Oscar Colas no longer Cuban Ohtani with Chicago White Sox

Oscar Colas had already generated plenty of attention on the prospect front before signing with the Chicago White Sox. He was dubbed the ‘Cuban Ohtani’ due to the fact that he is a power hitting outfielder who saw time on the mound. However, Colas did not have much experience as a pitcher, with his nickname being based on projection more than results.

That two way dream is at an end. Colas is going to focus on playing the outfield, ending his time on the mound before it had a chance to begin in affiliated ball.

Oscar Colas as two way player a pipe dream with Chicago White Sox

It was easy to dream at what Colas could be on the mound. His fastball can hit the mid 90s and he seems to have plenty of raw talent on the mound. However, he has all of 3.1 innings of experience, all of which came as a 19 year old in Cuba. While he allowed just one run and struck out two batters, he also allowed three hits and issued three walks.

It is important to underscore the word raw. Colas would still need to refine his command and his secondary stuff, something that he would have plenty of time to do when he was younger and in the lower levels of the minors. Continuing that experiment would have made sense if Colas was still in his teens.

But he is already 23 years old. The White Sox, like other teams that were interested in his services, are intrigued by his power potential and excellent outfield defense. He is already going to need time to shake off the rust as he has not played since 2019. Adding a return to the mound to his itinerary would be far too much.

In the end, the White Sox not only need to maximize Colas’ potential, but they need to find a way to help him develop into the player that he could potentially be. That involves his focusing on one aspect of his game and leaving his days on the mound behind.

Oscar Colas is no longer going to be the ‘Cuban Ohtani.’ Instead, he will focus on being an outfielder only with the Chicago White Sox.