Baseball America

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Before the world changed and baseball screeched to a temporary halt this spring, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn stood in the back of the rival Cubs’ Arizona press box ahead of a Cactus League game on the first Friday of March as a bright sun belied the impending coronavirus storm clouds.

The White Sox had just signed slugging third baseman Yoan Moncada to a five-year, $70 million extension, and Hahn, who isn’t exactly Mr. Braggadocious, in his low-key way uttered what we now can ID as perhaps the understatement of the season.

“We can objectively sit here today and feel like we have three of arguably the most exciting young players in the American League under control for at least the next six years,” Hahn said. “And that is a good feeling.”

Arguably? As ol’ Hawk Harrelson would be proud to say, “You can put it on the board! Yessss!”

Good feeling? Good grief. With the long-term ink still practically drying on deals for Moncada, Luis Robert (six years, $50 million

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Baseball America

Baseball America4 min read
In Memoriam
Mike Martin, the winningest coach in college sports history, died on Jan. 31 after a battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 79. Martin was the head coach of Florida State, his alma mater, for 40 years before retiring in 2019. In all 40 of those seaso
Baseball America2 min read
The Jackson Era
MAKING SENSE OF TRENDS IN BASEBALL AT ALL LEVELS The No. 1 prospect in baseball is Jackson Holliday. No. 2 is Jackson Chourio. This is the first time in Top 100 Prospects history that the top two prospects have the same first name, but it’s part of a
Baseball America3 min read
Breakout Players
While we haven’t yet seen an uninterrupted Lewis season, he is capable of crazy numbers if he can stay on the field. In his brief MLB career, he has hit .307 with home run and RBI totals that scale to 35 and 100 at 150 games. Lewis hits the ball hard

Related Books & Audiobooks