Welcome to the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast, Chicago’s #1 Cubs and White Sox podcast. Hosted by Matt Zawaski, Aldo Soto and Kevin Fiddler. Follow them on Twitter @SouthsideZo, @AldoSoto21 and @KFidds. Join the conversation live on stream every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. as the trio recap all the latest news and rumors about the Cubs and White Sox and cover the biggest stories around MLB. Download and listen to every episode on your preferred podcast app and follow the show on Twitter @PinwheelsIvyPod.
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Ever since the White Sox drafted Nick Madrigal with the fourth overall pick out of Oregon State in 2018, he’s been the subject of many arguments among baseball fans in Chicago. How sustainable can his style of play be at the major league level? Will the glove live up to the hype? Did the Cubs get enough for Craig Kimbrel from the White Sox with Madrigal as the centerpiece? Did the White Sox make a mistake by trading Madrigal?
As always, the main reason Madrigal has become a polarizing player during his brief time in the majors is that fans have extreme opinions on him. Madrigal is either bad or he’s the next Dustin Pedroia. There’s rarely any middle ground when discussing Madrigal’s potential and what he can and can’t bring to the White Sox and now the Cubs.
On the field, Madrigal has given both sides reasons to believe they’re right, as he’s shown elite contact skills, a high batting average and even flashed some pop prior to his season-ending injury in 2021. Yet, there have been defensive lapses, poor decision-making running the bases and a high rate of hitting ground balls coupled with a guy who swings at everything, yielding soft contact.
During this week’s show, Zo, a big Madrigal fan since day one, talked about the positives, while KFidds explained where Madrigal can improve and why Cubs fans should be excited about Madrigal at second base. Meanwhile, with some feedback from the comment section and Aldo dreaming of a Carlos Correa signing, the conversation quickly turned into another “is Nick Madrigal good or bad” discussion.
Hey, it’s me Aldo, I think Madrigal is fine! Count me in on the middle ground of this debate. Although, you know, if there’s a good trade out there involving Madrigal, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Full show below!
