Report: Sox favorites to ink Cuban prospect Oscar Colás originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Chicago White Sox are not shutting off their pipeline of Cuban talent.
According to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, the White Sox are the favorites to sign Oscar Colás during the next international signing period, which begins in January.
Colás has been a familiar name to White Sox fans for a while now, as it was possible he might have ended up in this year's class of international free agents after playing in Japan. He didn't, though, and the White Sox could benefit, adding Colás a year after signing the top-ranked player in 2021, Yoelqui Céspedes, the latest Cuban splash the organization has made.
RELATED: Cuban tradition alive and well, fueling Sox present, future
Colás has been referred to as the Cuban version of two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, who's currently tearing up the majors as both a hitter and a pitcher. According to Sanchez, Colás isn't expected to do any pitching once he joins a big league organization, even though he's touched 95 miles an hour with his fastball in the past.
Instead, he's expected to play the outfield and, most notably, hit. He was a .300 hitter in Japan's minor leagues, doing the same in Cuba.
According to Sanchez, Colás is expected to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic for a team managed by Fernando Tatís, whose sons, Fernando Jr. and Elijah, both signed with the White Sox as international free agents in recent years.
While Colás to the White Sox is just a report at the moment, the 22-year-old has posted pictures of himself in White Sox gear on his Instagram page, decked out in a shirt and hat while swinging in a Thursday post.
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The White Sox have built their major league lineup around a few Cuban stars, with José Abreu, Yoán Moncada, Luis Robert and Yasmani Grandal all starting position players for the team. The minor leagues have seen an influx of Cuban signees, as well, with Céspedes joined by pitcher Norge Vera last winter. Infielder Yolbert Sanchez signed with the White Sox ahead of the 2019 season.
It's a tradition that stretches back through the White Sox last division-champion team, which featured Alexei Ramírez; their World Series-winning group, which featured José Contreras; and the teams of the 1950s and 1960s, which featured Cuban legend Minnie Miñoso.
And now it's a tradition that's extending into the future, as well, powering a current White Sox contender and, the team hopes, powering contenders for years to come.
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