Is Madrigal White Sox's leadoff hitter of the future?
While the Chicago White Sox have yet to make an official announcement, top draft pick Nick Madrigal has reportedly agreed on a contract.
What a memorable stretch for the pint-size infielder, who the Sox selected with the No. 4 overall pick on June 4.
On Thursday, Madrigal and Oregon State won the College World Series. Less than a week later, he's banking a signing bonus with a slot value of $6.4 million.
Even before the draft, there was the inevitable debate about Madrigal's position as a professional baseball player.
The 5-foot-7, 165-pounder played second base for the Beavers this season, but he's a natural shortstop.
Cadyn Grenier, the Baltimore Orioles' first-round draft pick, played shortstop for Oregon State and Madrigal showed he's a team-first guy by shifting to second.
After getting him signed and acclimated to the organization in Arizona for a short period, the White Sox are expected to send Madrigal to high Class A Winston-Salem.
Most top draft picks debut at low A Kannapolis or Advanced Rookie Great Falls, but the Sox believe Madrigal is advanced enough to handle Winston-Salem.
"First and foremost, we got who we felt was the best baseball player in the draft this year," said Nick Hostetler, the White Sox's director of amateur scouting.
As a defensive player, Madrigal would ideally prefer playing shortstop, but he's also up for second base, third base and even said he'd give the outfield a shot.
The feeling here is Madrigal will be a plus defender no matter what position he's playing.
And given his showing at Oregon State - Madrigal batted .367 this season, .380 in 2017 and .333 as a freshman in 2016 - another feeling is the right-hander is ready to join the White Sox early in 2020.
When he does arrive in the majors, Madrigal fits the profile as a leadoff hitter.
That's a huge plus for the Sox, who are developing middle of the order hitters like Eloy Jimenez, Zack Collins, Micker Adolfo and even Luis Robert, who might wind up in the No. 2 spot.
The White Sox are going to need a table setter, and Madrigal is looking forward to filling the key role.
"I've always hit toward the top of the order at all levels I've been a part of," Madrigal said. "You're not supposed to strike out if you're hitting toward the top of the order. In batting practice I've always tried to make contact with different pitches whether it's a strike or a ball. It's something I've worked on and hopefully I continue to do. I definitely take pride in that."
This season, Madrigal had a .367/.428/.511 slash line and he struck out only 7 times in 180 at-bats.
According to one scout who watched him through his three years at Oregon State, Madrigal's small stature is actually a big benefit.
"He's got a smaller strike zone than most guys and he uses it to his advantage," the scout said. "Great eye, and very rarely do you see him chase. He waits for strikes and puts really good swings on them."