The first week of September is usually one of the biggest weeks in the baseball season. Rosters are expanded from 26 to 28 players for the September playoff push, sometimes leading to teams that are out of the race to bring in talented prospects for the final month of the year to get their feet wet in the bigs. Some fringe contenders made their moves, too, with three top-100 prospects coming up to make their debuts.
Saying that the Chicago White Sox have underperformed this year would be an understatement. Projected to contend for the division, the Sox have struggled mightily this year, 30 games under .500 as the season enters its final month, which has led to some seismic changes around the organization. On August 31st, longtime White Sox GM Rick Hahn was fired after 12 years at the helm for Chicago, with former major league second baseman Chris Getz replacing him, perhaps signaling a turnaround for the floundering franchise. Chicago’s futility this year was clearly signaled from September 1 through September 4, wherein the Sox were swept by a struggling Tigers team, then dropped the next game 12-1 to one of the worst teams in baseball, the Kansas City Royals. The bats have been a big issue for Chicago in that time frame, mustering only five runs in the four games. In what is certainly a disappointing season for the White Sox, they can only hope a future improvement is on the horizon.
Jasson Dominguez has been in the spotlight since he was 16 years old, signing for a record-breaking at the time $5.1 million to join the New York Yankees in 2019. “The Martian,” as called by the fans, has been considered a top major league prospect since he signed four years ago and has shot up the minor league ranks, showcasing a rare blend of power and speed in his time in the Yankees’ farm system. He was promoted to the major league club on September 2nd and had his work cut out for him in his major league debut against one of the greatest pitchers of all time, Justin Verlander. It’s no tall task to go against a pitcher of Verlander’s status, but in his first at-bat, Dominguez put the second pitch he saw into the seats in left field at Minute Maid Park in Houston, cementing himself as a fan-favorite Yankee. He’s hit two more homers in the six days since, proving he will be a key contributor for the Yankees going forward.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers were seen as surefire playoff teams when the All-Star break rolled around, with both teams’ records sitting at 52-39. Nowadays, Arizona sits just on the inside of the playoff picture with the sixth seed in the National League with a 76-69 record, led by their young offense. Sticking out particularly is left fielder Corbin Carroll, who’s hit 24 home runs to pair with 47 stolen bases in his rookie season. For a boost, the Diamondbacks called up shortstop Jordan Lawlar, the #10 prospect in baseball, who’s hitting .278 with 20 home runs and 36 stolen bases. Lawlar collected a hit and made an incredible play in his debut, quickly proving he could hang as a major league shortstop.
The Texas Rangers now sit at 79-64, out of a playoff position in the American League after controlling the AL West for most of the season. Texas was propelled by their offense, in particular, middle infielders Marcus Semien and Corey Seager. Semien is sec0nd in the AL in hits with 167 while also hitting 24 homers, and when Seager has been on the field, he’s been an MVP candidate, hitting .337 and hitting 30 home runs in just 100 games. After a demoralizing—and frankly ugly—sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros, Texas made their last-ditch effort to push them to the playoffs. After another body blow in the form of All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia going on the IL, the Rangers called up the #8 prospect in baseball, outfielder Evan Carter. Carter is hitting .288 with 13 homers in limited time with Texas’s Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express. Carter also picked up a hit in his debut, and he will be a crucial part of the Rangers’s playoff push in the future.
With more and more prospects being called up, the future is bright in the major leagues. The push for the playoffs is picking up, leading to more pressure for the contenders going forward. It’s going to be an exciting couple of weeks in Major League Baseball.
