The White Sox currently have 24 players stationed at their alternate site location in suburban Schaumburg. With the initial list provided, the organization seemingly placed a premium on adding players to serve as potential depth for the big league club in Chicago.
It appears, however, that the demographics are about to undergo a slight change this week. Young right-handers Matthew Thompson and Jared Kelley are slated to join the roster soon. Andrew Dalquist likely isn’t far behind.
The White Sox selected 18-year-old Kelley with the 47th overall pick in the 2020 draft. The former Refugio High School star signed a contract with the club and received a bonus of $3 million. Kelley will be a top ten prospect in the White Sox system for every major publication once lists of that variety are updated again. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Texas prep was universally regarded as a top 20 player in this year’s draft class. At Refugio High School, Kelley went 32-3 with a 0.43 ERA and struck out 34 hitters in 12 innings pitched this spring.
Kelley possesses a plus fastball and plus changeup and shows stellar command of the strike zone with an effortless delivery. Kelley’s detractors pointed to his already developed body and lack of a third quality pitch. The 18-year-old told the FutureSox podcast that he was working on his body and breaking ball before his season was shut down.
“The main thing I was going into this season was working on my breaking ball,” Kelley said. “Every single outing I had it kept on getting better and better. Unfortunately, the season ended and I knew that was one of the big things that a lot of scouts were looking and talking about me.”
Kelley believes that the pitch has improved and he considers it to be more of a slider than a curveball.
Joining Kelley in Schaumburg will be 19-year-old Thompson. The White Sox selected Thompson with the 45th overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Thompson pitched for Cypress Ranch High School just outside of Houston. Thompson is 6-foot-2 with an athletic, projectable build. He possesses premium arm speed and shows a 60-grade fastball with a changeup and curveball as well. Thompson threw just two innings in the AZL to make his professional debut last fall. He participated in instructional league action and was slated to begin the 2020 season in Low-A with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
Kelley and Thompson know each other from their days as respected Texas prep sensations. They both participated in amateur events together and crossed paths on Team USA while pitching for their respective high schools.
“I’m real good friends with him,” Kelley said of Thompson. “He was with me in my host family when we were on the 18U tryouts team so I’ve been talking with him to see how things have been going with professional baseball.”
The two high-upside prep arms will likely join the same affiliate for 2021, but they will both be under the watchful eyes of White Sox personnel to close out the 2020 season. While it’s extremely unlikely that either player would pitch in Chicago this year, getting extra work in at the satellite location is something that the majority of clubs have opted as favorable for their younger prospects.
2019 third round pick Andrew Dalquist out of Redondo Union High School in California could join Kelley and Thompson in the near future. There is no word currently on Dalquist’s inclusion, but he would seemingly fit the bill in relation to these developments. The White Sox are allowed 60 players total between their big league club and the alternate site. Players can be added to the group as the 2020 season progresses.
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click the “create subscription” button. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.