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Oscar Colas

Oscar Colas Done Pitching, Will Focus On Outfield Work With White Sox

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The White Sox’ long-awaited deal with Cuban slugger Oscar Colas became official earlier this month, when he agreed to a $2.7MM signing bonus as international free agency opened. Notably, while there’d been some talk of the 23-year-old Colas working as a two-way player, he’s made clear since his signing that he’ll be working as strictly an outfielder with the White Sox (link via Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago).

“Pitching is in the past for me,” Colas told reporters through the team’s interpreter. Colas adds that it was an “easy decision” and that the White Sox were far more interested in his potential as an outfielder than on the mound. Indeed, ChiSox special assistant Marco Paddy tells Duber and others that Colas is “not really a pitcher” and that his development on the mound would have taken considerably longer.

While it’d have been a fun story to see a highly touted young talent like Colas strive to become a two-way player, the “Cuban Ohtani” moniker that was placed upon him always seemed rather misguided and, frankly, unfair to Colas himself due to the expectations associated with the nickname. As we noted at the time Colas was declared a free agent by MLB, to liken a player with all of 3 1/3 professional innings pitched (during the 2018-19 Cuban National Series) to Ohtani never made much sense, catchy and marketable as the narrative might’ve been. Colas is reportedly able to reach 95 mph with his fastball, and perhaps there’s some raw pitching talent that could have been refined. However, by the time Ohtani was this age, he’d amassed 543 innings of 2.52 ERA ball in Nippon Professional Baseball and was on the cusp of jumping directly to the Majors.

None of that is to downplay Colas’ potential for big league success with the bat. By all accounts, the 6’1″, 220-pound slugger has huge raw power from the left side of the dish and could eventually settle in as a productive big league hitter. Baseball America’s Ben Badler noted recently that even though he’s improved his conditioning since leaving his native Cuba, Colas is likely to settle in as a left fielder or first baseman due in part to questions about his outfield range.

Given his age and prior professional experience in Cuba and in Japan, Colas is more advanced than your typical amateur who’d sign during the international period in MLB. That said, he also hasn’t played a game in the CNS or in NPB since 2019, so there’s surely some rust to shake off as he reacclimates.

It’s possible he’ll be a quick mover, although the White Sox already have a fairly crowded collection of players in the mix in the outfield corners, at first base and at designated hitter. Jose Abreu is locked in at first base, leaving the outfield corners and DH work to fall to Eloy Jimenez, Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets. Chicago also has fleet-footed Adam Engel as an option at all three outfield positions, and corner outfield prospect Micker Adolfo is out of minor league options, meaning he cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers. It’s not an immediate issue anyway, as Colas will need some time in the upper minors before he’s an option in the big leagues, but some eventual turnover among that group of corner bats/DH options is inevitable.

White Sox Expected To Sign Oscar Colas

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The White Sox are the favorites to sign outfield prospect Oscar Colás, hears Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. The deal is expected to be worth $2.7MM, Sanchez adds. Cuban reporter Francys Romero first reported Colás’ connection to the White Sox and the anticipated $2.7MM signing bonus in March. As a 22-year-old with less than six years of experience in a foreign professional league, Colás is subject to international amateur signing bonus rules under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement. His deal won’t become official until January 15, 2022, when the 2021-22 international signing period opens, per Romero and Sanchez.

The current CBA allots teams a hard-capped bonus pool, the precise amount of which varies based on clubs’ market size and whether they signed MLB free agents who had been tagged with a qualifying offer. During a typical signing period, teams are permitted to trade for additional bonus pool space. However, that’s not the case during the current period (which runs through December 15, 2021), as MLB barred the inclusion of 2020-21 bonus allotments in trades last June as part of their pandemic-driven rules changes.

Teams often come to verbal agreements with international amateur prospects a year or more in advance of the signing period in which they’re eligible to sign. Colás, though, was a surprising late entry to the market. After defecting from Cuba, he signed with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. A contractual dispute between Colás and the Hawks led him to seek his release, which he wasn’t formally granted until last December. By the time he was officially declared a free agent by MLB, most clubs had already verbally committed the bulk of their bonus pool allotment for the current signing period to other players.

That unconventional sequence will keep Colás from officially joining the White Sox until next winter, at which point he’ll have turned 23 years old. Despite the delay, the Chicago organization will no doubt be happy to add a decently regarded, if a bit divisive, prospect to the system. MLB Pipeline slotted Colás as the #2 talent in the 2020-21 signing period, lauding his power potential and throwing arm. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs, however, pegs Colás as a 40 Future Value prospect (more akin to a mid-level player in a farm system). FanGraphs also credits Colás with plus raw power but is more bearish on his hit tool and defensive projection than is MLB Pipeline.

Those reports (particularly FanGraphs’) may seem surprisingly pessimistic to fans familiar with Colás as the “Cuban (Shohei) Ohtani,” a nickname he’s gotten in the past for occasional work as a two-way player. Despite his arm strength, Colás wasn’t often deployed as a pitcher in recent seasons, and it seems his days of playing both ways in any capacity are over. Colás “no longer wants to pitch,” Sanchez writes, and the White Sox are not expected to use him on the mound moving forward.

Of course, the Ohtani comparison was never fair to Colás to begin with. The Angels star is squarely in the AL MVP conversation this season thanks to a two-way performance the sport hasn’t seen the likes of for decades. If Colás “only” becomes a solid power-hitting corner outfielder, which seems within the range of possibilities based on public evaluations, his signing would more than make for a worthwhile investment for the South Siders.

Oscar Colas Declared Free Agent By Major League Baseball

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1:47pm: Colas will work out for teams early in 2021, reports ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (Twitter links), but there’s a “real shot” he’ll wait a year to sign in order to get the largest deal possible. Upwards of a third of the league has some interest in Colas, McDaniel adds, with the White Sox and Astros among the interested parties.

8:50am: Major League Baseball has declared outfielder/pitcher Oscar Colas a free agent, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). The 22-year-old was recently declared a free agent by Japan’s SoftBank Hawks after an ugly dispute between player and team. Colas and his family publicly alleged that he was deceived when signing his original contract — a deal he believed to be three years in length but one that held several club option years. Jim Allen outlined the saga in a thorough piece for the Kyodo News earlier this summer, and fans unfamiliar with Colas and his story will want to read Allen’s story for full context on the situation.

Turning to the future for Colas, he’ll now be eligible to sign with a team beginning on Jan. 15, 2021. That’s the official kickoff date for the 2020-21 international signing period — a date that was pushed back from its typical July 2 commencement as teams placed their focus and resources elsewhere while seeking to ramp up for shortened 2020 season.

Given his age and lack of professional experience, Colas is restricted to signing a minor league contract and is subject to international bonus pools. A team cannot exceed its league-allotted bonus pool in order to sign Colas, and teams aren’t allowed to trade international pool space for the 2020-21 period (another concept agreed to as the league sorted out return-to-play conditions prior to the season).

That, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler explained yesterday, leads to a tricky situation for Colas. Using the White Sox as an example, Badler writes that between outfielder Yoelki Cespedes, who recently agreed to sign with the Sox once the signing period officially begins, and prior agreements with righty Norge Vera and others, most of the ChiSox’ pool is already used up. Most teams throughout the league are in a similar spot, per Badler.

That’s not uncommon, as most deals for international amateurs are agreed to months or even years in advance. But it’s also not a good thing for Colas, who is only now becoming a free agent at a time when most teams have committed the bulk of their signing pools to other players. Badler suggests that Colas could consider waiting all the way until the 2021-22 signing period to agree to terms with a deal, although it’s likely that some clubs will try to sway him to sign sooner than that.

There’s a good bit of hype surrounding Colas, some of which stems from the dubious “Cuban Ohtani” moniker associated with him. That seems an unfair and frankly misleading nickname to place on a player who, despite reportedly possessing a fastball that can touch 95 mph, has pitched just 3 1/3 professional innings, all of which came as a 19-year-old during the 2018-19 Cuban National Series. Colas didn’t pitch during his time with the Hawks. Ohtani, meanwhile, had 543 innings of 2.52 ERA ball with 624 strikeouts in NPB by the time he jumped to the Majors as a 23-year-old.

Colas spent the bulk of his time in Japan with the Hawks’ minor league club in the Japan Western League, which is certainly sensible given that he was just 18 upon reporting to the Hawks for his first season. He struggled in his first Western League campaign but raked at a .302/.350/.516 clip in 2019, earning a promotion to the Hawks’ big league roster as a 20-year-old. Colas homered in his first plate appearance after the promotion and went 5-for-18 with that homer, a walk and six strikeouts in 21 trips to the plate. During his first two years with the Hawks, he’d also suit up during the winter for his pro team in Cuba. Overall, in parts of three seasons in Cuba’s top league, Colas is a .305/.381/.487 hitter.

FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen doesn’t have Colas near the top of his international prospect rankings, writing that he’s a “more stable prospect as a lefty first base/designated hitter/right field type” than as a pitcher. That’s not to say that a team won’t try to develop him on the mound, but comparisons to Ohtani simply don’t seem appropriate.

For all the intrigue surrounding the 22-year-old Colas, there’s also considerable uncertainty, both as to when he might actually sign and whether clubs will view him as a legitimate two-way option or prefer to focus on developing his abilities as a hitter and outfielder.

Oscar Colas Declared Free Agent By NPB’s SoftBank Hawks

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The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have declared Oscar Colas a free agent, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter links).  The move ends months of controversy between the club, Nippon Professional Baseball, and Colas’ representatives over amount of team control the Hawks held over Colas as per the terms of his original contract.

The next step for Colas is an application for MLB free agency.  Once this is granted, Colas will be eligible to be signed under standard international signing rules, and will in all likelihood be available when the next int’l signing window opens on January 15.  As a reminder, this is the 2020-21 window that would have normally began last July 2, except the signing period was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanchez writes that Colas’ representatives are already working to arrange a scouting showcase for their client, a 22-year-old who holds some potential as a two-way player.  Colas’ official pitching experience is limited to 3 1/3 innings in the Serie Nacional (Cuba’s top league) during the 2018-19 season, though he is said to possess a fastball that can hit 95mph.

There is much more data on Colas as a batter, as he hit .305/.381/.487 over 273 plate appearances in the Serie Nacional, and then posted an .825 OPS over 21 PA for the Hawks in 2019.  (Colas also hit well for the Hawks’ minor league squad in the Western League.)  In the field, Colas has played both first base and as a corner outfielder during his brief pro career.

Assuming no snags in his paperwork and clearances, Colas is a very intriguing entry into the 2020-21 international signing market.  Many teams have already committed large chunks of their int’l signing pools to other players, so the market for Colas may be determined by how much remaining pool space certain teams have available.  Pool funds also cannot be traded during this year’s signing period.

Oscar Colas Seeking Release From Contract With Japanese Team

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It emerged in January that intriguing Cuban talent Oscar Colas — who holds promise both as a pitcher and position player — was seeking to launch a big-league career. While he departed his home island to pursue that dream, there are some other complications that must still be navigated.

Colas drew attention last year for his high-quality showing with Japan’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. But as Jim Allen reports for Kyodo News, that appearance left some strings attached in the world’s top non-MLB league.

You’ll want to read Allen’s piece for the full rundown, but the gist is that Colas’s contract grants the Hawks five option years. His representatives believe the deal should be invalidated, at least after its initial term expires after the 2020 season.

There are several issues with the original agreement, Colas’s camp contends. For one thing, they say it was signed before he reached the age of consent under Japanese law (and without the signature of his guardian). For another, Colas’s reps claim the agreement was orchestrated by the Hawks and Cuban baseball officials, with Colas not fully informed of some key terms. Colas’s mother says the family believes it was “deceived” by the process. She alleges that the family never had an understanding of the options or a chance to review the contract before it was put in front of Colas to sign during a news conference. Allen’s report makes clear that there are several messy underlying factual disagreements, including whether Colas even personally signed certain documents.

It is not clear at this point whether and how this matter will be resolved. Colas’s reps have offered that he would play in 2020 if he’s allowed to depart thereafter, but the team has unsurprisingly insisted it retains control rights thereafter.

Colas will surely draw interest from MLB organizations if and when he’s able to market himself, whether through the posting process or as a free agent. Whatever the merits of the underlying factual disputes, this represents yet another instance in which a ballplayer has become entangled on the largely unmarked, obstacle-strewn path from Cuba to the majors.

Oscar Colas To Seek MLB Deal

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Cuban two-way prospect Oscar Colas has defected in hopes of landing a major league contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN tweets. Francys Romero of Las Mayores first reported on Colas’ defection.

The 21-year-old Colas is an outfielder/pitcher who most recently played with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, where he slashed .300/.353/.511 with 12 home runs in 295 plate appearances in 2019. As a left-handed pitcher, Colas is capable of hitting 95 mph, according to Passan.

It remains to be seen whether Colas will emerge as a two-way threat in the majors a la Shohei Ohtani, but nevertheless, it’s likely he’ll get “significant interest” from major league teams, per Passan. Colas could wait until at least July to sign with a big league club, however, as there appears to be less money available to him now that the current international signing period – which began July 2 – is almost a half-year old.

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