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 - 10/11

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.

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AFL Preview: Andre Rienzo

(MiLB.com)

Position:  Starting Pitcher

Height/Weight:  6'3/160

Throws/Bats:  Right/Right

Age:  24

Reviewing 2012:  2012 will definitely be a memorable one for Rienzo, both positively and negatively.  The 24-year old Brazilian started off the season by going 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA in over 25 innings and 31 Ks for Winston-Salem.  However, he was suspended 50 games after that for testing positive for PEDs (he says he never knowingly took it).  When he came back from suspension, Rienzo posted a 4-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 71.2 innings for Birmingham.

Rienzo's greatest strength is his fastball which he fires in the 94 MPH range according to Mark Gonzales.  According to reports, he has great control over it and it also has nice movement.

Arizona Fall League Preview:  Obviously the biggest thing the White Sox and us fans want to see is whether Rienzo's talent is real or the result of PEDs.  Mark Gonzales believes he is a decent chance at making the majors, but if he really struggles in the AFL you have to wonder about his future with the White Sox.  Another thing that will determine the future of Rienzo is whether he can develop a decent secondary, off-speed pitch.  If not, expect him to move from a starter's role to the bullpen.

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.