[討論]Chicago White Sox Top 10 Minor League Prospects
by Joe Slowik
Now that the minor league season is winding down and the window to sign
amateur draft picks has closed, I thought it would be a good time to analyze
the White Sox minor league system.
Several players that would have been on this list are no longer in the Sox
minor league system. Gordon Beckham earned his way to the big leagues and
Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Brandon Allen were traded.
Despite those subtractions, the Sox still have a number of intriguing young
prospects, including a few that could contribute at the major league level in
the near future.
The Sox finally seem to be over the often spotty drafting from the David
Wilder regime and have added some significant prospects over the last few
drafts.
I'm leaning a bit more toward tools than production with this list, though
the upper portion has a little bit of both.
Players that also received consideration - INF Brent Morel, P Brian
Omogrosso, P Carlos Torres, OF John Shelby III, INF C.J. Retherford, and P
Steven Upchurch.
10) Charlie Shirek, P Birmingham
This spot was very tough for me because a lot of the remaining options are a
little old for their level and/or aren't getting the desired results. I'm
also a bit torn on Shirek, but I think he has to be on the list somewhere.
On the one hand, he's been pretty productive in his professional career,
consistently posting an ERA in the mid-threes with very good control. He uses
a low-90s sinker to generate a lot of ground balls and keep the ball in the
park.
However, his low strikeout rate is a concern. He struck out about six batters
per nine innings in A-Ball, but that number fell to just under three in
Birmingham this year.
He's likely going to have to miss more bats at the upper levels to be
considered a legitimate prospect. Developing his secondary pitches would help
a lot as they are generally considered mediocre.
He also turns 24 in October, so he will need to convince the Sox that he is a
legitimate option in the majors fairly soon if he is ever going to get a shot
in the majors.
9) Stephen Sauer, P Kannapolis
I might have rated Sauer a little higher if he were younger. He just turned
23 and is still in low-A Kannapolis.
However, he is a talented arm that has been productive this season. He has
posted a 3.27 ERA this year with great command and a solid ground ball rate.
He also still strikes out eight batters per nine innings, which gives him a
slight edge over Shirek in my book.
Like Shirek, he uses a low-90s sinker as his bread and butter. He also throws
a curveball and slider and can throw strikes with any of them.
He needs a big year where he soars through multiple levels next year, but
it's possible if he keeps producing.
8) Josh Phegley, C Kannapolis
I'm obviously leaning more towards tools that production at the bottom
portion of this list. Though he's only hitting .214 at the moment, he also
already has seven homers in 34 games.
There are significant doubts that he will pan out. A lot of scouts aren't
sure he will hit well enough at the major league level. This is made worse by
the fact that they also aren't sure that he'll be any more than an average
defensive catcher.
However, he put up some great numbers in college, and if he can hit to his
potential while sticking behind the plate, he's a major asset.
7) Charlie Leesman, P Kannapolis
There are other pitchers in the system that are a bit more advanced, but
Leesman appears to have more upside than those players.
He's putting up good but not great numbers at Kannapolis. He has a solid 2.97
ERA and doesn't allow many homers, but his walk rate is far too high and he's
only averaging 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings this year.
From what I've read, his fastball is usually between 88 and 91 mph with a
"slurve" type curveball and a decent changeup. He's not overpowering, but as
he adds polish he could be an asset down the road.
6) Trayce Thompson, OF Bristol
Thompson is another player with more potential than production thus far. He
was the Sox's second-round pick in the 2009 MLB Draft out of Santa Margarita
high school.
Thompson is what scouts like to call "projectable." He's a tall, lanky
outfielder with solid athleticism. He's a work in progress, but he has the
potential to be a five-tool player down the road.
He may need to cut down the length of his swing in the future, as he strikes
out at a pretty high rate.
5) Jordan Danks, OF Birmingham
If I had written this article a few months ago, Danks probably would have
been higher. He was having a great season before it was derailed by a wrist
injury.
While he came back to play after his initial time off, his batting average
plummeted and was recently put back on the DL. Jordan hit only .193 after his
return from the disabled list.
When he was healthy, he was easily the third best prospect on this list and a
candidate to be even higher. He had been hitting comfortably over .300 most
of the year and was patient enough to keep his on base percentage at or above
.400 before the injury. He also has good speed that makes him a factor on the
base paths and on the field.
However, he does have some drawbacks.
His power is inconsistent at best, so he's not a good candidate to hit in the
middle of the order. He also strikes out at a disturbingly high rate. While
it hasn't affected him too much thus far, it could be an issue down the road
as he faces tougher pitchers.
There are also the obvious concerns about the lingering wrist issue now. He
clearly wasn't the same player when he returned from the disabled list. It
seems likely that they will shut him down for the rest of the season and
hopefully he will return at full strength next season.
4) Dayan Viciedo, 3B Birmingham
He hasn't had the most impressive season on paper, but Dayan definitely has
talent and is definitely in the organization's plans for the future.
The 20-year-old Cuban import has held his own in AA despite the fact that he
is extremely young for the level. He's hitting .277 with 10 homers and 64 RBI
on the season.
The biggest thing that Viciedo needs is more experience. He's extremely raw
and hasn't quite figured out how to take advantage of his elite power and
solid contact skills yet.
He's a free swinger at the plate that needs to be more patient and pick his
pitches. Even though he'll never be one of the more patient guys in the
league, a little more plate discipline will give him more opportunities to
drive the ball and take advantage of his power to all fields.
There's also some question as to whether or not he'll stick at third base.
Though he's gotten better as the year has passed, he's still not exactly a
Gold Glove candidate.
3) Jared Mitchell, OF Kannapolis
I'm rating him higher than most people probably will because of his raw
talent. He's still at least a few years away from the majors, but probably
has the highest potential of any player in the system.
In his 26 games since signing with the Sox, he's hitting .287 with a .415 on
base percentage. He has yet to hit a home run and is 4-for-7 in stolen bases
.
The Sox 2009 first-round pick has all of the tools to be an elite major
league player.
He is an excellent athlete with great speed and good raw power. When he makes
contact, the ball is generally hit pretty well. He also has shown good
patience at the plate, in fact some would argue a little too much patience.
The big question with Jared as he advances will be his contact rate. He
strikes out around once per game and has a decent but not great batting
average. He doesn't necessarily have to hit .300 to make an impact, but he
has to make enough contact to start capitalizing on his power and keep his on
base percentage respectable.
2) Tyler Flowers, C Charlotte
Tyler was the centerpiece of the Javier Vazquez trade and has done nothing to
disappoint Sox fans since joining the organization.
He has hit .300 with 14 homers, 50 RBI and a .427 on base percentage in 98
games, mostly in AA Birmingham.
Flowers has always hit well, the question has been whether or not he could
handle being a long-term catcher. Thus far he has handled the job reasonably
well and the Sox aren't planning on moving him in the near future.
He has a chance to make the 2010 roster, though it remains to be seen how
much the presence of A.J. Pierzynski affects their plans.
1) Dan Hudson, RHP Charlotte
This selection was really a no-brainer. After his selection in the fifth
round of the 2008 draft, Hudson has had a phenomenal 2009 season. He started
the year in low-A Kannapolis and worked his way to the doorstep of the majors
in a very short period of time.
Over four different levels, Hudson has posted a 13-5 record with a 2.28 ERA
and 150 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings.
By most reports he doesn't have elite stuff, but he obviously gets more than
enough swings and misses. His fastball normally sits in the low-90s with good
movement and he also features a changeup and slider. His command has been his
biggest asset this season, he doesn't allow very many walks and does a very
good job keeping the ball from going over the fence.
There's a decent chance that he will make his major league debut for the
White Sox in the near future.
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