White Sox boast outfield of dreams in pipeline

CHICAGO -- White Sox fans offer up a collective broad smile when thinking about a future Major League outfield anchored by Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert.
For now, they can enjoy Jimenez (No. 2) and Robert (No. 8) earning spots on MLB Pipeline's list of the top 10 outfield prospects, which was released on Thursday.
:: Top 10 Prospects by Position ::
"These are physically gifted players that have god-gifted skill sets that can impact the game in a lot of different ways. When those guys walk into a clubhouse, they stand out," said White Sox director of player development Chris Getz of this high-end outfield. "It's exciting to kind of put together or have this vision of what we might have running around in Chicago."
Robert, 20, earned praise during his 84-at-bat stint with the White Sox Dominican Summer League team, where he hit .310 with a 1.027 OPS, 12 stolen bases, 12 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs last season after joining the organization as an international free agent from Cuba. As the legend goes, the right-hander connected for a home run on his first trip to the plate during Dominican instructional league action this past November and then greatly impressed again during his United States debut at the team's hitters mini-camp in mid-January. MLB Pipeline ranks Robert as Chicago's No. 3 prospect.
The young man, who earned a $26 million signing bonus, received a non-roster invite to Spring Training to show off his burgeoning five-tool capabilities. Jimenez, 21, also will be with the big league team at Camelback Ranch as part of its 40-man-roster.

After coming over from the Cubs as the centerpiece of the José Quintana trade, Jimenez hit .348 between stops at Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham. He also knocked out 11 home runs and 16 doubles while driving in 33. Every look at Jimenez's swing or his play in the field seems to have "can't-miss standout" written all over it. MLB Pipeline has him as the Sox top prospect.
Atlanta's Ronald Acuna earned the nod as the top-rated outfield prospect, followed by Jimenez. Washington's Victor Robles ranked third, followed by the Angels' Shohei Ohtani, who also was rated No. 1 among right-handed pitchers. Houston's Kyle Tucker, Baltimore's Austin Hays, Milwaukee's Lewis Brinson, Robert, the Nationals' Juan Soto and the Dodgers' Alex Verdugo fill out the list.

White Sox hurler Michael Kopech was ranked No. 3 among right-handed pitchers, while Zack Collins finished No. 9 among catchers and Jake Burger finished 10th among third basemen.