Top White Sox Prospect Report, 4/27

Primer:
The Top Prospect Report is a weekly post here at FutureSox highlighting the top prospects in the system. More specifically, it will cover the top 15 prospects as classified by their most recent FS ranking.
This can serve as your one-stop shop to see weekly and season stat lines for all the high-end talent growing on the farm. Most players will have a few notes about their recent performance, while others may have more in-depth blurbs. How much a prospect is featured in a given week will be dictated by performance or relevant narratives.
*Stats may not reflect last night’s results*
Hitter of the week: Luis Alexander Basabe
Pitcher of the week: Dane Dunning
1. Yoan Moncada, 2B
It was a rough week for Moncada, who notched his first triple of the season but didn’t do much else. The season line still looks as good as could be expected, if not better, and the White Sox will certainly be patient with him.
Last Week: .222/.263/.333 (.596 OPS), 4 H, 3B, BB, 5 K, 19 PA
Season Line: .290/.372/.507 (.879 OPS), 20 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 11.5 BB%,  30.8 K%,  .390 BABIP, 78 PA
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP
Giolito dropped to 0-3 on the season with a polarizing outing against Toledo Mud Hens. He gave up four runs on five hits over five innings, with seven strikeouts to two walks. Both of his walks would come around to score and a long bomb in the fifth would solidify a mixed night. The fastball command just hasn’t been there for Giolito in Charlotte. The secondary stuff, namely the curveball, has been sharp but he’ll continue to see inconsistent results until he gets that fastball right. Fastball command tends to come later for tall pitchers, so for Giolito patience will have to be a virtue. For now, hitters are slashing .250/.368/.500 on the righty struggling with his mechanics.
Last Week: 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 7 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 5.0 IP
Season Line: 0-0, 6.63 ERA, 5.77 FIP, 10.89 K/9, 5.21 BB/9, 1.89 HR/9, 4 GS, 19.0 IP
3. Michael Kopech, RHP
Kopech had the best start of his White Sox career, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning and going six strong to get his first win of the season. The walks are still piling up but he’s producing strikeouts at double the rate. To be on this torrid of a start in Double-A is testament to just how premium a talent Kopech actually is. The next step for him is to get deeper and deeper into games and his most recent outing is a good sign.
Last Week: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 K, 4 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 1-1, 2.50 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 14.0 K/9, 7.0 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, 4 GS, 18.0 IP
4. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP
Like Kopech, Lopez went six innings giving up three runs on seven hits. His control was lopsided with four walks to just three strikeouts. He gave up another home run to give him five on the season, which puts his HR/9 ratio at a troubling 2.21. Although it’s early, this is something to keep an eye on.
Last Week: 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 3 K, 4 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 1-1, 4.87 ERA, 6.34 FIP,  K/9,  BB/9,  HR/9, 4 GS, 20.1 IP
5. Zack Collins, C
Collins’ weekly slashline is one of the weirder lines you’ll see regardless of the sample. His week was absent of hits or any sort of pop but buoyed by nine walks in 20 plate appearances. He had five strikeouts and just one hit, so the walks were really all he has to write home about this week. While he’s been lacking power in the early going, a 25.3% walk rate over almost the first month of the season supports his strong eye (and a lack of lineup protection). Collins had a 21.6% walk rate in 153 plate appearances last season, so it’s not crazy to think he could sustain an intriguing walk rate moving forward. Collins is really shining at controlling the running game though. After allowing 18-of-21 baserunners to swipe bags last season, he’s thrown out 10-of-14 would be base stealers this year. CSN insider Dan Hayes wrote a recent story on this crediting Collins’ improvements to an accelerated pop time and some other adjustments made by catching coordinator John Orton this spring.
Last Week: .091/.500/.091 (.591 OPS), 1 H, 2 RBI, 9 BB, 5 K, 20 PA
Season Line: .182/.387/.309 (.696 OPS), 10 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 25.3 BB%, 28.0 K%, .265 BABIP, 75 PA
6. Carson Fulmer, RHP
Fulmer had the best start of his season, throwing six innings of one-run ball. He had excellent control and was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning by generating two strikeouts. He had eight on the night, by far his highest total of the year. Fulmer looked big league ready in the outing and is likely next in line should the need arise in Chicago.
Last Week: 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 8 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 0-0, 3.52 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 7.43 K/9, 1.96 BB/9, 1.12 HR/9, 4 GS, 23 IP
7. Alec Hansen, RHP
Trouble was brewing in the first inning for Hansen against Hickory. All told, he gave up a pair of triples, a wild pitch, and the opposition had a blank check on the basepaths. He was able to go unscathed in the 2nd and 3rd innings, getting some whiffs. A pair of walks and a Mitch Roman error in the 4th set the table for a double that would end Hansen’s night. The eye-popping stat was that eight baserunners swiped a bag in just 3.2 innings of Hansen on the bump.
Last Week: 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3 K, 3 BB,  GS,  IP
Season Line: 1-1, 4.42 ERA, 2.76 FIP, 10.31 K/9, 4.91 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 4 GS, 18.1 IP
8. Zack Burdi, RHP
Burdi had a near flawless week, giving up just one hit over three innings. He struck out four and walked none. It’s safe to say he’s back on track since blowing a save on the 16th.
Last Week: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 K, 0 BB, 2 G, 3.0 IP
Season Line: 0-0, 3.52 ERA, 1.41 FIP, 15.26 K/9, 3.52 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 7 G, 2 SV, 7.2 IP
9. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF
For as much fanfare that Moncada and Kopech get, it’s easy to forget that the White Sox also landed an intriguing outfielder in the Chris Sale blockbuster. After a slow start, Basabe is starting to heat up. He tattooed the ball all week, collecting six hits, including his first home run of the season. His eight game hitting streak was put to rest in last night’s rain-shortened game but really rain was the only thing poised to cool him off. He had three walks to five strikeouts and is showing some of the best plate discipline of his pro career. He added another stolen base to put a little icing on the cake.
Last Week: .316/.409/.474 (.883 OPS), 6 H, 1 RBI,  SB, HR, 3 BB, 5 K, 22 PA
Season Line: .260/.351/.400 (.751 OPS), 13 H, 0 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB, 12.1 BB%, 22.4 K%, .333 BABIP, 58 PA
10. Dane Dunning, RHP
Dane Dunning is in control, literally. A lone walk in his most recent start gave him an absurd total of just two on the season. “Another day, another quality start” might just become a saying when it comes to Dunning in Kannapolis. The opposition has simply looked overmatched against a pitcher with distinct noise. While these video game numbers are happening in Low-A, Dunning isn’t even a year out of college. The Kanny broadcast had his fastball velocity running 91-93 MPH, but Dunning has the dancing stuff to match his control. He also took care of not so insignificant talent in former farm mates and Washington prospects Carter Kieboom and Juan Soto. No smokescreen here.
Last Week: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 K, 1 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 2-0, 0.35 ERA, 1.22 FIP, 11.42 K/9, 0.69 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 4 GS, 26.0 IP
11. Jordan Stephens, RHP
*Currently Injured*
12. Alex Call, OF
*Currently Injured – chest/rib area*
Last Week: Did Not Play
Season Line: .244/.311/.366 (.677 OPS), 10 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 6.7 BB%, 24.4 K%, .333 BABIP, 45 PA
13. Spencer Adams, RHP
The idealized picture of Spencer Adams was on display in his start against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Adams gave up two runs on six hits over six innings, but got more swing-and-miss than usual. His ten strikeouts were the highest output for him in quite some time. Adams was drafted out of high school as a power pitcher with advanced control and was good for a 12.74 K/9 in nine starts in Rookie Ball. That ratio has consistently dwindled since, reaching a valley of 4.23 K/9 last season. He used to run his four-seamer up to 96 but now operates in the low-90s and utilizes an upper 80s two-seamer with sink as his main offering, An average slider and repeatable delivery has given Adams solid results as a pro but his ceiling is more truncated than when he initially looked like a second-round steal. Adams in the new form is still a likely bet to be a backend starter in the big leagues, but maybe there’s more? If this start is any indication, the teen now in his early 20s may be realizing some of that draft-day projection.
Last Week: 0-1,  3.00 ERA, 10 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 0-4, 3.65 ERA, 2.21 FIP, 7.30 K/9, 1.09 BB/9, 0.36 HR/9, 4 GS, 24.2 IP
14. Jameson Fisher, OF
Fisher went through a little rough patch this week, tallying just a few hits and failing to draw a walk. Just your typical ups and downs in any minor league season.
Last Week: .188/.235/.188 (.423 OPS), 3 H, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 4 K, 17 PA
Season Line: .262/.333/.369 (.702 OPS), 17 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB, 7.9 BB%, 23.7 K%, .333  BABIP, 76 PA
15. Luis Curbelo, SS
*In extended spring training*
Bonus:
17. Trey Michalczewski, 3B
Michalczewski posted a strong 2015 season in High-A where he slashed .259/.335/.395 and was a doubles machine (35). Part of the hype was the function of a system dearth of third base options, but with Davidson showing a pulse in Chicago and Delmonico raking in Charlotte, the guy with the last name no one can spell or pronounce is still trucking along. He had a nice first week, but is now scuffling to a .206/.299/.279 line with little power in Double-A Birmingham. But he did just hit his first home run of the year and had a decent week, if you ignore the strikeouts. The walk rate has consistently stayed above 10 percent, which is nice, but he’ll need to do more to say on the radar in an improved system.
Last Week: .261/.292/.478 (.770 OPS),  6 H, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3  RBI, 1 BB, 9 K, 24 PA
Season Line: .206/.299/.279 (.578 OPS), 14 H, 1 2B, 2  3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 11.7 BB%, 24.7 K%,  .286 BABIP, 77 PA
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