He only has 17 at-bats at Low-A, but it is evident that Nick Madrigal is far too good for the Kannapolis Intimidators. He currently has a slash line of .529/.579/.647 after going 3-5 yesterday. He also has yet to strike out at the professional level, including his brief stint with the Grand Valley Voyagers. So far, Madrigal has passed the eye test at the lower levels.
When Madrigal was drafted, the common belief was that he would start in High-A with the Winston-Salem Dash. However, news broke late that he was battling a hamstring injury during the College World Series, so the organization probably thought it would be better to ease him into his professional career. Now that he is officially tearing the cover off the baseball early on, it might be time to start thinking about making room for him with the Dash. Playing against 17 and 18 year old kids in Low-A is only going to help him so much. And with the Dash already having a spot clinched in the postseason, he could get even more time with them than originally anticipated. With July soon being over, I would honestly be shocked if the organization continued to stow Madrigal away in the lower levels of the minors. Especially when everyone seemed to agree that he would start his pro career with the Dash anyways. So far so good for Madrigal. It looks like the bat and his speed are going to hold their own. Now we just need to see him do it against more advanced competition. If he can make the transition to High-A without difficulty, he will be on pace to absolutely fly through the system. That's when things will start to get really interesting for the White Sox's future.
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