White Sox Prospects: Who's Hot, Who's Not

Jared Mitchell (dashboard.mlblogs.com)

With the White Sox already with several games under their belt, I decided to take a look at what prospects are doing well and who are not in the first couple of games.  Remember, it has only been nine games so far, so take this with a grain of salt.

Who's Hot:

Jared Mitchell:  I haven't been as high on Mitchell as some others in the past, but he is off to a great start in Arizona.  So far in 6 games, Mitchell's stats are 5-12, HR, 3B, 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, and 3 SO.  Mitchell has proven me wrong so far this spring.

Marcus Semien:  Semien's stats from the first couple of games: 4-8, HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, and 1 SO.

Nestor Molina and Simon Castro:  The two have combined to pitch 14 scoreless innings while only giving up 5 hits and a single walk.  This is including today's game where Castro pitched a pair of innings while striking out 5.

Who's Not:

Trayce Thompson:  Maybe the second-best Sox prospect is hitless so far in 8 ABs.

Keenyn Walker:  The speedy Walker is 4 for 15, which is average.  The more troubling stat is his 7 SOs; which is just under a 50% k-rate.

Erik Johnson:  The top White Sox pitching prospect according to most hasn't been so hot in limited time.  In 4.1 IP, Johnson has given up 6 ER on 9 H.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 2/5

US Cellular Field (andrewclem.com)

I haven't done a Daily White Sox Farm Report in a really, really long time.  Hopefully, with the season getting closer and closer, more content and news will appear.  Below are some stories/articles dealing with the Sox that have happened in the past few days.

Trayce Thompson.  Today, prospect expert John Sickels did a prospect report on Trayce Thompson.  Here is just a small excerpt from the report:

He's a very good center fielder. I remain quite impressed with his tools, and I think the chance that he'll figure out how to use them is getting better. It isn't a slam dunk, and he needs a full year against Double-A pitching (and probably another year against Triple-A pitching) to fully adapt. That would put him challenging for a regular job in 2015, which seems like a long time from now, but he'll still be just 24.

Another White Sox prospect list.  South Side Sox released their top 10 list yesterday in two parts (part one and part deux).  It really is a great list with tons and tons of content and I suggest reading it.  SSS went against the grain of basically all national lists with putting both Scott Snodgress and Andre Rienzo ahead of Erik Johnson (Johnson was a top 4 prospect on almost all lists).  Recently, I've seen more and more lists place Jefferson Olacio toward the top (comes in at #10 at SSS).  Check out my profile on him if you aren't familiar with Olacio.

Hooray, we're not last.  Keith Law released his farm rankings($) and the White Sox aren't last unlike last year.  However, they are still near the bottom of the league at 28th.  John Sickels released his last week and the White Sox are also 28th on the list (Detroit is last, by the way).

ICYMI.  The White Sox signed former top Red Sox prospect Lars Anderson on Friday and I started spring training previews with the outfield.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

2013 White Sox Spring Training Preview: The Outfield

It's a great feeling that spring training is only a month away.  To get ready for spring training, I'm starting previews by position.  Leading off is the outfield.  The players are broken down into two categories; players on the 40-man roster and players that have received non-roster invitations.

40-man roster:

Jordan Danks, Alejandro De Aza, Alex Rios, Dayan Viciedo, and DeWayne Wise - I'm not going to spend time talking about these guys.  We all know who they are and what they bring to the team.  All of these players are going to be in the White Sox uniform at one time or another.  De Aza, Rios, and Viciedo will be the starters on Opening Day and Wise has the slight edge to be the 4th OFer.

Jared Mitchell - If you've read this blog, you'll know that I'm not as high on Mitchell as some others are.  He's got plus athleticism, nice speed (it isn't what it was pre-injury), and does have a higher ceiling.  However, his stats haven't been much in recent years and Mitchell has really struggled to make contact, striking out over 30% of the time in the past two years.  He's behind Wise, Tekotte, and Danks on the depth chart for me.

Blake Tekotte - In one of Rick Hahn's first moves, the Sox traded RHP Brandon Kloess for OF Blake Tekotte from the Padres.  Tekotte was a top 20 prospect in San Diego's organization last year according to some.  Injuries have slowed Tekotte down and he had an average year in 2012 in the minors, batting .243 in AAA.  However, he does bring some value to the Sox.  First, he is left-handed which the Sox could use.  Also, in 2011, Tekotte stole 36 bases.  Tekotte can challenge Danks for his 4th OF spot in camp or be called up later in the year from Charlotte in case of injuries. 

Non-roster invites:

Trayce Thompson - This is Thompson's first spring training.  Thompson is undoubtedly a top prospect in the White Sox system heading into 2013.  Thompson has great power (25 homers in 2012) and is also a threat on the base paths (21 SBs in 2012).  Hopefully he continues to improve his plate discipline like he did in the Arizona Fall Leauge.  Thompson isn't going to crack the Opening Day roster or move past Tekotte, Danks, Mitchell, and Wise, but he can further solidify himself as a top prospect in the organization.

Stefan Gartrell - Gartrell is back again with the club that drafted him in the 31st round in 2006.  Last year, with the Braves organization, he hit .251/.335/.452 in AAA.  He's got some pop and has hit 20+ HRs in each season in the minors since 2009.  At 29-years old, Gartell has never made it to the majors and barring a string of injuries, probably won't leave Charlotte this year.  However, Gartrell is a nice AAA player and Charlotte will benefit with him.

Keenyn Walker - Like Thompson, this will be Walker's first spring training too.  What Walker brings to the table is his speed.  He has plus-plus speed which helped him steal 56 bases last year and also has potential for some power.  Nobody is going to actually give Walker any chance of making the White Sox lineup this year, but like Thompson, he can show his value as a top prospect especially coming off an offseason surgery.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus - @ChiSoxProspects

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

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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).

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospects on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Follow Pale Hose Prospectus on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

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.

Daily White Sox Farm Report - 10/11

Trayce Thompson (dashboard.mlblogs.com)

The second day of the Arizona Fall League ended with another Rafters win as they improve to 2-0.  Three White Sox prospects participated in the 11-3 over Mesa.  Overall, the pitching had a nice day after Santos Rodriguez had a rough start to the AFL season on Tuesday.  Here's how the prospects did:

Trayce Thompson, 2B, went 0-3 with a pair of walks along with a K.
Salvador Sanchez pitched 1.1 innings, only giving up a single hit and walked two.
Taylor Thompson went an inning, struck out two, and walked one.

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.

Follow PHP on Twitter - @ChiSoxProspects

AFL Preview: Trayce Thompson

Position:  Outfield

Height/Weight:  6'3/195

Throws/Bats:  Right/Right

Age:  21

Reviewing 2012:  Thompson spent 116 of his 136 games this year in High-A with Winston-Salem.  Thompson had his best year in his career this year as he batted .254/.325/.486 with the Dash.  Thompson enjoyed even more success after being called up to AA Birmingham where he batted .280/.379/.520 in 50 ABs with the Barons.  His hot streak ended when he was called up to AAA Charlotte in limited ABs (18).  Still, this was an excellent year for Thompson.  He showed off his raw strength and athleticism he is known for  by belting 25 HRs and stealing 21 bases this year.

Arizona Fall League Preview:  White Sox fans will hope that Thompson can continue his career year in the offseason.  The thing Thompson needs to work on most is reducing strikeouts and improving his plate discipline.  Thompson is very raw and also has a long swing.  Although Thompson had a great year hitting the ball, he still had a high K% at around 28% and only had a BB% around 9%.  Hopefully Thompson can steadily keep reducing his amount of strikeouts in the AFL.