SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Intimidators Welcome MLB's 25th Overall Prospect, Luis Robert, to Kannapolis

Published on June 5, 2018 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS, N.C. - The Kannapolis Intimidators (Single-A) are pleased to announce that Luis Robert, Major League Baseball's 25th overall prospect, according to MLB.com and White Sox's 3rd best prospect, will be joining South Atlantic League's top team (34-19) after being sidelined for almost three months due to a sprained ligament in his left thumb that he suffered during Chicago's spring training earlier this year.

The Cuban-born outfielder, who received a $26 million dollar signing bonus after signing with the White Sox in 2017, batted .310 in 28 games last season with the White Sox's Dominican Summer League team, before being invited to Chicago's spring training.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound outfielder signed the second-highest bonus for an international amateur under the current signing guidelines at just 19 years old, following in the footsteps of Cuban star and White Sox second baseman, Yoan Moncada, who set the record when he signed with the Red Sox in 2015 with a $31.5 million deal.

Robert joins an Intimidators team that is currently 2.5 games up on the rest of the field in the Northern Division of the South Atlantic League under second-year manager, Justin Jirschele. Kannapolis' high-powered offense leads the SAL in batting average, batting .275 as a team, including a league-high .343 on-base percentage.

If the Intimidators and Jirschele can hold on to win the first-half championship with two weeks remaining until the All-Star break, they will lock up their second-straight first-half title and automatically put their name in the 2018 playoffs that start in early September.

Kannapolis' roster currently holds six players that are a part of the White Sox Top 30 Prospect List, including 18th best prospect, Luis Gonzalez, who is riding a 16-game hit-streak going into the six-game road trip.

The Intimidators will have back-to-back three-game series on the road with the Hickory Crawdads and the Rome Braves, before coming back to Intimidators Stadium for nine games over a six-day spread, starting June 11 at 7:05 p.m. against the Delmarva Shorebirds.

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