Madrigal feeling at home with Chicago White Sox

Visiting the Chicago White Sox before Monday night's game against the Cleveland Indians, Nick Madrigal stood on the top step of the dugout and gazed out at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"This is my first time seeing the stadium and everything around," Madrigal said. "I can definitely see this being a home for me sometime soon."

The welcome mat should be put out soon - most likely early in the 2020 season.

"I think everybody has talked about how well he carries himself, and he certainly does," Sox manager Rick Renteria said after talking with Madrigal on Monday. "I think if you look across the spectrum of people that have seen him play the game, we're hoping to see that same enthusiasm and output as we move forward in the near future.

"He had a nice season with us in the minor leagues, and I think with all things being equal and if everything holds true, he's going to be all right."

The No. 4 overall pick in the June amateur draft this year, Madrigal hit .303/.353/.348 in 43 combined games with the AZL White Sox, low Class A Kannapolis and high A Winston-Salem.

"I met a lot of great people," the 21-year-old infielder said. "I was excited to be in the organization, get in some games, put the White Sox uniform on. It was a great start."

The Sox have no doubt that Madrigal has the bat to be an all-star caliber leadoff hitter once he reaches the major leagues. His position is still up for debate.

Madrigal played second base while helping Oregon State win the College World Series this season, and that was his primary spot when he turned pro.

The 5-foot-7, 165-pounder also plays shortstop, and you get a sense that is his preferred spot.

"I've worked on different positions throughout my life in the infield," Madrigal said. "When my dad (Mike) hit me groundballs, I made sure to take them from both sides of the bag, just to make sure I had that in my back pocket. I've played a lot of shortstop my whole life.

"When I was really young I caught, so I feel like I've played almost every position on the field and I feel comfortable doing that."

Madrigal is the consummate team-first player, so he is going to play wherever it most benefits the White Sox.

"I've won at every level I've been at so far, going back to Little League, high school and college," he said. "That's something I want to continue doing, and it seems like this organization is the perfect fit for me."