White Sox prospect looks to go from South of France to South Side
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So far, baseball has taken Mathias LaCombe from the vineyards of Bordeaux to the deserts of Arizona, ultimately landing in Birmingham, Alabama, as a member of the White Sox Double-A affiliate. Along the way, he became only the second native of France to be selected in the MLB Draft, a milestone that means a lot more than just one pitcher’s journey.
Born and raised in the commune of Pineuilh, an area encompassing 6.7 square miles, LaCombe began playing baseball at 8 years old. After training at the National Academy in Toulouse, the righty looked to continue his development at an American community college as equivalent options in France were nonexistent. Cochise CC in Douglas, Arizona, had established a bit of a pipeline with the French academy, so LaCombe made the 5,576-mile journey.
Two seasons of college ball was a large enough sample size for the White Sox, who selected him in the 12th round of the 2023 Draft, luring him away from a Louisiana-Lafayette verbal commitment. LaCombe joined Joris Bert, who was picked in the 19th round by the Dodgers in 2007, as the only two French natives to be selected in the MLB Draft. Bert played a couple of seasons in Rookie ball before leaving the Minor Leagues.
While LaCombe’s professional debut was delayed due to a shoulder impingement and lat issues, it didn’t take long for him to pass Bert’s benchmark. He reached Single-A in his first season before reaching High-A this May. He was consistent for Winston-Salem, posting a 2.88 ERA over 25 innings with a .159 batting average against. Armed with a fastball that touches 98 mph, he racked up 35 strikeouts to just 12 walks.
Since his promotion to Double-A Birmingham on July 17, the numbers haven’t been quite as clean, mostly due to a couple of tough outings toward the start of his tenure. In August, the 24-year-old posted an 0.87 ERA across 10 1/3 innings, allowing just one run in eight games.
Now Chicago’s No. 18 prospect, LaCombe looks to join Ernesto Martinez Jr. as the only French-trained players to reach Triple-A. Martinez was born and raised in Cuba before moving to France at 15 to train. But if LaCombe continues to develop in the higher levels of the Minors, he could see an MLB mound as early as 2027, instantly establishing a new baseball fanbase.