White Sox Top 10 Prospects - BA

[rdivaldi]

Very happy to see John Manuel doing the list and not Phil.

2014 Chicago White Sox Top 10 Prospects

"A major reason for the improved talent and depth in the White Sox system is the club’s decision to spend on scouting and player development, which is directly related to the current labor agreement."

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

Very happy to see John Manuel doing the list and not Phil.

That's the first thing I noticed, as well, I think Phil left the Tribune so hopefully we won't have to put up with much of his nonsense any more.

Top 10 for those who don't want to read the whole article...

1. Jose Abreu
2. Erik Johnson
3. Tim Anderson
4. Matt Davidson
5. Marcus Semien
6. Micah Johnson
7. Courtney Hawkins
8. Trayce Thompson
9. Chris Beck
10. Jacob May

That's not a bad little list at all, 1-2 more good drafts and increased international spending and the Sox should at least have a respectable farm system again.

[rdivaldi]

Here's the chat as well:

2014 Chicago White Sox Top 10 Prospects Chat With John Manuel

Jose Abreu and Erik Johnson are top 100 guys for sure for me. Tim Anderson and Matt Davidson have a chance, but I would not say they are consensus guys.

[rdivaldi]

His article is a nice read as well, talks about the organization's thought process during the rebuild:

Speeding Up The Rebuilding Process

Laumann and his scouts were as handicapped as any staff under the old Collective Bargaining Agreement. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf generally recoiled at the rise of signing bonuses in the sport for amateurs, and the club rarely spent top dollar for amateur talent. Many first-round talents were simply out of the White Sox’s price range.

[rdivaldi]

His article is a nice read as well, talks about the organization's thought process during the rebuild:

Speeding Up The Rebuilding Process

To that end, the White Sox hired Todd Steverson at the end of October as the big league hitting coach, and they hope he can coordinate an organization-wide hitting approach similar to what big league pitching coach Don Cooper has done for the system’s arms. Cooper is one part of the White Sox’s system-wide continuity of pitching instructors, including field coordinator Kirk Champion (25 years in the organization), pitching coordinator Curt Hasler (22 years) and minor league pitching coaches such as J.R. Perdew (17) and Rich Dotson (12), who all have long ties to the organization.

[rdivaldi]

Crap, sorry about the double post guys/gals.

[TheVulture]

Interesting he ranks Eaton below Anderson, Davidson, Reinzo, Semien and M. Johnson, among others, on his 25 and younger list.

BTW, never heard of Jacob May. Anyone got anything to say about him? I was surprised to see three OFers on the top ten list, I thought that was the system weak point.

I have to say pitching depth is starting to look like a concern to me. Sure, pitching was the Sox strong point last year, but only because of the top several pitchers not because of system depth (as far as I can tell anyway). A few of them are gone and I don't see them being replaced. Johnson is there, but he was going to be filling out the bottom of the rotation even before the trades.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by TheVulture

Interesting he ranks Eaton below Anderson, Davidson, Reinzo, Semien and M. Johnson, among others, on his 25 and younger list.

BTW, never heard of Jacob May. Anyone got anything to say about him? I was surprised to see three OFers on the top ten list, I thought that was the system weak point.

I have to say pitching depth is starting to look like a concern to me. Sure, pitching was the Sox strong point last year, but only because of the top several pitchers not because of system depth (as far as I can tell anyway). A few of them are gone and I don't see them being replaced. Johnson is there, but he was going to be filling out the bottom of the rotation even before the trades.

Jacob May was a 3rd round draft pick this past June from Coastal Carolina University. He is the nephew (I think) of Carlos May (he's related to him somehow). He is a CF and played at two levels for the Sox in 2013; he played well at Rookie Ball and Low-A ball last year, hitting a combined .303/.372/.458 with a nice blend of power and speed (8 HR and 24 SB in 66 games). Good defense in CF from what I read, too. Downside is that while it's nice to see him adjust to pro ball so quickly, a 21-year-old seasoned college player, Rookie Ball and Low-A is not the most challenging assignment. Actually, of all the positions for the Sox, OF is probably the deepest. Thompson is likely one of the most MLB-ready players in the system, Hawkins was the #1 overall prospect last year before he bombed, and Jared Mitchell is kind of sitting out there in No Man's Land right now, though he did have a great AFL year which probably helped convince the Sox to keep him around.

I like May but let's see how he does in a full season with hopefully a more challenging assignment. But he's the kind of middle of the road player this system needs, to be the grease on trades so you don't have to flip your best prospects, kind of how the Sox used Brandon Jacobs to end up with Matt Davidson.

As for pitching, the Sox promoted two of their top pitching prospects to the MLB last year; Reinzo and Johnson, so that will take it's toll on any system. I like Chris Beck... A lot. He had some command and mechanics issues when he was drafted that caused him to fall a round or two to us, but I am still really, really high on him being a potential mid-rotation starter. The Sox also claimed Erik Surkamp off the Giants, which I think is going to be a nice move.

After him, Chris Bassit had a really interesting year between High-A and AA last year and I think he actually beat the Diamondbacks' stud prospect Archie Bradley in one game of the Southern League Championship Series the Barons won over Mobile. If you look back, there's a nice write-up on him from Fangraphs posted somewhere on this board. I don't know how high his ceiling is, but he's a guy to keep an eye on, as well.

After that, there's a few names to remember in the lower levels... Jefferson Olacio and Braulio Ortiz... Couple of live arm, young Latin American kids still in the very low levels of the system that had nice years in 2013... Not sure if they project as starters (especially Ortiz) in the Majors, but if they can work out the kinks in their mechanics they are kids to watch. A couple of draft picks from 2013: Andrew Mitchell and Thad Lowry, still years away (especially Lowry who was drafted out of HS) but they're worth keeping tabs on, and of course, Tyler Danish, 2nd round pick in 2013 who a lot of people don't project as a starter because of his funky motion, but was a very high draft pick of the Sox and had some insane peripherals in his first pro year so he's definitely one to keep an eye on.

[KRS1]

Originally Posted by TheVulture

Interesting he ranks Eaton below Anderson, Davidson, Reinzo, Semien and M. Johnson, among others, on his 25 and younger list.

Yeah, that's batty.

[SephClone89]

Fun fact, if you weren't aware:

Trayce Thompson is the brother of Warriors SG Klay Thompson.

[doublem23]

Originally Posted by SephClone89

Fun fact, if you weren't aware:

Trayce Thompson is the brother of Warriors SG Klay Thompson.

And the son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson, who was the first foreign-born #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft

[TaylorStSox]

There are some notable players left off the list: Sanchez, Danish, Barnum, Rondon, Petricka, "Chev" (can't spell his name and too lazy to look it up) Our farm system is a strength now, IMO.

[SoxSpeed22]

I'm also surprised that Sanchez got left out, even if he was a bit overmatched in Charlotte. But I think that speaks measures to the job that Rick has done adding depth to the system.

[winstonage]

Originally Posted by SoxSpeed22

I'm also surprised that Sanchez got left out, even if he was a bit overmatched in Charlotte. But I think that speaks measures to the job that Rick has done adding depth to the system.

Sanchez was one of the youngest players in the International League. I think another year at Charlotte, will tell them what thy have.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by winstonage

Sanchez was one of the youngest players in the International League. I think another year at Charlotte, will tell them what thy have.

Hopefully his success from winter ball gives him a spark. He was outstanding in Venezuela.