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: Chris Beck

Position:  RHP

Height/Weight:  6'3/210

Bats/Throws:  Right/Right

Birthday:  September 4th, 1990

Hometown/School:  Jefferson, GA - Georgia Southern

STATS

Once thought to be a mid-first round selection, Beck slipped to 76th overall after a disappointing junior year at Georgia Southern.  However, he is still considered a top pitching prospect in the system.

Beck's body is built for durability according to BPN.  After losing some velocity last year with Great Falls, Beck has reportedly found it again and is back to touching 95 with potential to develop some movement with it.  He also possesses two plus breaking pitches in a slider and changeup.

With Great Falls last year, Beck posted a 4-3 record with a 4.69 ERA along with a 1.562 WHIP.  While those numbers are average, there is hope that Beck can improve next year especially after a 3.00 SO/BB ratio last year.  Below are some other scouting reports on Beck:

ScoutingBook.com:

A Georgia native who's already shown the ability to maintain a 95mph fastball deep into starts, White Sox prospect Chris Beck is a righthander with the usual college pedigree: he's only a year or two away from MLB ready, and when he arrives he should be adept at pounding the lower half of the strike zone while mixing in two different better-than-average breaking pitches to boot.

Baseball Prospect Nation:

Solid to plus raw stuff across the board with some projection to improve more as he matures physically and mentally. Not a ton of physical projection remaining. Relies heavily on FB and needs to use it to set up the breaking ball and CH. Still learning finer points of pitching and defense, but has intelligence and should get it with time. If CH and command gain consistency, very real potential to be a number three with a chance to overstep that and become a number two in his best years.

FanGraphs:

I’m told Beck had an excellent fall instructional league with the White Sox and had his fastball back up to 95 mph. “He’s loosened up and his arm strength is back,” a talent evaluator stated. His slider is also becoming more consistent again. Beck also has a cutter and changeup. He could open 2013 in high-A ball if he has a strong spring training. His ceiling is that of an innings-eating middle-of-the-rotation arm.

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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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