It’s rankings week at FutureSox and the schedule of events is below!
- Monday: The Just Missed article, individual lists for Patreon subscribers!
- Tuesday: Prospects ranked 16-30, with capsules, full list for Patreon subscribers!
- Wednesday: The full list, with 1-15 capsules, individual lists for Patreon subscribers!
- Thursday: Writers’ roundtable discussion of the rankings (High/Low), individual lists for Patreon subscribers!
- Friday: Mailbag Questions, individual lists for Patreon subscribers!
In addition to our regular content, our participating rankers (James Fox, Mike Rankin, Dan Santaromita, Rob Young, Sean Williams and Jasper Roos) will each release their individual top 30 lists to Patrons throughout the week!
PREVIOUSLY RELEASED
James Fox’s List
Jasper Roos’ List
Sean Williams
1. Luis Robert (OF)
2. Michael Kopech (RHP)
3. Andrew Vaughn (1B
4. Nick Madrigal (2B)
5. Jonathan Stiever (RHP)
The top four of my list was pretty straight forward. You could make the argument for Vaughn over Kopech at this point, but Kopech hasn’t done anything harmful to move down the list. Plus, we got a brief glimpse of him maintaining his high velocity during one inning of work at instructs. Jonathan Stiever checks in as the second-best pitching prospect in the organization, mainly due to his breakout performance at Winston-Salem.
6. Dane Dunning (RHP)
7. Zack Collins (C)
8. Luis Alexander Basabe (OF)
9. Matthew Thompson (RHP)
10. Micker Adolfo (OF)
Zack Collins struggled during his big league stint in 2019. However, he finished strong in the final 10 games and is still worthy of a top 10 spot on the list. Luis Alexander Basabe is higher on this last than others, because of the amount of tools he has in his game. He’s struggled to stay healthy, and he strikes out a lot, but he has the potential to be a solid two-way player that can be valuable in many situations. He should see more success in Charlotte, which is where he will spend a lot of time in 2020.
11. Andrew Dalquist (RHP)
12. Gavin Sheets (1B)
13. Blake Rutherford (OF)
14. Luis Gonzalez (OF)
15. Yolbert Sanchez (SS)
Andrew Dalquist comes in at 11 and falls slightly behind Matthew Thompson due to some lack of control when I saw him live. His arsenal is more lively than Thompson’s, but he didn’t have a consistent feel for his pitches during his debut. Still, being just outside of the top 10 while only throwing three innings as a professional makes him a player that White Sox fans should be excited about. Yolbert Sanchez checks in at the middle of the list and that’s fair up to this point. He performed well in the DSL, which was expected considering he was much older than the rest of his competition. How he performs when he plays against guys closer to his age will determine whether or not he continues to rise.
16. Tyler Johnson (RHP)
17. Zack Burdi (RHP)
18. Jimmy Lambert (RHP)
19. Konnor Pilkington (LHP)
20. Lenyn Sosa (SS)
The hardest choice among these prospects was determining who would be ranked higher between Tyler Johnson and Zack Burdi. Both dealt with injuries last season, but Burdi’s injury history has been much more significant than Johnson’s. While Burdi has more electric stuff, Johnson has been more consistent on the mound, even after coming back from a lat injury, and that played a big factor in my decision to have Johnson slightly ahead of Burdi.
21. James Beard (OF)
22. Bryce Bush (OF)
23. Codi Heuer (RHP)
24. Bernardo Flores (LHP)
25. Ian Hamilton (RHP)
James Beard looked overwhelmed at times during his first professional season, but he has the potential to be an impact two way player and his tools set him aside from some of the others prospects in his age group. Bryce Bush struggled with health and vision issues in 2019, but he’s not far removed from tearing up the AZL. His offensive potential continues to make him one of the higher rated young bats in the organization.
26. Benyamin Bailey (OF)
27. Jose Rodriguez (SS)
28. Bryan Ramos (3B)
29. DJ Gladney (3B)
30. Jake Burger (3B)
The end of this list is filled with a variety of young, exciting prospects making their way through the lower level affiliates and then there’s Jake Burger. Even though Bailey hasn’t played stateside yet, his .477 OBP was the best in the DSL and he is slowly turning into a popular name among White Sox fans. Jose Rodriguez and DJ Gladney powered their way through the AZL, with both of them breaking the White Sox single season home run record for that affiliate. Climbing up the list should be a trend for both of these guys.