Former first rounder Cornelius Randolph signs with White Sox

A former Philadelphia Phillies first-round pick signed elsewhere on Monday after seven years in the organization.

Outfielder Cornelius Randolph, the No. 10 overall draft pick in 2015, inked a minor-league contract with the Chicago White Sox, according to the Minor League Baseball transaction log. He was assigned to Triple-A spring training on Tuesday.

Randolph, 24, reached Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start the 2021 season after the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league campaign. Despite a disappointing beginning to his career, the left-handed hitter showed improvement at the start of last year, entering the season in better shape.

“I actually went and bought a Peloton, and I’ve been working on my body a lot,” Randolph said in May. “I did a lot of cardio. … On the defensive side of the ball, I wanted to get faster, work on playing all three [outfield] positions, including center field. I want to turn into an all-around player.”

While he produced early, a right elbow injury at the end of May, however, derailed the progress Randolph had seemingly made. He returned to the IronPigs in August after a short rehab stint in the Florida Complex League, but couldn’t recapture the success he found early in the year.

In 53 total minor-league games in 2021, Randolph batted .241/.335/.386 with five home runs. He elected free agency at the conclusion of the season.

Randolph was the final first-round selection taken under former Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr., who was fired in September 2015. The outfielder stood out in rookie ball the year he was drafted, but struggled in subsequent seasons at higher levels as a whole.

In six seasons of minor-league competition in the Phillies system, Randolph hit .254/.342/.377 with 36 home runs.

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