Chicago White Sox: Nick Madrigal provides infield with long-term stability
With the fourth-overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the Chicago White Sox have selected Nick Madrigal, a shortstop from Oregon State University.
The Chicago White Sox rebuild took a big step on Monday night, when the team selected Oregon State’s Nick Madrigal with the fourth-overall pick in the MLB Draft.
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Madrigal stands just 5-foot-7, but possesses the best contact hitting in all of the draft, hitting .406 for the Beavers this season.
Madrigal perfectly fits the mold of recent White Sox draft picks as a high-contact, low-strikeout college hitter. Madrigal struck out just five times all season in his junior year — five times!
The White Sox stuck to their rumored ‘best player available’ approach, picking the best college hitter available at pick four.
The main concern for Madrigal and the White Sox leading up to the draft wasn’t as much about play, but more about position, as Yoan Moncada is slated to handle the second base duties for the next decade on the South Side.
Nick Madrigal goes Number 4 to the @whitesox! #gobeavs pic.twitter.com/9Fr5rOl1Xn
— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) June 4, 2018
Madrigal could be one of the first players from this 2018 draft class to make his major league debut, as his advanced hitting and consistency leave little doubt that he can handle major league pitching, much less minor league pitching.
Madrigal, who played second base at Oregon State, was announced as a shortstop by Rob Manfred. It’ll be interesting to see where Madrigal plays in the minor leagues for the White Sox once he signs, but for now it looks like Madrigal will start out as a shortstop.
Next: Chicago White Sox MLB Draft Big Board
It’ll only be a matter of time before Madrigal gets started with the White Sox, as once his college season is over (Oregon State advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past weekend), Madrigal will likely sign and report to Extended Spring Training.
Another building block of the rebuild, Nick Madrigal has all the makings of being a future star on the South Side. Welcome to Chicago, Nick Madrigal!