It’s rankings week at FutureSox! We started with the Just Missed list to kick off the week. Prospects ranked 16-30 are out as well.
In addition to our regular content, some of our writers who participated in ranking the prospects (James Fox, Mike Rankin, Dan Santaromita, Steve Hasman, Sean Williams and Jasper Roos) will each release their individual top 30 lists to Patrons throughout the week! This is the first edition.
- 1. Luis Robert OF
- 2. Andrew Vaughn 1B
- 3. Michael Kopech RHP
- 4. Nick Madrigal 2B
- 5. Garrett Crochet LHP
Everyone has seen what Robert has been able to do in the major leagues so far. He could be the American League Rookie of the Year and he’s already compiled 1.6 fWAR on the season. With 10 home runs to date and a 148 wRC+ already posted, the argument can be made that the center fielder is already one of the very best players in baseball. Robert has caught the league by storm and he’s exceeded lofty expectations so far. Robert has 125 big league at-bats and he will graduate off this list shortly.
Vaughn is pretty universally regarded as a top 25 prospect in the industry. The first baseman has been getting his work in at the alternate site in Schaumburg and it’s not out of the question that he reaches the big leagues in 2020. Vaughn hasn’t played above High-A, but his batted ball data is stellar and White Sox executives are very impressed with what they’ve seen.
Kopech has been on top prospect lists for the past four years and he was supposed to return this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2018. The fireballer opted out of the 2020 campaign and will be 25 years old the next time he steps on a big league mound in a regular season game. The White Sox are still excited about him and project him as an important cog in a winning club.
Madrigal is the everyday second baseman in Chicago and his game has been on full display in the big leagues. Crochet was the club’s first round draft pick in 2020 and the lefty is working with coaches in Schaumburg. Crochet throws very hard and the pitching development team has already smoothed out his violent delivery and has the southpaw on a more clear path to the plate regularly.
- 6. Jared Kelley RHP
- 7. Dane Dunning RHP
- 8. Jonathan Stiever RHP
- 9. Matthew Thompson RHP
- 10. Andrew Dalquist RHP
Prospects 6-10 on the list are all right-handed pitchers with some high upside. Three of them were recent draft picks out of the prep ranks. Stiever was a former fifth rounder out of Indiana University and Dunning is currently in the big league rotation. Kelley was considered to be a top 20 prospect in this year’s draft and the burly Texan slides right into the organizational top 10. Kelley has top of the rotation upside and he’s very polished for a 19-year-old pitcher. Dunning has worked his way back from Tommy John surgery and carved out a spot in the majors. He has pitched well in two big league starts so far.
Stiever dealt with some forearm soreness in spring training and was out of action. He’s alive and well and currently throwing at the alternate site in Schaumburg. Stiever had a big year with the Dash in Winston-Salem in 2019 and he was slated to pitch with the Birmingham Barons in the Double-A Southern League this year. The 24-year-old righty could have been in the mix for top 100 status had there been a minor league season this year. Thompson and Dalquist were selected in the second and third rounds of the 2019 draft. They were both given over-slot bonuses of around $2 million in a shift for the organization. Thompson has better stuff, but Dalquist is a better athlete with a feel to pitch. Both of these teenagers are throwing for White Sox staffers in Schaumburg and they should move through the system together.
- 11. Micker Adolfo OF
- 12. Luis Gonzalez OF
- 13. Blake Rutherford OF
- 14. Jake Burger 3B
- 15. Bryce Bush OF
This cluster of high minors outfielders is running out of time to make an impact with the White Sox organization. Adolfo is a 23-year-old outfielder with prodigious raw power, but he’s been limited by injuries and his hit tool is still suspect. He will only have one minor league option remaining during next year’s spring training and he’s absolutely on the roster bubble.
Gonzalez was a third round pick out of New Mexico in 2017 and he made his big league debut with the White Sox earlier this year. The organization has been pleased with Gonzalez’s batted ball data and he can play all three outfield spots in a pinch.
Rutherford is noticeably bigger than before and he’s finally getting some loft on his swing. He still has options remaining and that should allow him to stay in the organization for the next year at least.
Burger made a significant jump on this list. The former first rounder from 2017 is healthy and ready to go after two years on the shelf recovering from multiple Achilles’ tendon injuries. Burger has lost about 25 pounds, is swinging the bat and running better than he has since the injury. He’s been taking some hacks at the alternate site and he’s back on the prospect radar. Burger is Rule 5 eligible this December and it’s an important offseason for him. He’s back at third base, but he’s willing to play other positions to potentially get to Chicago sooner.
Bush was selected in the 33rd round of the 2018 draft out of a Michigan high school. He possesses tons of upside and has been working on his own. Elite bat speed is his calling card and he was scheduled to repeat Low-A as a 20-year-old.
- 16. Jimmy Lambert RHP
- 17. Yolbert Sanchez SS
- 18. Gavin Sheets 1B
- 19. Codi Heuer RHP
- 20. Zack Burdi RHP
Lambert was a fifth round pick out of Fresno State in 2016 and he made his major league debut earlier this season. Lambert has been a starting pitcher in the White Sox organization, but he pitched in a relief role after Tommy John surgery and he was very good to start the year. Unfortunately, Lambert had a forearm ailment and is back on the injured list. It’s unclear whether Lambert has a future as a starter any longer.
Burdi and Heuer are both former draft picks of the club as well and both are members of the current bullpen in Chicago. They both possess premium stuff and they could be future high-leverage anchors for the White Sox.
Sanchez is a 23-year-old infielder that signed for $2.5 million out of Cuba in this year’s international signing class. He had a cup of coffee in the Dominican Summer League and he was slated to play shortstop with the Cannon Ballers in Kannapolis. Sanchez struggles with the bat, but he’s an elite defender with a utility profile. He could move quickly through the minors.
Sheets was a second round pick of the White Sox in 2017 out of Wake Forest. Gavin finally got to his power in Double-A with the Barons and was looking to capitalize in the hitter friendly park in Charlotte. Sheets isn’t in Schaumburg with the alternate site roster, but he’s getting his body in shape to potentially play in the outfield down the road.
- 21. Konnor Pilkington LHP
- 22. James Beard OF
- 23. Benyamin Bailey OF
- 24. DJ Gladney 3B
- 25. Bryan Ramos
Pilkington projects as a back-end lefty. He was selected in the third round back in 2018 out of Mississippi State. His velocity has fluctuated and he’s been working on his body since becoming a professional.
Beard is one of the fastest players in the minors and shows 80-grade speed and plus bat speed. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of a Mississippi high school. Beard has tons of upside and could move up this list significantly going forward.
Ramos and Gladney both played well in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019. Gladney was a 16th round selection out of an Illinois high school in 2019 and he possesses prodigious raw power. The right-handed slugger hit eight homers in the AZL but struck out at a 37% rate. Gladney has been working out regularly with White Sox player development people and swing alterations and body changes have impressed the organization. Ramos was signed out of Cuba in 2018 and the 18-year-old hit .277/.353/.415 in Arizona with a 110 wRC+ and four home runs. Ramos is attempting to transition to second base this offseason.
- 26. Tyler Johnson RHP
- 27. Jose Rodriguez SS
- 28. Bernardo Flores LHP
- 29. Matt Foster RHP
- 30. Jefferson Mendoza C
Johnson is a potential high-leverage reliever and he’s working at the alternate site in Schaumburg. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but it’s an important offseason for him and he could earn a big league shot this year.
Flores was a seventh rounder in 2016 out of USC and he projects as a back-end lefty starter. Flores is on the 40-man and spent one day with the big league club in 2020.
Foster has been a revelation for the White Sox in 2020. The 25-year-old wasn’t a highly regarded prospect after being drafted in the 20th round out of Alabama in 2016. Matt Zaleski, now the pitching coach at Charlotte was credited with helping to develop Foster’s wipeout changeup into the pitch that it’s become. In 16 innings this year, the righty has compiled 11.25 K/9 with a 1.13 ERA and 2.40 FIP.
Rodriguez and Mendoza are both recent international signings. Rodriguez impressed in the AZL while Mendoza would have made his stateside debuts this year.