2013 White Sox Spring Training Preview: Corner Infield

Up next in the set of spring training previews are the first and third base positions.  Besides Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn, no players have proven their worth with the White Sox yet.  Brent Morel struggled early last year, Kevin Youkilis is gone, Jeff Keppinger hasn't played with the White Sox yet, and nobody else below has seen the big leagues with the White Sox.  You can find the previews for the outfield here and catchers here.

40-man roster:

Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn - These guys are pretty good.  That can't be said for the rest of the corner infielders.

Jeff Keppinger (3B) - Rick Hahn decided to make Jeff Keppinger the guy at third.  Not many White Sox fans were screaming with joy after they heard the news of Keppinger's deal (12M/3yrs), but it is a solid addition.  Keppinger batted .325 last year and had an OPS north of .800.  Also, only Juan Pierre has struck out less in recent years than Keppinger.

Lars Anderson (1B) - Former top Red Sox prospect Lars Anderson was picked up by the White Sox earlier this month.  There's nothing Lars really brings to the White Sox that they need.  Expect Lars Anderson to fill the Dan Johnson role.

Angel Sanchez (3B/SS/2B) - The White Sox used the Rule 5 draft for the first time in several years to draft Angel Sanchez.  Sanchez will likely be the White Sox utility infielder this year.  Sanchez has had a cup of tea with the Royals, Red Sox, and Astros.  Last year with in the 'Stros organization, he batted .320/.390/.407 with 5 HRs in AAA last year.  Before that in 2011, Sanchez spent 110 games with the Astros.

Brent Morel (3B) - After a terrible start to the 2012 campaign and back problems, Morel was demoted to Charlotte.  Morel is feeling healthy again and he has a slight chance to be on the Opening Day roster.  If that were to happen, Morel would have to have a much better spring than Sanchez.  However, because Sanchez plays two positions, Sanchez has the definite advantage.

Non-roster invites:

Josh Bell (3B) - Like Lars Anderson, Bell was once a highly-touted prospect.  However, Bell has struggled mightily at the major league level.  In the past three years with the Orioles and Diamondbacks (100 games), Bell has batted below the Mendoza line and striking out way over 20% of the time.

Andy Wilkins (1B) - Wilkins is the only actual prospect in this bunch.  Wilkins belted 17 HRs in AA Birmingham last year and 40 in the last two years combined.  He participated in the Arizona Fall League and got off to a red hot start, but slowed down toward the end of the season.  Keep an eye on Wilkins this spring training.

Steve Tolleson (3B/SS) - The White Sox are the fifth organization that Tolleson has been a part of.  The White Sox signed Tolleson to a minor league deal back in November.  He spent last year with Baltimore where he batted .183/.227/.310 in 29 games.  Tolleson can play a little bit of everything (except 1B and C) and the White Sox see potential in him to become a utility player.  However, he's behind Angel Sanchez right now in that category.

Seth Loman (1B) - Loman has been in the White Sox system since 2009 and spent last year primarily with Birmingham.  He batted .276/.364/.453 and hit 16 HRs with the Barons.  However, he has been in the minors since 2006 and is currently 27-years old.

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Analyzing FanGraphs' Top 15 White Sox Prospect List

Earlier today, FanGraphs released their top 15 White Sox Prospect list which can be found here.  Although I have yet to release my rankings (which I hope to have done within the month), below are some comments and analysis on this particular list.

- To nobody's surprise, Courtney Hawkins tops the list.  He seems to be the consensus pick for the top Sox prospect and I have yet to see a list without Hawkins at the top.

- OF Trayce Thompson, OF Courtney Hawkins, 2B Carlos Sanchez, and RHP Erik Johnson have been in the top four so far in the three big lists that have been released so far (FanGraphs, Baseball America, and John Sickels).

- I think many fans who follow the farm system are surprised to see RHP Simon Castro off the list and Jacob Petricka on it.  John Sickels didn't even have Jacob Petricka in his top 25 while Castro was 11th (and that might have been to low).

- Two other surprises on this list to me are 1B Andy Wilkins and C Sammy Ayala.  In my top 5 catchers list, I had Ayala 3rd behind Josh Phegley and Kevan Smith.  Ayala, while he may very well end up being better than the other two in the future, he hasn't done anything yet.  Wilkins was left off of John Sickels' top 25 after he struggled last year hitting-wise.

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Top 5 White Sox Corner Infield Prospects

I stated earlier this year, that the catcher position might be the weakest position in the organization.  However, I think the corner infield positions may be worse.  Only the top prospect on this list, Keon Barnum, is in the top 25 overall.  I usually do a top 5 list, but I could only find four real prospects even worth noting.  Also, Carlos Sanchez isn't on this list because I have him as a second baseman.  Anyway, here is the list:

1. Keon Barnum (1B) - As a 6'5/225 19-year old, Barnum has been appropriately described by ESPN as a "man-child".  Barnum was taken 48th overall in 2012 by the White Sox out of King HS in Tampa, FL.  As a left-handed batter, Barnum's immense raw power and strength is his greatest asset according to scouts.

In 49 PAs with Bristol last year, he had hit .279/.347/.512 with an OPS of .859, 3 HR, and 8 RBI. Barnum's biggest problem is his lack of contact, which is typical with power hitters.  Last year, he struck out 13 times compared to walking 5 times.  Barnum is still very young and I'm sure the White Sox will make that a point of emphasis in his development.

Barnum's 2012 was cut short due to a shoulder injury.  However, his raw power makes him one of the top prospects in the White Sox system.

2. Juan Silverio (3B) - There is quite the gap between Barnum and the rest of the list.  I spent a lot of time debating who belongs in this spot between Silverio and Wilkins.  While Silverio has been in the Sox system since 2008 (compared to 3 years for Wilkins), Silverio is 3 years younger than Wilkins and I believe, has a bigger upside than Wilkins.

Silverio has been inconsistent since being signed by the White Sox.  Silverio had a great year in 2009 (.913 SLG as an 18 year old), but has been up and down since.  In 2011, he had a line of .285/.335/.543, but regressed in 2012 with a .243/.285/.433 line.  Although his power did increase in 2012 with over a .020 increase in ISO.  However, like many Sox prospects, Silverio strikes out a ton (23.5 K%).

Silverio is teetering on the edge of being an actual prospect as he has been in the system for a while.  However, people forget he is only 21 and maybe something clicks for him in the future.

3. Andy Wilkins - (1B) - Wilkins had a line of .239/.335/.425 last year with Birmingham along with 17 HRs and a .760 OPS.  Wilkins became a more known prospect after being selected to play in the Arizona Fall League in 2012.  He got off to a real hot start for Salt River, but struggled down the stretch and ended with a nice .270/.327/.416 line.  What sticks out with his AFL stats is his .323 BABIP, a .057 increase from his season with the Barons.

4. Luis Castillo - (3B) - Never heard of Castillo?  Well that is because he hasn't played in the White Sox system yet.  Castillo, a 16-year old from the Dominican Republic, was signed by the White Sox for $450 million back in the summer.  Castillo has been described as a "man child" at 6'3/200+ (remember, he is 16).  Castillo hopefully (and probably) will end up being a better prospect than Silverio and Wilkins, but he has to at least have an AB as a part of the White Sox before I rank them ahead of those two.  Baseball Prospect Nation ranked Castillo as a top 15 prospect in their list for 2013.  Here is a video of Castillo.

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AFL Review: The Hitters

Trayce Thompson

Trayce Thompson - OF

The most important thing White Sox fans wanted to see was Thompson improve his plate discipline.  He drew just as many walks (17) as he did strikeouts this fall which is encouraging.  His strikeout percentage went down a little bit from 28% this year in the minors to 25% in the AFL.  

With the increased walks came a higher OBP which was .424, much higher than the .328 mark in the minors last year.  However, his AVG, SLG, and OPS were all down in the fall.  He had 10 hits,  2 HRs, and knocked in 7.  A stat that is a little concerning is that Thomspon was caught stealing 3 times compared to his 2 SBs.  In the minors this year, he was caught stealing 3 times in 24 attempts.  Something worth noting.

Overall it was an average fall for Thompson.  The walks were up which is probably the most important thing to take away from his season in the AFL, but the majority of his other stats were down.

Carlos Sanchez - 2B

Sanchez continued his great 2012 year with a solid performance in the AFL.  His stats were pretty much the same as his year in the minors as he batted .299/.367/.368.  He had 26 hits, 4 doubles, a triple, and 16 RBIs.

Going into the AFL, I knew that Sanchez had great speed, but I was worried at the rate at which he was being caught at.  He improved on that as he led the AFL in stolen bases this year (11) and was only thrown out 3 times.

It was a very productive fall for Sanchez and it opened some eyes nationally.  He solidifies himself as one of the top prospects in the White Sox's system and will likely make his MLB debut sometime in 2013.

Andy Wilkins - 1B

Wilkins, who was a little bit under the radar coming into the AFL season, had an alright year.  He hit for a .239 in the minors this year and improved it by .31 points in the fall.  Wilkins got off to a very, very hot start but slowed down as the year winded down.  In his last 10 games, Wilkins only batted .171/.261/.293.  In the beginning of the season, Wilkins was as hot as anyone and was one of the top hitters in the league.  Although it had a disappointing end, it was still a nice year for Wilkins and something to build on as he heads into 2013.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 11/18

Salvador Sanchez (Chicago Tribune)

The 2012 Arizona Fall League wrapped up on Saturday.  In the championship, the Peoria Javelinas beat the Salt River Rafters by a score of 4-3.  Below is how the White Sox prospects fared in the game.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, was 2 for 4 with a strikeout.
Andy Wilkins struck out in a pinch-hit appearance.
Santos Rodriguez pitched 1.1 innings in relief, giving up 2 hits, a walk, and also striking out one.

Throughout the next week or so, I'll be recapping each prospect's performance this year in the Arizona Fall League.  Make sure to check back for that.

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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 - 11/14

 

The Rafters fell 16-6 to Scottsdale in AFL play yesterday.  They are now 15-13 on the year.

Andy Wilkins, 1B, was 1 for 5 with a HR and 2 RBIs.
Carlos Sanchez, 2B, had a rough day going 0 for 5 with 2 Ks.
Salvador Sanchez went 1.1 innings, giving up a run on 3 hits and a walk.  He struck out a pair.
Taylor Thompson went 2 innings, allowing a run on 2 hits.

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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 - 11/9

Taylor Thompson (Dashboard.mlblogs.com)

In the past two days, the Rafters have dropped both of their games.  Below are the stats of the White Sox prospects participating in the games.

Thursday's game:
Andy Wilkins, 1B, went 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Carlos Sanchez, 2B, also went 1 for 4 with a K.
Trayce Thompson, LF, went 2 for 3 with a walk.
Salvador Sanchez went an inning, only giving up a hit.

Friday's game:
Carlos Sanchez, 2B, had a tough day, going 0 for 4 with 3 Ks.
Taylor Thompson pitched 2 innings, giving up a hit, walking one, and striking out a pair.

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Daily White Sox Farm Report - 11/7

Pitching wasn't a strength yesterday as the Rafters beat Scottsdale by a score of 14-12.  Thankfully, no White Sox prospects pitched last night.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, went 5 for 5 including a double, and scored each time hey got on base.

Andy Wilkins, 1B, went 1 for 5 with a pair of RBIs.

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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.

White Sox Prospect of the Week: Andy Wilkins

Andy Wilkins (Winston-Salem Journal)

Well, the first week of the Arizona Fall League is now complete.  Andy Wilkins is off to a great start for the Salt River Rafters with impressive stats (I know, I know, it has only been a week).  In the 13 ABs he got this week, he has 6 hits including a double and homer, 3 RBIs, a .462 average, a .769 SLG, and a 1.231 OPS.  Wilkins, who isn't highly regarded in the White Sox farm system, can climb up the organizational rankings if he can continue his hot hitting throughout the rest of the AFL season.

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.

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/12

 Andy Wilkins (MiLB.com)

The Rafters won again yesterday, improving to 3-0 as they beat the Scottsdale Fighting Paul Konerkos (or the Scorpions) 6-5.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, went 3 for 4 with an RBI.
Andy Wilkins, 1B, was 3 for 5 with a pair of RBIs.  Wilkins won the game for the Rafters in the bottom of the 9th with his 3rd hit.

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/10

Salt River Rafters

The Arizona Fall League kicked off yesterday.  The Salt River Rafters (who are affiliated with the White Sox along with the Rockies, Blue Jays, Nationals, and Dbacks) defeated Mesa in their first game last night.  It was a nice start to the season for White Sox batters.

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, was 1-3 with a walk.
Trayce Thompson, LF, was 1-2 with 2 RBIs and 2 walks.
Andy Wilkins, 1B, was 1-4 with a solo HR.
Santons Rodriguez had a tough outing.  He walked a pair on his way to giving up 2 runs in .2 of an inning.

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