The White Sox recently signed a trio of players, one of which is a guy many of you will likely recognize.
According to America’s Baseball Chris Hilburn-Trenkle, the club signed RHP Luke Shilling, second baseman Jagger Suconi and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe to minor league deals.
Of the three, Basabe is the name that catches the eye here. The now 25-year-old was originally part of Chris Sale’s return to the business with third baseman Yoan Moncada and right-handed pitchers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz. After spending four years with the organization as a scheming prospect, Basabe was nominated for an assignment and moved to the San Francisco Giants for money considerations in August 2020.
The outfielder then made his Major League debut and nine appearances for the Giants that season before being excluded from the 40-man roster in February after sustaining a wrist injury. Basabe ultimately appeared in just 22 games for affiliate Double-A from San Francisco in 2021 where he slashed 0.206 / .349 / .338 (14-for-68), with three doubles, two homers, nine RBIs. , 5 stolen bases, 15 walks and 26 strikeouts. He also played 11 games in the Arizona League before being elected in free agency on November 7.
Although Basabe dominated at Double-A Birmingham in his first stint, the Sox will give him one last shot to see if he can prove his worth in 2022. His speed and defense are his bread and butter, so it could work well. in his favor if he manages to place his bat at an average level.
As for Luke Shilling, the 24-year-old had some tough times early in his career. Dating back to 2018, injury after injury after injury left him unable to compete for most of his time in the organization. Although he finally got a taste of minor league baseball last season, the right-handed pitcher is back on the injured list and will stay there for the 2022 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Rusconi, the third player signed, spent time at four levels in the organization last season – Arizona League, Low-A Kannapolis, High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. In those 43 games, he hit 0.265 / 0.337 / 0.368 (41 for 155) with nine doubles, two triples, a homer, 17 RBIs and 0.705 OPS. Like Shilling, the 25-year-old will be looking to avoid the injury virus that plagues him often and will likely start next season in the middle with the Birmingham Barons.
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Featured photo: White Sox / Twitter
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