Burger, Céspedes are heading to Colorado
The pair of White Sox prospects will represent Chicago in the MLB Futures Game as part of the All-Star festivities at Coors Field next month.
The White Sox will be well represented on July 11 when some of the best prospects in the game converge on Denver, Colorado, for the MLB Futures Game. Charlotte Knights’ infielder Jake Burger will play for the USA team while Yoelqui Céspedes will oppose him playing for the World team next month.
Burger, 25, has been quite impressive in Charlotte — especially as of late —slashing .317/.365/.593 with 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and a 147 wRC+ through 45 games with the Knights.
Burger was 4-for-4 with a home run, two singles, a double, two RBI, and a pair of walks on Tuesday night and is hitting .468 (22-for-47) with four home runs and 15 RBI over his last 11 games with Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate.
A true story of perseverance is the tale for Burger, a former first-rounder who has spent years recovering from multiple Achilles injuries since being drafted by the White Sox in 2017.
Just a year ago, the 25-year-old third baseman was playing in a collegiate summer league in Missouri, trying to prove to himself and the White Sox that he still had what it takes to play at the game’s most elite levels. Now White Sox fans are itching for a call-up to Chicago to help the decimated offense, and Burger is going to play with 32 of MLB Pipeline’s Top-50 prospects next month as part of the MLB All-Star Game festivities.
Honestly, this couldn’t have happened to a better guy. I was fortunate enough to speak with Jake in November about his recovery, mental and physical struggle, playing at the alternate site last summer during the Coronavirus Pandemic, and his future outlook on baseball.
You can listen to our conversation here:
Céspedes, 23, is just nine games into his White Sox career with their Advanced-A affiliate in Winston-Salem. Still, there’s a considerable amount of intrigue and fanfare surrounding the younger brother of Yoenis Céspedes, enough apparently to send him to Colorado for the event.
Céspedes is slashing .216/.341/.378 with a home run, three doubles, and four RBI through his first nine games.
Tuesday night was his best performance in the early stages of his pro career stateside. The 23-year-old outfielder picked up four hits (three doubles) for the Dash.
Céspedes is ranked second on MLB Pipeline’s Top-30 list of White Sox prospects.
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