Top 5 White Sox Middle Infield Prospects

1. Carlos Sanchez (2B) - Sanchez is the obvious choice for the top spot on this list.  Sanchez exploded up the White Sox prospect rankings after a great 2012.  He started with Winston-Salem and ended the season in Charlotte.  Sanchez had his best year in 2012, batting .323/.403/.781 while swiping 26 bases.

If you follow the White Sox system, I'm sure you are familiar with Sanchez.  Therefore I'm not going to spend more time talking about him.

2. Joey DeMichele (2B) - As John Sickels put it, DeMichele "seems oddly overlooked."  DeMichele was drafted out of Arizona State in the 3rd round in 2012.  After a leading ASU in batting average (won Pac-10 hitting title his sophomore year), steals, and triples, DeMichele batted .275/.334/.479 with 7 homers last year in the minors.

According to reports, DeMichele has a high floor and a ceiling of being a solid everyday starter.

3. Marcus Semien (SS) - Semien was drafted in the 6th round by the Sox in the 2011 draft.  From reading pre-draft reviews of Semien, scouts were not in love with his bat.  Before 2012, he homered 13 times in his career with Cal and his first year in the minors.  Last year, he showed a lot of surprising pop, hitting 14 with Winston-Salem.  He also hit 5 triples and 31 doubles last year in the Carolina League.

The power outburst from Semien last year makes Semien one of the more intriguing prospects to watch in 2013.

4. Tyler Saladino (SS) - After a solid first two years in the White Sox organization, Saladino struggled mightily in 2012.  In his first two years in the minors, Saladino batted .305/.390/.437 (2010 with Bristol and Kannapolis) and .270/.363/.501 (2011 with Winston-Salem).  Last year, the 23-year old struggled with his promotion to Birmingham (and a little time with Charlotte) as he hit .236/.353/.315.  Saladino, despite gaining more plate discipline last year, had an OPS of .668 after having an OPS of .826 and .864 the years prior.  He lost almost all of his power (4 HRs in 2012 compared to 16 in 2011).

Hopefully 2012 was just a fluke for Saladino.  With his improved plate discipline and 2010 and 2011 years, Saladino stays on this list.

5. Micah Johnson (2B) - Johnson was taken by the Pale Hose last year in the 9th round.  Johnson played his college ball at Indiana where he was second team All-Big Ten in 2011.  The 22-year old hit .273/.375/.391 while stealing 19 bases in 69 games with Great Falls last year.

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AFL Preview: Carlos Sanchez

(dashboard.mlblogs.com)

Position:  Infield

Height/Weight:  5'11/175

Throws/Bats:  Right/Both

Age:  20

Reviewing 2012:  Sanchez wasn't talked about much heading into the season, but thanks to an incredible season by the 20-year old, he is probably the top INF prospect in the White Sox system right now.  Sanchez went through the farm system extremely fast.  He started the last season in rookie ball and worked his way all the way to AAA Charlotte before the 2012 season ended.  He was the youngest player to play for Charlotte since 2000.  Sanchez put up his best numbers when he spent 30 games in AA with the Barons (.370/.424/.462).  Overall, Sanchez batted 323./378/.403 in 133 games with three different teams this year.  Pretty amazing for a 20-year old.  Another thing that stands out is the fact that he drew 41 walks which shows he has discipline which is a rarity for young, Latin players.

Arizona Fall League Preview:  If Sanchez can have a decent year in the AFL, he could pose a serious threat for the 2B job sometime next year if Gordon Beckham struggles.  Beckham won't have competition entering the season, but if his struggles continue, I would be surprised, but not shocked if Sanchez gets the call-up to the majors.

The biggest knock on Sanchez is his power.  This year he only had a single homer in 588 PAs.  Keep in mind, he is only 20 years old and hopefully the power will come with age.  Another question mark surrounding Sanchez is his speed and base-stealing ability.  He stole 26 bases this year, but was also thrown out 15 times.  It will be interesting to see how Sanchez does stealing bases in the AFL.

It seems that Sanchez's defensive ability is unclear.  I've read some saying that he is a below average defender while others insist that he is actually a decent fielder.  Hopefully this can clear up when there will be more attention on him in the AFL.