Oscar Colas thrilled to get back into flow of organized baseball after joining White Sox

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(670 The Score) The White Sox on Monday officially agreed to deals with 23-year-old outfielder Oscar Colas and 17-year-old outfielder Erick Hernandez during this international signing period.

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Colas signed for a $2.7-million bonus. He was the fifth-ranked international prospect by MLB Pipeline. Colas hasn’t played organized baseball for the past two years due to his circumstances after defecting from Cuba in 2019.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Colas – who bats and throws left-handed – slashed .282/.343/.483 with 28 homers, 116 RBIs and 102 runs in 187 games in his foreign league career, which spanned the Cuban Serie Nacional, the Japan Western League and the Japan Pacific League.

“The history we have with Oscar goes all the way back to 2015,” said Marco Paddy, the White Sox’s special assistant to the general manager who runs their international operations. "I first saw him in Japan when he was on the Cuban national team along with Luis Robert and Yolmer Sanchez. The tools from the get-go were big for me. He has an 80 arm (scouts use a 20-80 rating system) with great accuracy and his ability (in) the outfield was very advanced for a kid that age. The bat, with the power he has, is very attractive. The wait to get him back on the field is a minor concern, but he is still a kid with the confidence. He played at a high level in Japan.”

Colas is thrilled to get back on the diamond in a more organized fashion after often displaying his talent to scouts at showcases in the past couple years.

"Going to Japan to play was like going to school and getting an education in how to be a professional,” Colas said through a translator. "For me, it’s very important to get to spring training and start that family chemistry. More importantly, I need to start playing and see what I can do here. I am just ready to show what I can do here and start playing.”

Colas was previously called the “Cuban Ohtani” because he was a hard thrower in his pitching career, but his future is no longer on the mound.

"The concentration is that he can throw somewhat but he really is not a pitcher,” Paddy said. “All good players pitch at some point in their career. He did it on a part-time basis with the Cuban national team. He did it a bit in Japan. We feel it would take much longer to develop him as a pitcher than a position player.”

Colas will join the White Sox in Arizona for spring training, after which his minor league assignment to open the 2022 season will be determined.

“I knew the White Sox were a very good organization – and especially with Cuban players,” said Colas, who is friends with Robert. “I knew that this organization is known for playing hard and winning games. That attracted me the most to this organization.”

Hernandez inked a $1-million bonus. He’s from the Dominican Republic, and he throws and bats left-handed. He was the 28th-ranked prospect on the international market, per MLB Pipeline.

“He is a high-energy, aggressive player with a natural feeling for hitting,” Paddy said. “He has the potential to develop plus tools across the board, which include a power bat and high-level defense in the outfield. We know he has time and the ability to develop into an excellent player.”

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images