The White Sox were busy at the trade deadline last season, as they had a huge three team trade that saw them send Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham to the St. Louis Cardinals, while Michael Kopech was sent to the Dodgers. In return, the White Sox received three prospects, all from the Dodgers. People are most familiar with Miguel Vargas, but they also received infielders Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus in that deal.
While the Dodgers trade made the most noise, Chris Getz made a fantastic under the radar move, as they may have gotten their best player at the deadline for Tanner Banks.
The White Sox sent Tanner Banks to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for infielder William Bergolla. At the time this seemed like a smaller move, but after Bergolla’s performance with the Winston-Salem Dash and now in Spring Training, he is showing that he may have been the best player acquired at the deadline.
At the time of the trade Bergolla was just 19 and was performing well in high-A for the Dodgers. He hit .295 with a .350 OBP and a .735 OPS, which is very good for a 19 year old in high-A. He added one homer, 29 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases as well.
However, after the trade, Bergolla was even better for the White Sox. In 76 at-bats for the Dash, Bergolla hit .316 with a .386 OBP. He added two triples, 11 RBIs, and nine stolen bases. In a short stint, these are impressive numbers and encouraging to see. It isn’t often where you see a player go to the White Sox organization and play better.
While that was encouraging, his Spring Training has been even more impressive, as he has been able to get into a few games over the last week, hitting .444 with five RBIs in just nine at-bats. As a 20 year old, this is a fantastic sign.
If those numbers weren’t good enough for you, one of the multi-RBI hits came off an old friend, as Bergolla ripped a two RBI triple off Dylan Cease.
The White Sox farm system has vastly improved over the last calendar year and Bergolla can play a big part in the White Sox rebuild if he continues to improve in the minor leagues. I would imagine that Bergolla starts in High-A again this year, with the potential for a quick promotion to AA depending on how some of the other roster moves play out.
Bergolla will be a name to watch in the minor leagues, as he may have been the best player acquired by Getz at the trade deadline.
