Where Will Our Top 30 Prospects Start 2018?

[TomBradley72]

Playing around with where our "Top 30" prospects will start the 2018 season (assumes Fulmer, Bummer, Tilson and Cordell on major league roster for this purpose). I used the current top 30 as it's listed on the White Sox web site.

Charlotte

1. Kopech
2. Gillaspie
3. Burdi (DL)
4. Stephens
5. Guerrero
6. Peter

Birmingham

7. Jimenez
8. Hansen
9. Collins
10. Dunning
11. Adams

Winston Salem

12. Burger
13. Cease
14. Adolfo
15. Sheets
16. Basabe
17. Clarkin
18. Puckett
19. Fisher
20. Martinez
21. Flores

Kannapolis

22. Robert
23. Rutherford (.213 BA- yikes)
24. Skoug
25. Call
26. Nunez (or another year at GTF)

[Andrew C White]

I mostly agree with your list but think a few of those guys will move up a level:

Chicago:
9-Carson Fulmer (maybe)
16-Ryan Cordell
26-Aaron Bummer

Charlotte:
2-Michael Kopech
11-Casey Gillaspie
12-Zack Burdi (DL)
13-Spencer Adams
18-Jordan Stephens
19-Charlie Tilson
20-Jordan Guerrero
30-Jake Peter

Birmingham:
1-Eloy Jiminez
6-Alec Hansen
7-Zack Collins
8-Dane Dunning
21-Ian Clarkin
22-AJ Puckett
24-Jameson Fisher

Winston-Salem:
3-Luis Robert
5-Dylan Cease
10-Jake Burger
14-Micker Adolfo
15-Gavin Sheets
17-Luis Basabe
25-Alex Call

28-Luis Martinez
29-Bernardo Flores

Kannapolis:
4-Blake Rutherford
23-Evan Skoug

Great Falls:
27-Amado Nunez

There is a logjam of outfielders at A+. If Luis Robert starts at Winston-Salem then I think Blake Rutherford gets held back or Luis Basabe gets demoted so that all three of them along with Adolfo, Gonzalez, Dedelow, get full-time reps. Similarly, I think Fisher gets moved up to AA only because there will be no room for him at A+. I think Call goes to A+ so that some of the guys at Great Falls can move up to full season ball at Kannapolis. Tito Polo probably starts the year at AA.

I would leave Seby Zavala at Winston-Salem for the same reason. His bat is obviously ready to move up but I think both he and Collins need full-time reps behind the plate. Hahn was quoted as saying he would likely be joining Collins at AA however.

Yeyson Yrizarri is another guy on the cusp of the list. Hard to say if he goes to AA or stays at A+. I think I'd move him up to AA myself. Jace Fry hopefully spends the year at AAA. I think they were too aggressive moving him from AA to Chicago at the end of this year. Matt Rose goes to Birmingham. Luis Gonzalez stays at Kannapolis. Craig Dedelow moves up to Kannapolis. Blake Hickman moves up to Winston-Salem.

[Grzegorz]

Thanks for doing this. Can you imagine if three-quarters or two-thirds of this talent pans out?

I've not been this geared up for a spring training since 1972.

[TomBradley72]

Originally Posted by Andrew C White

I mostly agree with your list but think a few of those guys will move up a level:

Chicago:
9-Carson Fulmer (maybe)
16-Ryan Cordell
26-Aaron Bummer

Charlotte:
2-Michael Kopech
11-Casey Gillaspie
12-Zack Burdi (DL)
13-Spencer Adams
18-Jordan Stephens
19-Charlie Tilson
20-Jordan Guerrero
30-Jake Peter

Birmingham:
1-Eloy Jiminez
6-Alec Hansen
7-Zack Collins
8-Dane Dunning
21-Ian Clarkin
22-AJ Puckett
24-Jameson Fisher

Winston-Salem:
3-Luis Robert
5-Dylan Cease
10-Jake Burger
14-Micker Adolfo
15-Gavin Sheets
17-Luis Basabe
25-Alex Call

28-Luis Martinez
29-Bernardo Flores

Kannapolis:
4-Blake Rutherford
23-Evan Skoug

Great Falls:
27-Amado Nunez

There is a logjam of outfielders at A+. If Luis Robert starts at Winston-Salem then I think Blake Rutherford gets held back or Luis Basabe gets demoted so that all three of them along with Adolfo, Gonzalez, Dedelow, get full-time reps. Similarly, I think Fisher gets moved up to AA only because there will be no room for him at A+. I think Call goes to A+ so that some of the guys at Great Falls can move up to full season ball at Kannapolis. Tito Polo probably starts the year at AA.

I would leave Seby Zavala at Winston-Salem for the same reason. His bat is obviously ready to move up but I think both he and Collins need full-time reps behind the plate. Hahn was quoted as saying he would likely be joining Collins at AA however.

Yeyson Yrizarri is another guy on the cusp of the list. Hard to say if he goes to AA or stays at A+. I think I'd move him up to AA myself. Jace Fry hopefully spends the year at AAA. I think they were too aggressive moving him from AA to Chicago at the end of this year. Matt Rose goes to Birmingham. Luis Gonzalez stays at Kannapolis. Craig Dedelow moves up to Kannapolis. Blake Hickman moves up to Winston-Salem.

I took a hard look at Adams- but at age 22 (next spring) and coming off a season with a 4.42 ERA and opponents hitting .281 at AA- I don't think he's ready- and may be "stalling" at AA, I think 2018 is an important season for him.

[rdivaldi]

I'm mostly in agreement. I think that Rutherford will be starting in W/S while Adams and Cordell will be in Charlotte. I also think there is a good chance that Gillaspie will on the major league roster.

[guillensdisciple]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

I'm mostly in agreement. I think that Rutherford will be starting in W/S while Adams and Cordell will be in Charlotte. I also think there is a good chance that Gillaspie will on the major league roster.

Ya. I think Ruth starting out in Kanny is a really bad sign. I expect him to be in Winston- Salem. He has the hit tool. Lets see if he adds the pop in the off season.

[TomBradley72]

Originally Posted by guillensdisciple

Ya. I think Ruth starting out in Kanny is a really bad sign. I expect him to be in Winston- Salem. He has the hit tool. Lets see if he adds the pop in the off season.

He only hit .213 at Kanny- only 21 yo next spring- not sure if it makes sense to rush him,

[Andrew C White]

Originally Posted by TomBradley72

I took a hard look at Adams- but at age 22 (next spring) and coming off a season with a 4.42 ERA and opponents hitting .281 at AA- I don't think he's ready- and may be "stalling" at AA, I think 2018 is an important season for him.

I agree. Adams is young enough to stay another year in Birmingham. He's numbers were good but not great. His B.A. against worries me greatly. But he's also put in more than a full season there now and I can easily see them moving him up.

And I agree, regardless of where he is, this is an important year for determining what sort of pitcher he can become. At this point I expect him to be traded somewhere down the line as there are many pitchers ahead of him in the organization but it would be good if he stepped up his game and looked more enticing to other teams.

[Andrew C White]

Originally Posted by guillensdisciple

Ya. I think Ruth starting out in Kanny is a really bad sign. I expect him to be in Winston- Salem. He has the hit tool. Lets see if he adds the pop in the off season.

The problem is the logjam of outfielders. Adolfo definitely earned the step-up to Winston-Salem. Basabe is going to stay there. If Robert is started out at Winston-Salem then Rutherford stays in Kannapolis simply to ensure he has a starting job and gets daily reps. If Robert starts in Kanny then I expect Rutherford to be moved up to Winston-Salem. Rutherford is 20 and young for A-ball so repeating it is no big deal. He'll still be young for the league. I also expect Robert to move to AA during the season based on Hahn's comments. If that happens then Rutherford moves up to W-S assuming he isn't crashing at Kanny.

[guillensdisciple]

Originally Posted by Andrew C White

The problem is the logjam of outfielders. Adolfo definitely earned the step-up to Winston-Salem. Basabe is going to stay there. If Robert is started out at Winston-Salem then Rutherford stays in Kannapolis simply to ensure he has a starting job and gets daily reps. If Robert starts in Kanny then I expect Rutherford to be moved up to Winston-Salem. Rutherford is 20 and young for A-ball so repeating it is no big deal. He'll still be young for the league. I also expect Robert to move to AA during the season based on Hahn's comments. If that happens then Rutherford moves up to W-S assuming he isn't crashing at Kanny.

I think they start Robert in Kanny. Unless he absolutely blows away spring training competition. If he hits .250 to .300 in spring training, I think there is merit to having him up there in A+. If he obliterates baseballs, I might start him in AA since spring training is equivalent to that level of play (in my opinion).

Rutherford should start in A+ but, ye, if Robert is in A+, he has to wait for his turn.

[TomBradley72]

Originally Posted by guillensdisciple

I think they start Robert in Kanny. Unless he absolutely blows away spring training competition. If he hits .250 to .300 in spring training, I think there is merit to having him up there in A+. If he obliterates baseballs, I might start him in AA since spring training is equivalent to that level of play (in my opinion).

Rutherford should start in A+ but, ye, if Robert is in A+, he has to wait for his turn.

Other than being a highly touted prospect- what has Rutherford accomplished to earn the promotion to A+?

I think Robert starts at Kanny- even if it's just for a month or two as he settles in to life in the U.S., then he moves 50 miles up the road to WS- maybe a few weeks at AA at the tail end of 2018 if does really well. (best case scenario).

[guillensdisciple]

Originally Posted by TomBradley72

Other than being a highly touted prospect- what has Rutherford accomplished to earn the promotion to A+?

I think Robert starts at Kanny- even if it's just for a month or two as he settles in to life in the U.S., then he moves 50 miles up the road to WS- maybe a few weeks at AA at the tail end of 2018 if does really well. (best case scenario).

Numbers- wise nothing, but his numbers in A ball were a cause of them attempting to introduce more pop to his game. At least that's what I read. We started Collins in A+ even though he had worrisome numbers in A ball. I don't think it's completely ridiculous to start a high ceiling player like Rutherford in A+.

[TomBradley72]

Originally Posted by guillensdisciple

Numbers- wise nothing, but his numbers in A ball were a cause of them attempting to introduce more pop to his game. At least that's what I read. We started Collins in A+ even though he had worrisome numbers in A ball. I don't think it's completely ridiculous to start a high ceiling player like Rutherford in A+.

Collins never played at Kanny.

3 games in AZ, then straight to WS where he hit .258 in his first season.

I can understand if Rutherford's results in 2017 were based on retooling his approach, etc.- but there's no need to rush him when he hasn't produced yet at the lower level.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by TomBradley72

I can understand if Rutherford's results in 2017 were based on retooling his approach, etc.- but there's no need to rush him when he hasn't produced yet at the lower level.

Let's not forget that Rutherford was killing the ball when he started in Kanny but then went down with an undisclosed injury and was never the same when he got back. The Sox developmental staff loves the kid, so that's one of the reasons I think he'll be in WS to start the season.

[Hitmen77]

Originally Posted by Grzegorz

Thanks for doing this. Can you imagine if three-quarters or two-thirds of this talent pans out?

I've not been this geared up for a spring training since 1972.

As I watch the Astros play in this World Series, I can't help but dream that this is where the Sox will be in a few years - playing exciting playoff baseball with a bunch of home-grown talent and one win away from a World Series title.

I'm not saying it's guaranteed to happen by any means, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the next few seasons play out for our team.