Not a Hahn Thing to Do

With infielders Javy Baez and Addison Russell injured, the Cubs have called up their number-one prospect, shortstop Nico Hoerner.  Taken in the first round of the 2018 Draft, Hoerner spent the season at Double-A Tennessee.

Putting so young a player on the major-league roster in September is not how the White Sox do things.  No, General Manager Rick Hahn would’ve waited until next year, late April, to be exact.  Top Sox prospects—and I mean no disrespect to Danny Mendick, who I hope has a long major-league career—do not get rushed to fill the breech.  Oh, they used to (see Alex Fernandez and Frank Thomas), but that was long ago, when the Sox played meaningful Septembers.

In seven years under Hahn, his teams have never played a meaningful September, and, unless they make up a seventeen-game deficit, will never have finished at .500 or above.  But hats off to Hoerner, who went three for five with four RBIs and a triple in his big-league debut last night against the Padres.  Maybe Nick Madrigal and Luis Robert can match that come next April, late April, of course.