Before I dive into the all the fun of the draft, FutureSox is having a night at the ballpark this Wednesday night. Not only will readers get to enjoy a pregame buffet and beers, but a portion of the ticket will go to support Baseball Miracles, a charity founded by White Sox scout John Tumminia. Come on out! Here’s a link to tickets.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming: the saying goes in with the new, out with the old. The draft is a bittersweet moment. For some it’s the beginning of big league dreams and the realization that they took the first step towards accomplishing that. The draft is hope renewed. It’s the beginning of careers in affiliated ball and the trials and tribulations associated with it.
For others, it’s the beginning of the end. For the players that never put it together or the players that just stall out, the inevitable talent shuffle will take place in the coming weeks and months as new faces replace old faces and old faces put their baseball careers behind them.
The site has plenty to read on our top picks (links below) and as with most drafts, the 2018 edition was ripe with story lines. One worthy highlight is the story of high school outfielder Matthew Klug, 38th round draft pick. Max Gelman of MLB.com relayed the story of the Georgia outfielder, and it’s well worth the read.
Over the last three years, Klug experienced unimaginable loss. White Sox Director of Amateur Scouting Nick Hosteller learned of his story and forwarded it to area scout Kevin Burrell. Hosteller and Burrell were on the same page immediately, and knew before the 2018 draft was over, Klug would be a White Sox draft pick.
So, remember, as the future Sox sign and enter into the system, baseball is a sport that at its core is about humans doing remarkable things. Klug’s story is a reminder of everything that is good about baseball.
With that, here’s what you need to know this week.
Prospect performance highlights
- Birmingham OF Eloy Jimenez, C Zack Collins, C Seby Zavala, RHP Ian Hamilton and SS Danny Mendick all were named 2018 Southern League all stars.
- Kannapolis had a whopping eight named to the all-star game, headlined by OF Luis Gonzalez.
- Charlotte RHP Carson Fulmer threw six shutout innings, he gave up two hits and walked four while striking out three June 5.
- Things are looking up for Birmingham RHP Spencer Adams. Over his last two starts, he has given up one run and eight hits in 15 innings, while walking two and striking out 12.
- Charlotte RHP Michael Kopech struck out 10 during his June 8 start. He went six innings, giving up five hits, five walks and two runs.
- Winston-Salem RHP Dylan Cease went 6 strong innings, striking out 9 and walking no one. He gave up 3 hits and 3 runs (all home runs, just one of those days).
- Birmingham RHP Dane Dunning went 6.2 innings on June 9th. He gave up five hits, two runs and a run while striking out seven.
Transactions
Disabled
- Charlotte 2B Juan Perez was placed on the 7-day disabled list June 4.
- Birmingham C Casey Schroeder was placed on the 7-day DL June 10.
- OF Tito Polo was placed on the DL June 7.
- LHP Ian Clarkin was placed on the DL, retroactive to June 1.
- Winston-Salem placed RHP Yelmison Peralta on the DL, June 2.
Optioned
- The White Sox optioned LHP Aaron Bummer and RHP Juan Minaya to Charlotte (what a bummer)
Activated
- Charlotte activated LHP T.J. House from the disabled list
- Birmingham 3B/1B Matt Rose was activated from the DL, June 10
- Kannapolis activated RHP Aron McRee from the DL June 5
- Winston-Salem 1B Gavin Sheets was activated from the DL June 9
- Winston-Salem C Daniel Gonzalez was activated from the DL June 5
Selected
- The White Sox selected Charlotte LHP Xavier Cedeno’s contract
Outrighted
- White Sox C Alfredo Gonzalez and 1B Matt Skole were outrighteded to Charlotte
Assigned
- Charlotte LHP Colton Turner was assigned to Birmingham
- Kannapolis RHP Cameron Seitzer was assigned to Birmingham
- Winston-Salem OF Luis Robert was assigned to Kannapolis
Recalled
- The White Sox recalled C Kevan Smith from Charlotte
Released
- Charlotte released LHP Robbie Ross Jr.
Other
- Winston-Salem SS Mikey Duarte was placed on the temporarily inactive list
Team Performances
- Charlotte posted a 3-3 week (27-35 overall, 9.5 games back). Going .500 on the week, the Knights benefited from a strong performance from starter Donn Roach who threw seven shutout innings against Syracuse. Roach continues to have a stellar season. At 28, there’s no prospect status here, but if he keeps this up, the White Sox bullpen should be calling eventually. The Knights are back home to play three against Columbus and three against Toledo.
- Birmingham went 3-4 for the week (29-33 overall 1st half, 5.5 games back). A week which saw five Barons named to the all-star game was not enough to stop the losses from piling on. The Barons finish up a series against Tennessee with two games before coming home for five games against Chattanooga.
- Winston-Salem had a 4-2 week (36-27 overall 1st half, 1st place). The first place Dash ended a five game win streak Wednesday, before starting a new three game win streak Friday. A 10-4 whalloping of Carolina June 9 set the defined the week. The Dash will look to stay hot as they come home for three against Myrtle Beach and four against Wilimington. With seven games remaining in the first half, the Dash hold a 1.5 game lead, looking to win the division and earn a playoff berth.
- Kannapolis compiled a 3-4 week (37-23 overall 1st half, 1st place). The first place Intimidators continue to hold off Lakewood despite posting a losing week. An 8-3 showing against the Rome Braves June 8 was headlined by Matt Parke going 7 strong innings, giving up 5 hits and 3 runs (1 earned), while striking out 7. The Intimidators play six games against Delmarva (including two makeup games) and three against Greensboro. With nine games left to play, the Intimidators’ lead is at 2 games, and like the Dash are looking to earn a playoff spot.
News and Links
- FutureSox posted its 2018 Draft Tracker, featuring information on all the picks and whether they’ve signed. The Tracker will be updated until the pick signing deadline to track who signs draft class.
- We also have profiles on the Sox’s first five draft picks: INF Nick Madrigal, OF Steele Walker, LHP Konnor Pilkington, INF Lency Delgado and RHP Jonathan Stiever. (Click the player’s names for the coverage.) James Fox also recapped some notable picks from the draft’s final day.
- Julie Brady has seven reasons to care about the remainder of the White Sox’s season, despite the big league team’s performance.
- Fangraphs released its updated top 131 prospect rankings. Birmingham OF Eloy Jimenez is the White Sox’s top prospect at No. 4.
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