The White Sox have chosen the contracts of lefty Jake Eder and right-hander Cristian Mena, per a staff announcement. Each at the moment are shielded from subsequent month’s Rule 5 Draft. Chicago’s 40-man roster is now as much as 37 gamers.
Eder, 25, is likely one of the group’s prime pitching prospects. The Sox picked up the previous fourth-round decide from the Marlins within the deadline swap that despatched nook infielder Jake Burger from Chicago to Miami. Eder, in his first season again from Tommy John surgical procedure, pitched to a 3.94 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout fee in 29 1/3 Double-A frames previous to the swap however maybe started to put on down late within the season after a prolonged layoff from pitching. He walked 15 hitters in 17 1/3 innings with the Sox following the commerce and issued one other 15 free passes in 17 2/3 innings of Arizona Fall League play.
Regardless of the shaky end to the season, there’s little doubting Eder would’ve been chosen within the Rule 5 Draft had he remained unprotected. The lefty ranked as baseball’s No. 62 general prospect at FanGraphs in 2022 after pitching 71 1/3 innings of 1.77 ERA ball as a 22-year-old in Double-A. He’ll both return to Double-A to start the 2024 season or bounce as much as Triple-A — and both method that’ll put him inside normal proximity of reaching the large leagues.
Mena, 20, has had a meteoric rise by the White Sox’ system, splitting the 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A. After working to a 3.80 ERA throughout three ranges as a 19-year-old in 2022, he posted a mixed 4.85 ERA in 133 2/3 innings this yr. Whereas the earned run common definitely doesn’t bounce out, Mena was 4 years youthful than the common age of his Double-A opposition and almost seven years youthful than his common opponent in Triple-A. Regardless of that youth and lack of expertise, he managed a 26.9% strikeout fee. His 11% stroll fee speaks to a have to hone his command, however Mena has a heater that reaches 96 mph and a curveball that Baseball America (who ranks him sixth amongst Chicago prospects) touts as a plus pitch.
