet clear, however, whether Madrigal will line up at second base or shortstop in the pros. He has experience at both positions, but he manned the keystone in 2018 at OSU, which had fellow high draft pick Cayden Grenier (No. 37, Orioles) at short.
Who are the Chicago Bulls selling the rights to?
(sarcasm)
What does the even mean? Even as a joke?
They sold a drafted player for 3.5M to Golden State last year, maybe? IIRC. Something like that.
That’s correct, it was Jordan Bell, the 38th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the Bulls sold him to Golden State for $3.5 mil.
Then, in typical Bulls fashion, the Bulls management did absolutely nothing with that money. Well, I take that back, they did proceed to stuff their collective pockets..
You can always count on the Bulls to be the Financial Champions, year in and year out, they will never fail to let you down!!
If you listened to only people on here every owner is a cheapskate who just fills his pockets.
Especially during the winter when discussing overpaid below average veterans who people think will cause a terrible rebuilding team to go from last to 4th and still not make the playoffs because that player will sell some tickets.
Zzzzzzzzz … this is a baseball message board, right?
With his elite hit tool, excellent speed, solid defense and high baseball IQ, Nick Madrigal does figure to be the first position player from the 2018 June Draft to debut in MLB while also becoming a significant contributor in the process. What’s not as certain is what position he will play with the White Sox when he debuts sometime later in 2019 or by 2020.
Word is is that the White Sox may have Madrigal play both 2B and SS once he officially signs his draft bonus. With his extended college postseason run just completed the organization is also likely to have him make his professional debut at one of their two A ball affiliates and probably have him finish at A+ Winston-Salem. Madrigal figures to spend the bulk of his 2019 season split between AA and AAA with a possible promotion to the big leagues late next year. My best guess is that he will be the White Sox starting 2B and leadoff hitter come 2020, with incumbent 2B Yoan Moncada shifting to 3B and dropping down to the #2 slot in the batting order.
You better hope that massive leg kick works out in the bigs. Big difference between college and the MLB is changing speeds and a big kick like his becomes hard to time correctly. To lose that kick means re-tooling his entire swing.
It’s a timing mechanism. The high leg kick has been utilized by plenty of great MLB hitters. As Reds HOF 1B Tony Perez once famously said in response to his batting stance, “I see de ball. I heet de ball.” lol
The high leg kick is also commonly used in Japanese pro ball. The “Babe Ruth” of Japan was Sadaharu Oh who was famous for his exaggerated kick. Their traditional kick hardly had a negative impact on Ichiro Suzuki when he came stateside either. I’m sure White Sox fans will settle for some Ichiro comps when Nick Madrigal’s career has come and gone on the South Side of Chicago. lol
Perez and even Ichiro played their careers before teams started using analytics to measure everything. Aside from the all time greats like Ichiro, if a hitter with a big kick loses their timing, they stop hitting. It will be interesting to see how he moves forward. He may turn out fine but I’ve seen other young players that start out strong but then suddenly struggle after a year or even two.
Plenty of players successfully use a high leg kick. Justin Turner and Josh Donaldson are two that come to mind of the top of my head. It’s not really that big of a deal if he can make it work.
That’s a lot to expect out of this year’s pick. I would imagine he spends the rest of this year in rookie ball/A ball. He begins next year in A ball or A+, and could be in AA by the end of next year. I don’t think he’s going to be on a fast track.
You’d imagine incorrectly. Word is he’s starting this year in High-A.
The White Sox haven’t been bashful when it comes to promoting their prospects, particularly advanced college players. They typically escalate the time line with their college arms but I believe they will do likewise with a position player like Nick Madrigal who grades out well in every tool but the power one.
Madrigal’s 65 grade hit tool, accompanied by few strike outs, is the one that stands out and will be most responsible for his quick movement through the White Sox system. His running and defense are also well above normal, as is his baseball IQ. Obviously Madrigal’s production will be paramount at each level but if he matches his high expectations with numbers I fully expect him to be in the big leagues no later than early 2020.
The baseball program he just graduated from at Oregon State has been a powerhouse in the NCAA and he has been putting up elite numbers since day one as a freshmen. Madrigal can do virtually anything on a diamond except hit a lot of homers. There is no reason for a team that hopes to contend in the AL Central in a couple of years not to expedite his ascension if it is warranted. Barring any health issues, I believe Madrigal will arrive quickly, as will Cuban sensation Luis Robert.
Any body else think moncada is a bum? I wanted him to badly be a presence for the white Sox rebuild but I find that he doesn’t always seem interested or with his head in the game at all times. Maybe this has been observed by other fans but I can’t help but notice some poor baseball played by him a lot this year.
Ask the Mets how many talented major leaguers the are asking for in return for Degrom. The fact that Hahn didn’t receive Benintendi and/or Devers plus Kopech in that Sale trade is a joke. Kopech better become the Next DeGrom or the ChiSox got fleeced. Moncada doesn’t have it between the ears & i believe he thinks his sh.t dont stink. Don’t believe he’ll be any better than a replacement level player, but his talent is undeniable.
I would suggested the Sox move Anderson or Moncada to center. Opening a position for Madrigal.
I have slightly more faith in Tim Anderson becoming a better than average defender at SS than Yoan Moncada at 2B.
Anderson has all the physical tools necessary to play shortstop. I also expect him to retain a similar body in the foreseeable future while also improving at a position and sport that came late to him since he was predominately a star basketball player in high school.
Moncada also has the tools to excel at 2B but he is already built like an NFL linebacker and only figures to bulk up more as he ages and develops. I also question Moncada’s focus as a middle infielder and feel he would be better off at 3B which is a more instinctive position. His bat should also play at the hot corner if he ever approaches his hitting and power potential.
CF would also be an option for either but I feel the White Sox already have their future player there in Luis Robert who will likely be ready for prime time around the same time that Nick Madrigal is ready to debut on the South Side. The 3B position is less certain with Jake Burger’s twice torn left achilles tendon and questions surrounding his defense at the hot corner even before he sustained those injuries.
Moncada isn’t going to make it. Horrible fielder and a 220 hitter. Boston sold Chicago a bill of goods. Anderson can’t field! If Madrigal makes it, they still need a middle infielder.
It won’t be Manny Machado this offseason even if JR was willing to pony up the most dollars. Machado would have to play 3B and not SS to even come close to justifying his anticipated MLB best FA contract.
Btw-Did you know that White Sox SS Tim Anderson and 3B Yolmer Sanchez each have a higher overall WAR than Machado as we post? This is entirely a result of Machados’ awful dWAR at SS thus far in 2018 since his bat is clearly among the best in all of MLB.
I’d be willing to bet he didn’t know that, seeing as it’d be a positive for the White Sox and he only sees the negative.
Priggs89: No doubt but Strauss does have a point with Moncada currently. He is scuffling mightily right now in all facets of his game including hitting, defense and base running. Moncada has also been exhibiting some signs of something even worse…lack of focus or perhaps even a lack of interest at times.
I believe the White Sox front office ought to consider demoting Moncada to AAA and then reevaluate his progress in a couple of weeks following the All-Star break. They might even want to be proactive and begin giving him some reps at 3B while he’s down their. Moncada actually made his MLB debut at the hot corner with the Red Sox in September of 2016 before assuming full time duty at 2B with the White Sox following the Chris Sale trade.
Yolmer Sanchez is one of the finer defensive 2B and his bat would certainly play better there as a grunt type player until Nick Madrigal is ready for prime time. In the meantime, perhaps the White Sox could let Matt Davidson play some 3B since that was the position they envisioned him at when they acquired him for closer Addison Reed back in December of 2013.
I don’t think it would take much time for Moncada to get reacquainted with the hot corner and perhaps the transition and demotion would help him regain some focus and allow him to regroup mentally. Maybe recently promoted top prospect Eloy Jimenez can give him a few pointers with his bat since hitting coach Todd Steverson hasn’t been much help at the MLB level. lol
Btw-To show how much Moncada is struggling with his offense, even Adam Engel managed to pass him in BA following today’s win in Arlington Texas.
How is Moncada’s bat among the best in the AL???? He’s young and it is premature to start tagging him as a bust but what about his sub-700 OPS puts him among the best?
Stat_head: You may want to reread these posts. Nobody has stated that Moncada’s bat is “among the best in the AL”.
My bad you were referring to Machado not Moncada.
strauss you are a baseball idiot
He just better not be a bust !!!
At least he won’t be referred to as “Bustacada” like one frequent commenter on the White Sox official website regularly calls Yoan Moncada. Perhaps that same person will refer to Nick Madrigal as “Badrigal” at some point. He may also be the same Cub troll who regularly refers to Carlos Rodon as “Rodone” lol
Yah, there are a lot of stupid people on the internet.
I’m optimistic on this kid. He could very well be like Altuve.
I believe Dustin Pedroia might be an even better comp for Madrigal since each had similar grades coming out of college with their scouting grades.
Jeeze, somebody is in a bad mood today.
Perhaps more than just one, at least in my case. lol
I heard more stuff about moving Tim to CF. Nick at SS. Yoan at 2nd then anything else.
That’s more wishful thinking among many White Sox fans and members of the local media than word from the front office. My notion regarding Yoan Moncada shifting to 3B is also mostly speculation on my part. That being said, it makes more sense on so many levels including what I have already commented on. In addition, the White Sox do not have an abundance of elite middle infield talent in their highly rated farm system, certainly none as highly ranked as what Tim Anderson was as a former SS prospect or what Yoan Moncada was as the top 2B prospect in all of MLB. That will change once Nick Madrigal signs and the prospect boards are all updated to reflect the latest June Draft entrants along with the prospects who have already graduated to the big leagues. You can be rest assured that when the new prospect lists are updated they will have Madrigal as a second baseman and not as a shortstop.
In addition, the White Sox do have a surplus of OF’s among their very best positional prospects. Of their top 8 prospects, all of whom currently reside in mlb.com’s top-100 list, 4 are starting pitchers, 3 are OF’s and one is a catcher. Madrigal is certain to join that list once they are updated later this month, although others might drop out. My guess is that the 3 OF’s, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert and Blake Rutherford will all still be included as top-100 talents with the posting of the next list.
Gotta put Madrigal at 2nd tho, Moncada already doesnt project as a career 2B, if anything i bet Moncada ends up in RF ultimately. If ur thinking purely “do i keep Anderson at SS or Moncada at 2B?” U go Anderson, right?
With that sub-.150 ISO with aluminum bats in college, Madrigal will need EVERY BIT of that 65 hit tool. He also will need a manager who will give him the green light to steal as many bases as possible.
Nick Madrigal is a contact hitter who rarely strikes out. The aluminum bats, which have actually been a composite for a while now in the NCAA and are far less lively, would have less impact in Madrigal’s offensive game than with most college hitters since he is not a power hitter.
As for stealing bases, the Rick Renteria led White Sox are currently tied for the MLB lead in stolen bases with 65 through Monday. He gives Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Yolmer Sanchez and Adam Engel a lot of freedom on the base paths. It will be no different when Madrigal arrives on the South Side. For those who think that Renteria won’t be around come 2020 or so when Madrigal debuts, think again. This is the same White Sox front office who didn’t even fire Robin Ventura despite his subpar record and actually traded Ozzie Guillen to the Marlins in spite of his numerous clashes with Kenny Williams.
Too bad we never gave tatis Jr a chance..we would be looking so much better. I always thought we should have got benetendi or devers in that sale deal..red Sox knew what they were doing. There is no untouchables for Chris sale
For a controllable top 5 pitcher in baseball on a pennies on the dollar contract, heck yeah Hahn should of got more. He shoulda been asking for Mookie Betts plus prospects & Settled For Benintendi, Devers & Kopech. 2 ultra-talented question marks for Chris Sale the only reason to go watch the White Sox past 5 years is disturbing. Glad Sale is on a contender not wasting his talent here
Tbone Dbag CoachZ…