White Sox promote Jimenez, Robert, Cease

It's moving day in the White Sox system.
The White Sox officially promoted top prospectEloy Jiménez to Triple-A Charlotte, No. 5 prospect Dylan Cease to Double-A Birmingham and No. 3 prospect Luis Robert to Class A Advanced Winston-Salem on Thursday. 

With the All-Star break a common time to move players up, the promotion of Jimenez in particular has been long anticipated. The 21-year-old, right-handed slugger was hitting .317/.368/.556 with 10 homers, two triples and 15 doubles over 53 games with Double-A Birmingham. His .556 slugging percentage is tops in the Southern League while .925 OPS ranks second and his 10 homers are tied for fifth. 

MLB.com's No. 3 overall prospect, who was acquired along with Cease from the crosstown Cubs last July for Jose Quintana, is known for his considerable power potential, which is no surprise given his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame. But he's also an above-average overall hitter with a career .304 average in the Minor Leagues. Despite the jump in level, there is serious potential for him to do damage in the International League, given how much of a launching pad Charlotte's BB&T Ballpark can be. 
Cease is also moving up almost one year after he switched Chicago farm systems. The 22-year-old right-hander, who is ranked as MLB.com's No. 52 overall prospect, is replacing Jimenez as the most notable name on the Birmingham roster after posting a 2.89 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 71 2/3 innings during an All-Star first half in Winston-Salem. His 82 strikeouts are most in the Carolina League while his 28.3 percent K rate ranks third.

The 22-year-old right-hander has two plus pitches in his mid-to-upper-90's fastball and impressive curveball, and while control has been an issue for him, his 9.3 percent walk rate in the Carolina League was the lowest of his career. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014, Cease is up to a full work load on the mound and threw a career-high eight innings in his final Dash start.
Robert, considered MLB.com's No. 24 overall prospect, is on the move after a considerably shorter stay with his previous club.
The White Sox signed the 20-year-old outfielder out of Cuba for $26 million in May 2017 and kept him in the Dominican Summer League last year. He was set to debut with a full-season affiliate this spring, but a sprained ligament in his thumb suffered this spring forced him on the disabled list to open 2018. Robert finally debuted with Class A Kannapolis on June 5 and hit .289/.360/.400 with one triple, three doubles and four steals in 13 games before getting the call to Winston-Salem.
Robert is best known for plus speed that helps him pick up stolen bases by the bunches as well as be an impressive fielder in center. He also gets above-average grades for his arm and power potential, and it's that package of tools that led to such a heavy investment from the White Sox last year.