Nick Madrigal is officially a member of the White Sox organization and officially a member of the White Sox rebuild.
It's an exciting thing for White Sox fans, who have heard the organization's brass call this kid "the best all-around player in college baseball" and a guy who plays "Gold Glove caliber defense."
Here's a pretty important question, though: Where will Madrigal be playing that Gold Glove caliber defense?
Between Madrigal's versatility and the current status of the White Sox middle infield — a status that looks like it could stay the same for years into the future — where the No. 4 pick ultimately lines up on the major league diamond is a bit of an unknown at this point.
It's not a question the White Sox need to answer with any rapidity, as they'll give Madrigal all the time he needs to develop — not to mention that the team appears to be a year or two away from switching from rebuilding mode to contention mode.
But the question is here already, asked of Madrigal during a Thursday conference call with Chicago reporters.
"It really doesn't matter to me, and I really do mean that," Madrigal said. "I've played shortstop my whole life and I feel comfortable with it. Most of my college career I played second base. I feel like second is pretty easy to play. I feel comfortable there, too. At the end of the day, it's whatever the Chicago White Sox need me to do. I feel comfortable for both. I'll be ready for wherever they put me when the time comes."
MLB
Madrigal will start out as a shortstop for a few days in Arizona before shipping off to Class A Kannapolis to start his journey through the White Sox system. But as for "when the time comes," that's what White Sox fans — particularly those that enjoy projecting out the lineup of the next contending group of South Siders — really want to know.
Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson currently occupy the two middle-infield positions, and if they live up to the expectations the White Sox have for them, they could occupy those spots for years to come. That wouldn't leave a whole lot of room for Madrigal, though it would qualify as a good problem to have for Rick Hahn's front office.
The fate of Moncada and Anderson over the next several seasons, however, will likely be the ultimate determination of where Madrigal will play. Should either falter in their own continuing developments, Madrigal would figure to be the next in line to claim any available spot.
As for future position changes? Well, White Sox fans on social media seem to be nudging Anderson toward the outfield. But maybe it's Madrigal who will find a spot outside the middle of the infield. Third base? Outfield? Madrigal seems to have versatility as one of his more appealing attributes, and if he hits as well as he did with Oregon State, the White Sox will find a spot for him, no matter where it might be.