Charlie Tilson

Position: OF
Born: 12/2/1992
Height: 5'11
Weight: 175
B/T: L/L
Acquired: Via trade from the St. Louis Cardinals on July 31, 2016, in exchange for LHP Zach Duke (CHW). Originally drafted in the second round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft (STL).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
CURRENT SEASON STATS: .282 with four homers, 34 RBIs and 15 steals in 100 games at Memphis (Triple-A/Cardinals) with 16 doubles and eight triples.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Recalled from Charlotte (Triple-A/White Sox) on August 2 when OF J.B. Shuck was sent down.
MLB Debut Date: 8/2/2016

Debut Details
August 2, in an 11-5 loss to the Tigers. The starting center fielder, he batted eighth and went 1-for-2 before leaving the game with a torn hamstring. In his first at-bat in the third inning, he led the frame off with a single to center field. In the fourth, he grounded into a force out to end the inning.

Player Notes
This is the kind of debut capsule that just makes me want to cry. A really solid prospect with great speed (his 46 steals in 2015 at Springfield led the Texas League), Tilson’s career had been interrupted by a variety of injuries along the way: A shoulder injury which cost him all of 2012, a fractured foot which kept him out of the Arizona Fall League in 2014 – but his 2015 campaign at Springfield (Double-A) had definitely gotten him back on track, as he batted .295 with four homers, 32 RBIs and those 46 steals in 134 games. He never even got into a game at Charlotte after being traded, and before being promoted. After getting the start in center field and collecting a hit in his first at-bat, though, he attempted a diving catch in the fifth inning and tore his left hamstring, necessitating surgery and ending his 2016 season. If the baseball gods are kind, this will not be the end of his story but rather a chapter he’ll be able to look back on when he’s a fixture in center field for the White Sox in 2017.

2080 Notes
You can read more about Tilson in 2080 Baseball’s Prospect Spotlight on him here.