Top 5 White Sox Pitching Prospects

Simon Castro (MiLB.com)

1. Erik Johnson - RHP- Johnson seems to be the unanimous choice for the top pitching prospect in the Sox system.  Johnson was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft out of Cal.  Johnson only appeared in 2 games with Great Falls in 2011, but made 17 starts in 2012 with Kannapolis and Winston-Salem.  He only had a record of 6-5, but had a 2.53 ERA, a 1.202 WHIP, and a 8.5 KO/9 rate.

At 6'3/240+, Johnson has a body built for him to become an innings eater.  Johnson possesses two plus pitches in his arsenal; his fastball and slider.  Projections on Johnson seem to differ, I've seen reports that see him as a #4 starter and some as high as a #2 starter.  Either way, expect to see Johnson on the South Side in the next year or two.

2. Scott Snodgress - LHP - Snodgress was taken in the 5th round (2011) out of Stanford where he had an underwhelming career.  Snodgress worked out of the bullpen when he was with the Cardinal, but the White Sox gave him a chance to start.  Snodgress has made the most of the opportunity.  The 6'5 lefty posted a 7-3 record last year with Kannapolis and Winston-Salem along with a 3.00 ERA, a 1.248 WHIP, and a 8.2 SO/9 ratio.

His fastball is in the low-90s and his breaking ball, which he has been developing, has been superb.  Whether Snodgress can continue down the path of a starter or return to the bullpen remains unknown.  However, a 7-3 record in his first full year as a starter is great start.

3. Andre Rienzo - RHP - It seems that I've talked about Andre Rienzo more than any other player so far on this blog.  2012 was the Brazilian's best and breakout year which has seen him explode up the rankings in the White Sox organization.  His stats from last year with Winston-Salem, Birmingham, and a start with Charlotte: a 7-3 record, a 2.53 ERA, and a 1.161 WHIP.  He also put up some great numbers in the AFL this past fall except for one really, really bad inning.

He has a mid-90s fastball, a good curveball, and a developing curveball in his repertoire.  Of course, before his big year, Rienzo had to serve a 50-game suspension for PED usage which he denies.  Like Snodgress, whether Rienzo is a back-end starter or a reliever is unknown.

4. Simon Castro - RHP - Castro was part of the Carlos Quentin trade.  While with San Diego, Castro was considered to be one of the top prospects in the organization and a top 100 prospect overall.  After a disappointing 2011, Castro had a nice first year with the Pale Hose in 2012.  With Bristol, Birmingham, and Charlotte he recorded a 7-5 record, a 3.85 ERA, and a 1.291 WHIP.

Castro primarily uses his fastball/slider combination.  The 4-seam fastball can touch 95, but is usually in the low-90s and the slider, his best pitch, is big league ready right now.  He also works in a 83-85 MPH changeup.  Like Johnson, his projection varies from a back-end starter up to a #2 starter.

5. Chris Beck - RHP - Many thought Beck was going to be a mid-first round selection in the 2012 draft, Beck fell back to 76th overall after a mediocre year with Georgia Southern.  With Great Falls last year, Beck had a 4-3 record, a 4.69 ERA, a 1.562 WHIP, and a 8.0 SO/9 rate.

There was some concern that Beck may have lost some velocity on his fastball after bulking up, but he is back to touching 95 MPH.  He also has two pretty good breaking pitches in a slider and a changeup.  Most see Beck as a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher with the Sox.

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Composite 2013 White Sox Top 10 Prospects

Keenyn Walker ranks 6th.

With many of the national scouting/prospect/minor-league sites releasing their top prospect lists including the Pale Hose's.  Below is a composite ranking of these four lists (will update with Baseball Prospectus' list).  Below the player's name is the rankings from each of the four lists and the total of these rankings (lower numbers are better).  The four lists are from Baseball America, John Sickels, FanGraphs, and Baseball Prospect Nation.  To nobody's surprise, Courtney Hawkins is the unanimous top prospect in the White Sox system.

1. Courtney Hawkins
Baseball America - 1
John Sickels - 1
FanGraphs - 1
Baseball Prospect Nation - 1
Total:4

2. Trayce Thompson
BA - 2
JS - 3
FG - 4
BPN - 2
Total: 11

2. Carlos Sanchez
BA - 3
JS - 2
FG - 2
BPN - 4

Total: 11

4. Erik Johnson

BA - 4
JS - 4
FG - 3
BPN - 3
Total: 14

5. Scott Snodgress

BA - 6
JS - 5
FG - 6
BPN - 6

Total: 23

6. Keenyn Walker
BA - 5
JS - 6
FG - 5
BPN - 11
Total: 27

7. Andre Rienzo

BA - 7
JS - 8
FG - 7
BPN - 5
Total: 27

8. Chris Beck
BA - 10
JS - 10
FG - 8
BPN - 8
Total: 36

9. Keon Barnum

BA - 8
JS - 9
FG - 9
BPN - 12
Total: 38

10. Jared Mitchell

BA - 9
JS - 14
FG - 11
BPN - 7
Total: 41

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Scouting Report: Andre Rienzo

Position:  RHP

Height/Weight:  6'3/165

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

Birthday:  July 5th, 1988

Hometown:  Sao Paulo, Brazil

STATS

Andre Rienzo was signed out of Brazil by the White Sox back in 2006.  Rienzo has catapulted up the White Sox prospect rankings after a stellar 2012 campaign.  Rienzo ended the year with a 7-3 record, a 2.53 ERA, and a 1.161 WHIP.  However, before his success in 2012, he served a 50-game suspension for PED usage.  Rienzo went on to have a successful year in the AFL and besides one dreadful inning, he put up great stats.

Rienzo, as you can tell by his height and weight, has a lanky frame.  However, his fastball can reach mid-90s and is very impressive according to scouts.  He also possesses a good curveball and is developing a cutter.

Scouts seem to be mixed on whether Rienzo will stay a starter or move to the bullpen when he enters the big leagues.

Below are some scouting reports on Rienzo:

ScoutingBook.com:

A talented righthanded strikeout artist from Brazil, White Sox prospect Andre Rienzo has the stuff and guile to succeed as a big-league reliever, even if that stuff came with its share of chemical enhancement last season. After serving a 50 game PED suspension, Rienzo returned to struck out almost ten batters per nine innings across three levels of play, mainly at AA Birmingham. He can dial his fastball up to 98, or maybe even a bit more than that in short use, and the average slider he mixes in should be enough to keep hitters honest. His changeup, a so-so one at best, shouldn't be a factor unless he returns to starting duty.

Baseball Prospect Nation:

Don’t see starter profile. Control profile hurts overall projection and limits any available command projection. Lack of change-up in arsenal is worrisome and hurts against LHH. FB-CB combo could play nicely in short stints. CT can be an interesting third pitch to add a little wrinkle. Size – and subsequent stamina – is a concern. If forced to start, likely #5 at best. If FB plays up in relief with improved strike throwing, setup potential exists. Could reach MLB quickly in relief, similar to Nathan Jones in 2012.

John Sickels:

Season marred by PED suspension but he pitched well in Double-A. Nice low-90s fastball, secondary stuff has improved, still working on command. Fourth starter or a relief option down the line. From Brazil.

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AFL Review: The Pitchers

Andre Rienzo

Rienzo solidified himself as a top White Sox pitching prospect after a good AFL season.  There were some concerns entering the fall whether he could come close to repeating the numbers he was putting up early in the season before testing positive for PEDs.  

At first glance, Rienzo's stats aren't anything to get excited about (1-1 record with a 4.74 ERA), but if it wasn't for one disastrous inning against Peoria earlier in the month (6 ER in bottom of the the 4th), his numbers would be much, much better.  That inning accounted for almost half of the total earned runs he would allow in 24.2 innings.  Rienzo was Salt River's workhorse as he led the team in innings pitched and was second on the team in strikeouts.  According to reports, Rienzo's fastball is still very impressive and he still needs to develop a second pitch to be a big league starter.

Salvador Sanchez

Sanchez, statistically, had a great AFL season.  Sanchez appeared in 11 games, pitching 11.2 innings, and only giving up 3 ERs.  His ERA was the second-lowest on the Rafters pitching staff.  However, he still had a WHIP of 1.80 mostly because of the amount (12) of walks he gave up.  This is somewhat expected considering he is still making the change to being a pitcher.

Taylor Thompson

Thompson posted a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 3.38 in his 10 relief appearance.  Thompson struck out 10 and only walked 4 this fall which is encouraging.

Santos Rodriguez

Rodriguez and Salvador Sanchez had similar seasons.  Both had 0-1 records, both had WHIPS around 1.80, and both had control issues.  Rodriguez did strike out 13 in 11.1 innings, but did walk 10 which was the second-most for a reliever behind Sanchez.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 11/16

The Rafters played their last game before Saturday's AFL Championship Game against Peoria.  Salt River beat Surprise by a score of 7-3 yesterday.  Also, Andre Rienzo started for the Brazilian National Team in a World Baseball Championship Qualifier.

Andy Wilkins, 1B, went 0 for 3 with a K and BB.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, went 2 for 5.

Salvador Sanchez went an inning, striking out one and giving up a walk.

Andre Rienzo pitched 3.2 innings in the qualifier, giving up 1 ER on 4 hits and 5 walks.  He also struck out one and didn't get a decision.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 11/12

Courtney Hawkins

Baseball America released their 2013 Top 10 White Sox prospects list today.  Here is the list:

1.  Courtney Hawkins

2.  Trayce Thompson

3.  Carlos Sanchez

4.  Erik Johnson

5.  Keenyn Walker

6.  Scott Snodgress

7.  Andre Rienzo

8.  Keon Barnum

9.  Jared Mitchell

10.  Chris Beck

Also, the Arizona Fall League continued as the Rafters, behind Carlos Sanchez, beat Mesa by a score of 8-4.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, had a great day going 2 for 4 with 4 RBI.

Trayce Thompson, LF, went 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks.

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Daily White Sox Report - 11/11

The Rafters beat Phoenix 11-5 yesterday with Andre Rienzo picking up the win for Salt River.

Andy Wilkins, 1B, was 0-4 including a K, also walked once.

Andre Rienzo pitched 5 innings, giving 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks.  He struck out 4.

Santos Rodriguez had a rough inning in relief, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits and a walk.  He struck out 1.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 11/5

Taylor Thompson (dashboard.mlblogs.com)

Andre Rienzo has probably been the White Sox's best performer this year in the Arizona Fall League.  However, he was roughed up in the bottom of the fourth today as the Rafters suffer a 10-7 loss to Peoria.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, went 1 for 3 with a BB.

Trayce Thompson, LF, went 0 for 3 with a K.

Andre Rienzo pitched 3 innings, giving up 6 ER on 6 hits.  He struck out 3 and gave up a pair of walks.

Salvador Sanchez pitched an inning, giving up a hit and a walk.

Taylor Thompson also pitched one inning, giving up a run on a pair of hits.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/31

I've been busy lately, so I haven't been able to post updates on what is going on down in Arizona.  Instead of going through every game I missed, I posted the stats of the prospects representing the White Sox.  The first set is the hitters.

Click to enlarge.

Andy Wilkins is having a monster year as you can see.  This is surprising considering he was the the least talked about hitter going into the AFL season.  Carlos Sanchez is having a decent season in the AFL.  What pops out the most concerning Sanchez is his 8 stolen bases.  Trayce Thompson is struggling, only batting .188.  The positive is Thompson has improved his plate discipline as he has 10 strikeouts compared to 9 walks.

The big story here is Andre Rienzo.  Rienzo has been the best pitcher on the team through his first four starts.  He is also second on the team with 17 strikeouts.  He has been the talk of the minor league system in the month of October.

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/19

Andre Rienzo (bleacherreport.com)

I've been away from here for a while.  Here are the stats from every player for the past five days.

Hitting:

Andy Wilkins: 2-7, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 SB
Carlos Sanchez: 2-11, 2B, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 SB, 1 CS
Trayce Thompson: 1-9, 1 BB, 3 K

Besides Andy Wilkins, who I named Prospect of the Week last week, White Sox hitters have combined to go 3-18 with 7 strikeouts and no runs driven in.

Pitching:
Andre Rienzo: Rienzo started on Thursday and went 4 innings, striking out 5 while only giving up a single walk, and gave up a run on 2 hits.
Taylor Thompson: Thompson pitched 2 innings on Wednesday, giving up 3 hits and no runs.  He struck out 1 and didn't walk any.
Santos Rodriguez: Pitched an inning and recorded a K.
Salvador Sanchez: Went an inning, walked one, struck out one.

Rienzo has been really impressive so far.

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/13

Andre Rienzo

Since the last time I did a daily update, the Rafters have completed a pair of games.  After starting the season 3-0, the Rafters lost both of the last two games.  Andre Rienzo, the White Sox's only starter in the AFL this year, started for the Rafters on Friday.  Here is how everyone did starting with last night's game.

Andre Rienzo pitched 3 innings, not giving up any runs only allowing two hits.  In only 3 innings, Rienzo struck out 5.

Santos Rodriguez went an inning and picked up the loss.  He gave up two runs by allowing a pair of hits, walking two, and committing an error.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, went 0-4 including striking out once.

Today's game (10-2 loss to Surprise):

Andy Wilkins, 1B, went 2-4 including a double.

Trayce Thompson, CF, went 0-3 with a pair of Ks.

Salvador Sanchez went .2 innings, had a K, and gave up a hit.

AFL Preview: Andre Rienzo

(MiLB.com)

Position:  Starting Pitcher

Height/Weight:  6'3/160

Throws/Bats:  Right/Right

Age:  24

Reviewing 2012:  2012 will definitely be a memorable one for Rienzo, both positively and negatively.  The 24-year old Brazilian started off the season by going 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in over 25 innings and 31 Ks for Winston-Salem.  However, he was suspended 50 games after that for testing positive for PEDs (he says he never knowingly took it).  When he came back from suspension, Rienzo posted a 4-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 71.2 innings for Birmingham.

Rienzo's greatest strength is his fastball which he fires in the 94 MPH range according to Mark Gonzales.  According to reports, he has great control over it and it also has nice movement.

Arizona Fall League Preview:  Obviously the biggest thing the White Sox and us fans want to see is whether Rienzo's talent is real or the result of PEDs.  Mark Gonzales believes he is a decent chance at making the majors, but if he really struggles in the AFL you have to wonder about his future with the White Sox.  Another thing that will determine the future of Rienzo is whether he can develop a decent secondary, off-speed pitch.  If not, expect him to move from a starter's role to the bullpen.