Daily White Sox Farm Report - 2/27

Nestor Molina

I have't been very active lately, so sorry for that.  Below are a couple of White Sox tidbits over the past few days.

- So far, the White Sox are 2-0 3-0 and are winning late right now against beat the Dodgers today.

- Below are the batting stats for Sox prospects:

C Kevan Smith - 1 for 2
SS Marcus Semien - 2 for 3, RBI
C Byran Anderson - 2 for 4
C Hector Gimenez - 2 for 4, RBI, BB
C Josh Phegley - 3 for 6, HR, 2 RBI, 2B
OF Jared Mitchell - 3 for 7, 2 RBI, 3B
1B Andy Wilkins - 3 for 8, 3 RBI, BB
3B Conor Gillaspie - 2 for 6, 4 RBI, 3B, BB
2B Carlos Sanchez - 1 for 5
SS Angel Sanchez - 1 for 6, 1 RBI
SS Tyler Saladino - 1 for 2, BB
OF Keenyn Walker - 1 for 6, BB
OF Blake Tekotte - 0 for 4, BB
OF Trayce Thomspn - 0 for 3, 2 BB

- I can't find the pitching stats, but Simon Castro started and threw 3 scoreless innings today against the Dodgers.

- SSS had a fantastic breakdown of Erik Johnson and Scott Snodgress the other day.  Would definitely check it out.

- Courtney Hawkins wasn't listed in the the top 101 prospects by Baseball Prospectus.  However, they did have this little write up on why:

He’s a Texan with a ton of natural athleticism and power potential, but outside of my amateur sources, nobody wanted to turn up their microphones and be heard. Like the aforementioned 100 prospects that had a case to be on the back half of this list, Hawkins could just as easily be no. 60 as he could no. 101. If you believe in the bat, even from a corner spot, he belongs on the list. But if you have doubts about the overall promise of the stick and don’t like the direction the body is heading, even with the back-flipping athleticism that is currently present, the case for exclusion is just as strong and compelling. When I’m in the mood for ceiling, Hawkins belongs on the 101.

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Courtney Hawkins: The National View

Today the biggest name in baseball prospects, Baseball America, released their annual top 100 list.  The Sox only had one on the list as the Pale Hose's top prospect, OF Courtney, Hawkins came in at 55.  I knew that most (Keith Law didn't, I believe) experts and national writers see Hawkins as a top 100 prospect overall, so I was interested to see exactly where they have him ranked.  Below are various prospect lists that list Hawkins nationally.

• As mentioned above, Baseball America ranked him 55th.
• MLB.com lists him 68th.
• Hawkins barely comes in on Scout.com's list at 97.
• TopProspectAlert.com has him 57th.
• Seedlings to Stars of the Fansided network ranked Hawkins 52nd.
• Prospect361.com puts him 72nd.
• Although not in the top 100, ScoutingBook.com has him 110th and rising.

If you know or can find any other lists which includes Hawkins, leave a comment and I'll add it.

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Analyzing MLB.com's Top 20 White Sox Prospect List

MLB.com released their prospect rankings for teams in the AL Central today and you can find the White Sox rankings here.  Although I haven't released my rankings, below are my thoughts on this list.

- MLB.com continues the trend for the most part of putting Courtney Hawkins (#1), Trayce Thompson (#2), Erik Johnson (#3), and Carlos Sanchez (#4) as the top four.  This seems to be (except for a few) the consensus in the industry.

- The first think that pops out to me is OF Jared Mitchell coming in at #5.  You should know by now that I'm not as high on Jared Mitchell as others including this list.  I mean at #5, really?  He hasn't been the same since his injury.  He batted .237 last year while having a K% of over 30%.  He's got some upside to him; 11 HRs, 21 SBs, and had a decent OPS considering his AVG last year.  Also, he isn't too far away from the majors.  However, no way does Jared Mitchell belong in the top 5.

- Next up is Nestor Molina at #10.  Molina entered 2012 as probably the top prospect in the system, but had a miserable year compared to 2011.  He had a losing record, a 4.55 ERA, and a WHIP north of 1.5.  For me, if Molina is even going to be considered a top 10 prospect, he is going to have to show me that he can get remotely close to what he once was (2011) in 2013.

- Jhan Marinez at #13 might be a little bit of a stretch.  Still will should be a nice reliever who can see more time in Chicago this year.

- The same can be said for Brandon Brennan.

- Simon Castro probably should be bumped up a few spots.  In my pitcher rankings, I had Simon Castro 4th.  So Leesman, Marinez, Brennan, Beck, and Molina should be behind Castro in my opinion.

- I would put both Joey DeMichele and Marcus Semien above some of those pitchers that I just listed above.

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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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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 Outfield Propsects

Courtney Hawkins (MiLB.com)

1. Courtney Hawkins - Considered by most to be the top prospect in the entire organization (working on my list), Hawkins tops the list in a position where some of the top White Sox prospects play.  Drafted 13th overall last year, Hawkins batted .284/.324/.480 combined with Bristol, Kannapolis, and Winston-Salem last year.  Also, Hawkins had 8 HRs, 33 RBIs, and 11 SBs.  Hawkins rapidly moved through the ranks last year, spending time with three different teams in his first year.  Hawkins finished the year with a .983 OPS in Kanny and then a .882 OPS in a brief stint with Winston-Salem before the season ended.

The 18-year old is very athletic and raw.  Hawkins possesses a MLB body right now, excellent speed for a big guy, plus power, and a great arm.  Hawkins also pitched in high school where he had a low-90s fastball and an ERA below 1.  His arm will definitely be a great asset in the outfield where he can either play right or center (scouts are divided whether he can play CF).

2. Trayce Thompson - Thompson is another prospect with immense power.  Last year, he smashed 25 homers and drove in 96.  He, like Hawkins, is also athletic enough to be a threat on the bases as he successfully stole 21 bases last year (only thrown out 3 times).  Overall, Thompson batted .253/.328/.482 and had an OPS north of .800.

Thompson and Hawkins are similar players.  Both players are athletic, raw, and have a very high ceiling.  For Thompson, like many other prospects like him, he needs to improve his plate discipline.  In the Arizona Fall League this past month, Thompson drew just as many walks as strikeouts which is encouraging.

3. Keenyn Walker - Walker's greatest asset is his elite speed (some scouts give him an 80 on the 20-80 scale).  Last year, with Kanny and Winston-Salem, Walker swiped 56 bases and was named the fastest baserunner in the organization for the second consecutive year by Baseball America.  According to scouts, Walker has some untapped power which should lead to many doubles and triples in the future.  Walker batted .267/.378/.379 last year and can better that line with improved plate discipline.  He had a K% of around 29% last year and had a high BABIP.

4. Jared Mitchell - Mitchell was drafted in the 1st round in 2009 out of LSU.  He missed the entire 2010 season after an ankle injury.  Mitchell is a speedster, but lost some of it after the injury.  He started off hot, but ended the year with a line of .237/.358/.420 between Birmingham and Charlotte.  He also hit 11 HRs and stole 21 bases too.

I was very tempted to put Shoemaker ahead of Mitchell, but Mitchell's upside is much, much higher than Shoemaker's.  Mitchell needs to improve his horrendous K% (approaching Adam Dunn level) if he ever wants to make the big leagues.

5. Brady Shoemaker - Shoemaker batted .300/.416/.486 and had an OPS of .902 combined with Birmingham and Winston-Salem last year.  He also hit 17 HRs and had 85 RBI.  Shoemaker is old (25), but he did end the year in Birmingham.  You can knock the age, but he has been tearing up the minors throughout his career (above an .850 OPS in each of his four years in the minors).

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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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