The Orioles Just Helped The White Sox Out In A Big Way

Not a lot of things have gone right for the White Sox this year, if at all, as they are on track to be one of the worst teams in Major League history. However, the way that the Baltimore Orioles have handled one of their top prospects may have just helped out the White Sox in a big way.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball has a implemented a new program in which they incentivize teams to promote their prospects, as if they start the year on the club and win the Rookie of the Year award, they will get an extra first round pick, awarded at the end of the round.

According to Joe Trezza of MLB.com, here is how a player can earn their club another first round pick:

1. If a player has little or no MLB service time, they need to be on the MLB team when they break camp, or they need to be called up within 2 weeks. They then must spend the rest of the year in the MLB.
2. If they meet those requirements, and win the Rookie of the Year award or place in the top 3 of MVP or Cy Young, they will get their team an extra first round pick.
3. However, if they make that Opening Day roster and don't factor into any award, the player can still retain eligibility to earn their club an extra first round pick by placing top 3 in MVP or CY Young voting before they hit arbitration.

For a player to be eligible, the prospect has to appear on 2 out of 3 of the Top 100 Prospect lists that are released by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and ESPN. They have to keep their rookie eligibility and must have not been on a MLB roster for more than 60 days. The last part there is key, as the 60 day mark could really help the White Sox.

As of right now, it seems that Jackson Holiday has been on an active MLB roster for about 56 days. The Orioles are in the thick of the playoff race, so they are not in a position to send him down to the minors, as he is a talented player helping them towards a division title. This means by next week, Jackson Holiday will not be eligible to win the Rookie of the Year award, taking a very talented player out of the race.

This is great news for the White Sox, as they will have a few players eligible for this award that will not have to compete with the #1 prospect in all of baseball. Next year Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero will be up in the majors, so the White Sox need to make sure they break camp with the team or are on the team within two weeks, as they could net the White Sox a much needed additional first round pick.

Not having to compete with Jackson Holiday gives either Montgomery or Quero a much clearer route to the AL Rookie of the Year, potentially allowing one of them to win it if they play like the White Sox think they can.