FutureSox has published our 2010 Mid-Season Top Prospects list! We publish the list three times a year – early April just as the minor league season begins, July after the draft picture gets solidified and the minor leaguers have part of a season under their belts, and then in early October after the Major League season is completed. The list is created by a voting system, much like AP college sports rankings, with the votes coming from six of our most knowledgeable prospect gurus.
The White Sox system is, for lack of a better word, thin. With only a handful “B” grade or better prospects in the system, the list would be fairly unimpressive on talent alone. But to make things worse, injuries have hit the minor leaguers hard in 2010. The top three picks made by the White Sox in the 2009 amateur draft are all on the disabled list: outfielder Jared Mitchell tore a ligament in spring training and is due back in September, catcher Josh Phegley was diagnosed with a condition called ITP and has been in and out since, outfielder Trayce Thompson broke a bone in his hand. Just recently we found out that Brent Morel has a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. Pitchers Charlie Shirek and Dan Remenowsky, who also got votes in our last list, have spent time on the DL. Things on the farm are less than stellar.
That said, there is still significant talent in the system. Pitching prospect Dan Hudson retains his #1 slot from April, with a strong showing in AAA after a rough start. Hudson recently took over injured Jake Peavy’s slot in the rotation with the big club, and we’re all excited to see what he can do. Dayan Viciedo – future third or first baseman – moves up to the second slot from fourth, and he also recently made his 2010 debut with the Sox. 2010 1st round draft pick Chris Sale jumps all the way to number three, and the hard-throwing lefty is moving up through the system quickly as promised, with a recent promotion to AAA after just four outings in Rookie Ball. Catcher Tyler Flowers dropped from second to fourth and is still a key prospect in a thin system, but his hitting struggles in Charlotte are cause for some mild concern. Jared Mitchell stays at number five despite his injury.
Infielder-turned-relief pitcher Sergio Santos is the lone “graduate” from the list, where he was ranked 10th in April. Santos has looked very solid, especially with his limited experience, flashing an upper 90’s fastball with decent location and improving breaking pitches.
A number of prospects made big moves up the list. Pitcher Carlos Torres moves from 19th to 9th, third baseman Jon Gilmore jumps from 29th to 13th, and shortstop Eduardo Escobar goes from 30th to 16th. On the flip side, infielder CJ Retherford falls from 9th all the way to 27th, pitcher Charlie Leesman from 13th to 30th, and 1B/OF Christian Marrero from 15th to 31st. Phegley (11th), outfielder John Shelby III (14th) and pitcher Stephen Sauer (20th) dropped off the list entirely.
Below is the list, showing their current and previous rank, and change from the preseason. The maximum number of points is 180.
| Rank | Player | Points | Previous | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Hudson | 179 | 1 | none |
| 2 | Dayan Viciedo | 172 | 4 | +2 |
| 3 | Chris Sale | 168 | n/a | NEW |
| 4 | Tyler Flowers | 161 | 2 | -2 |
| 5 | Jared Mitchell | 156 | 5 | none |
| 6 | Brent Morel | 151 | 6 | none |
| 7 | Trayce Thompson | 142 | 7 | none |
| 8 | Jordan Danks | 140 | 3 | -5 |
| 9t | Carlos Torres | 122 | 19 | +10 |
| 9t | Jacob Petricka | 122 | n/a | NEW |
| 11 | Miguel Gonzalez | 115 | 8 | -3 |
| 12 | Kyle Bellamy | 112 | 18 | +6 |
| 13t | Jon Gilmore | 95 | 29* | +16 |
| 13t | Addison Reed | 95 | n/a | NEW |
| 15 | Brandon Short | 93 | NR | n/a |
| 16 | Eduardo Escobar | 76 | 30* | +14 |
| 17 | David Holmberg | 74 | 12 | -5 |
| 18 | Nathan Jones | 70 | 21 | +3 |
| 19 | Ryan Buch | 61 | 25 | +6 |
| 20 | Gregory Infante | 56 | NR | n/a |
| 21 | Santos Rodriguez | 53 | 23 | +2 |
| 22 | Charlie Shirek | 52 | 17 | -5 |
| 23 | Jhonny Nunez | 47 | 22 | -1 |
| 24 | Nevin Griffith | 43 | 26* | +2 |
| 25 | Stefan Gartrell | 40 | 24 | -1 |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES (in order of points): Justin Greene, CJ Retherford, Clevelan Santeliz, Kyle Colligan, Charlie Leesman, Christian Marrero, Erick Threets, Andy Wilkins, Brady Shoemaker, Anthony Carter, Dan Remenowsky, Steven Upchurch, Jose Martinez, Darwin Matos
DROPPED OFF FROM LAST LIST TO NO VOTES: Josh Phegley (11), John Shelby III (14), Stephen Sauer (20)
Tell us what you think of our rankings! Are we out of our minds? How would you rank the prospects? Leave us a comment here or at our Twitter account (@FutureSox).