Luis Robert, Nick Madrigal will represent White Sox at Futures Game

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The White Sox future will be on display during All-Star festivities next month in Cleveland.

Two cornerstones of Rick Hahn's rebuilding effort were named to the Futures Game on Friday, with outfielder Luis Robert on the World roster and second baseman Nick Madrigal on the U.S. roster.

Robert was recently elevated to the No. 5 prospect in baseball in MLB Pipeline's refreshed rankings, a deserved placement with the way he's torn up the minor leagues this season. After posting a jaw-dropping .453/.512/.920 slash line with eight homers, five doubles, three triples and eight stolen bases in just 19 games at Class A Winston-Salem, he was promoted to Double-A Birmingham, where he's hit .320/.365/.531 with seven homers, 14 doubles, three triples and 14 stolen bases in 48 contests.

Robert projects to be the White Sox center fielder of the future, and that future figures to arrive relatively soon considering the damage he's done this season. It might not happen before the 2019 campaign runs out, as Robert playing at four different levels in one year seems unlikely. But he's playing so well that suggesting he could be on the White Sox roster for Opening Day 2020 is not at all outrageous.

Madrigal has also split time between Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham this season. Currently ranked as the No. 39 prospect in the game, Madrigal got off to a good but less-than-electric start in his first full season as a professional, hitting .272/.346/.377 in 49 games at Winston-Salem. But he's been on fire since being promoted to Birmingham, with a .377/.442/.449 slash line in 18 games. Oh, and he's struck out all of seven times this season, just once since his promotion.

Madrigal's been a pro for just a year, picked with the No. 4 pick in last summer's draft. But the guy that the White Sox touted as the best all-around player in college baseball in 2018 is just two jumps from the major leagues at this point. He, too, would figure to be unlikely to play at four different levels in one season, but just like Robert, if the hot hitting continues for the rest of the season, seeing Madrigal on the Opening Day roster for 2020 would not be a shocking sight.

The Futures Game has provided a stage for the White Sox to show off their bright future for several seasons now. Last year in Washington, D.C., Luis Basabe hit a home run and Dylan Cease pitched in the ninth inning against some of the best young players in the game. The year prior in Miami, Michael Kopech, Yoan Moncada and Zack Collins all represented the White Sox, and Eloy Jimenez played in his second straight Futures Game right before being dealt to the White Sox from the Cubs.

Well, 2019's edition is another star-studded one, from a White Sox perspective, with Robert and Madrigal playing.

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