Chicago White Sox Top 5 Prospects
The first two rankings were quite easy to do, as both teams have pretty good farm systems. That’s not the case with the White Sox. The system wasn’t good to start with, but after emptying it out in trades, it’s in pretty much shambles. Drafting Gordon Beckham is a good start, but there is A LOT of work to do. A lot.
1. SS Gordon Beckham
Who?: Calling Beckham a shortstop is rather generous, as he’s likely a major league 3B, or perhaps a 2B. His defense isn’t the interesting part here. In Beckham’s last college season, he hit .403/.512/.798 with 45 XBH, 24 HR, 47 BB and 29 K. Hell, he was even 17/18 in SB. All that helped lead to me ranking Beckham is the 4th best player in this year’s draft, and the 22nd best prospect overall.
Projection: Assuming he doesn’t bust, Beckham shouldn’t take very long to make the majors. He might not even see any action this minor league regular season, but he’ll probably be at High-A next year, and in the majors within two years of today. Within a couple of years of his debut, he’ll be among the best hitters at whatever position he plays.
2. RHSP Aaron Poreda
Who?: Poreda was the White Sox’ 1st round pick last year. He showed a surprising amount of strikeout ability in his professional debut, but this year brought him back to his college pitch-to-contact days. After striking out 27.9% of batters last year, Poreda has only struck out 15.1% of batters in High-A and 19.0% in AA. However, he’s continued to show excellent control (Combined 6.8 BB%) and he gets a lot of ground balls (combined 51.0 GB%),
Projection: Poreda’s BB and GB rates suggest that Poreda can be either a decent starter or perhaps a very good reliever as early as next year. Think Brett Cecil-lite. His ceiling goes where his strikeout rate goes; I wouldn’t expect a drastic improvement.
3. 1B Brandon Allen
Who?: Allen has some very nice hitting ability. He strikes out a little much (22%), but not a crippling amount. It’s in the other two True Outcomes that he gets his value. His power is obvious to everybody. (62 XBH last year, 52 of his 97 hits this year going for extra bases), and he also walks a lot (11.1%). Pretty typical 1B prospect.
Projection: If Allen continues to hit well at AA for the rest of the year, he’ll be in contention for a Top 100 spot. On a more important note (to him), he’ll also have a good chance to reach the majors next year, perhaps if Konerko or Thome goes down.
4. OF Jose Martinez
Who?: Martinez is the toolsy guy of the bunch. Martinez has decent speed, a good arm and will be a decent defensive OF. He has excellent raw power, but hasn’t shown it in-game yet. (9 HR in 389 career AB). So far he’s shown a pretty good plate approach for a 19-year-old, with 79 K and 34 BB in 431 career PA.
Projection: There’s just a huge range as to what Martinez could be. If he starts hitting for consistent power, he’s easily a top 100 prospect. He could be anywhere from a guy who’s hitting in the majors two years from now or a guy who never even makes the majors.
5. 3B CJ Retherford
Who?: Retherford made a name for himself in college as a guy who played nearly every position, including pitcher. In the majors he’s focused on being a good 3B. He powered onto the prospect scene last year when he set a Pioneer League all-time single season 2B record with 30, and a .613 SLG overall. He’s come down to earth a little in High-A this year, but he’s still hitting for good power, with 36 XBH in 329 AB. While Allen has trouble with strikeouts, Retherford makes consistent contact (16.3%), but draws very few walks (5.6%). I’d rather have a guy who walks a lot than a guy who makes contact, hence Retherford place here.
Projection: Retherford’s ceiling probably isn’t anything more than an average 3B, maybe becoming an excellent super-utility guy, but that’s far from nothing.
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