The corner infield group is a good one for the White Sox on the farm. All five of these players will be on our top 30 prospects list later this month. Two of these guys could make big league debuts in 2021. One prominent figure looks to re-establish his value. Two young third basemen should receive full season opportunities for the first time.
Yoan Moncada has third base locked down in Chicago for the foreseeable future and Jose Abreu is the reigning American League Most Valuable Player. The pale hose do have the designated hitter spot available but these prospects are auditioning constantly for the other 29 big league clubs as well.
With our 2021 preseason prospect rankings on the horizon, we are gearing with a position-by-position breakdown of White Sox prospects. Here’s a look at the top five corner infielders in the White Sox organization heading into the 2021 season:
1. Andrew Vaughn (1B)
Last Level: High-A (2019), Alternate Site (2020)
At 22 years old, Vaughn is one of the best prospects in baseball. Depending on the publication, he might even be the top first base prospect currently. The White Sox used the third overall pick in the 2019 draft on the 6-foot, 215-pounder out of California. Baseball America lists Vaughn as the No. 21 prospect in baseball. The publication noted that “evaluators were impressed with the hard contact he displayed despite just decent overall numbers from 2019.” The White Sox implemented a front-flip drill designed to “keep his legs underneath him during his swing.” Vaughn stays synced throughout the course of his swing and is a really smart hitter.
The folks over at MLB Pipeline listed as Vaughn as the 14th best prospect in baseball. They surmise that his hit tool is a 65-grade with 60-grade power that he gets to frequently in games. The website noted that Vaughn “impressed at the alternate training site in 2020 by repeatedly posting quality at-bats against advanced competition.” They also wrote that he barreled balls with hard contact to all fields. Vaughn was ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in the sport by Keith Law of The Athletic. Law lauded Vaughn for his “exceptional patience and contact rates.” He noted his “simple right-handed swing that gets good loft for line-drive power.” The prospect analyst believes that the former No. 3 overall pick has the upside of someone who will annually post .400+ OBPs with above average power as well.
After a brief tune-up in rookie ball immediately following him signing for over $7 million, Vaughn went to class Low-A Kannapolis. The slugger posted a triple slash line of .253/.388/.410 with a 138 wRC+ in 23 games. The stellar 13% walk rate was as advertised. That same summer, Andrew was promoted to the Carolina League where he debuted for the Winston-Salem Dash in High-A. In 29 games, Vaughn posted a similar walk rate and a decreased strikeout rate, but he only homered five times. He held his own with a 122 wRc+.
Batting practice round from Schaumburg:
Vaughn is expected to make his big league debut in Chicago in 2021. He likely would have spent the 2020 season in Double-A with the Birmingham Barons but he received daily instruction from minor league coaches in Schaumburg at the alternate site instead. It’s an uncommon path but nothing about 2020 anywhere was common in any industry. With just 205 minor league at-bats on his resume, he’s still expected to receive the bulk of the designated hitter duty in Chicago for 2021, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
On a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday, Getz reiterated why the White Sox believe Vaughn could be up to this unique challenge.
“What separates Andrew is his mentality, his makeup, how under control he is in the box, his discipline to sticking with an approach that works for his swing,” Getz said. “Certainly, it was unfortunate that we weren’t able to send him off to an affiliate, but we were lucky to get him at the alternate site and get a significant amount of at-bats against very good competition, perhaps against pitchers that he wouldn’t have faced had he gone to an assignment like Double-A Birmingham.
“He was facing major league pitching in Summer Camp. Then at the alternate site, we had upper-level pitchers there and guys that had spent time in the major leagues. He was certainly one of the more consistent hitters that we had there. He has a very sound approach at the plate, and we feel that that’s going to translate very well in the big leagues when he’s asked to perform at that level.”
2. Gavin Sheets (1B)
FutureSox Top 30 Ranking: No. 15
Last Level: Double-A (2019)
The White Sox selected Sheets in the second round in 2017 and awarded him with a $2 million bonus after the slugger hit 21 homers for Wake Forest as a junior. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder went to Low-A Kannapolis to close out his draft year after signing his professional contract. In 52 games with the Intimidators, the lefty hit .266/.346/.365 and walked a lot while not showing the power that got him drafted. Sheets went to Winston-Salem in 2018 and played 119 games for the Dash. In 497 plate appearances, the former Demon Deacon posted a 10.5% walk rate with a 123 wRC+. Sheets displayed big time raw power in batting practice and scouts have put a 70 on the power potential. He never hit enough power in games while playing in A ball due to an unwillingness to sacrifice his approach.
Sheets struggled at the outset during his maiden voyage in Double-A and Region’s Field in Birmingham is quite the graveyard according to the first baseman. He altered his approach and changed his swing though and bounced back to lead the Southern League in RBIs in 2019 with 83. After 126 games, Sheets finished with a batting line of .267/.345/.414 with 16 homers. Gavin wasn’t participating at the alternate site last year and he used the time to get in shape and make himself the best version he could be. Sheets made light of a difficult situation and ended up being added to the White Sox’s 40-man roster in December.
Sheets was looking forward to playing in an advantageous Charlotte ballpark, but those plans were delayed due to the pandemic. He’ll get his shot this year finally and the changes he’s made could help get him to the big leagues in 2021. The 24-year-old has 70-grade raw power and he’s added an outfield glove to his repertoire. Baseball America ranked Sheets as the No. 10 prospect in the system in their most recent update. The publication noted that he got in better shape during the shutdown. The physical changes have allowed him to move to the outfield and the White Sox played him in left field during fall instructs.
Baseball America specified that “outside scouts thought it was a legitimate option” in regards to the transition to an outfield corner. Sheets really has worked to “utilize his lower half more in his swing” and this change produced some of the best exit velocity readings in the organization this fall. Sheets has also done a better job of pulling off-speed pitches with authority according to the publication. He still fares better on pitches up in the zone. Sheets will start 2021 in Charlotte and the organization is expecting him to produce big numbers in the hitter friendly league.
3. Jake Burger (3B)
FutureSox Top 30 Ranking: No. 19
Last Level: High-A (2017), alternate site (2020)
The White Sox used the 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft on Burger out of Missouri State. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder hit five homers in his draft year and posted a 116 wRC+ in A ball. He was drafted due to his makeup, baseball intelligence and premium bat. Burger twice ruptured his achilles tendon after participating in big league spring training in 2018. He went on to miss the 2018 and 2019 seasons recovering from those injuries in addition to a badly bruised heel.
Some footage from the alternate site:
The former first rounder is healthy again and was ready to play for a full season affiliate in 2020. Due to the pandemic, Burger played in the CarShield Collegiate League near his hometown before joining the White Sox in Schaumburg. The 24-year-old was added to the 40-man roster this past December and he should start the 2021 season no lower than Winston-Salem. The third baseman was one of the best players at the alternate site and received daily swing instruction and defensive work.
Burger joined a plethora of younger prospects this fall in instructs as well and he received rave reviews from nearly everyone present. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 17 prospect in the system in their recent update. The publication noted that Burger “adjusted his posture so he could better control his barrel on pitches up in the zone.” Some scouts also noticed a “small hitch that caused him to hit off his front foot at times.” His bat speed and all fields power was noticed as well and scouts in attendance “projected him for 20 plus homers” at his peak still. Two surgeries later, Burger may still stick at third base. “He moves okay laterally and has some trouble coming in on balls,” but he still possesses above average arm strength. Burger has shown a willingness to switch positions as well, if necessary.
4. Bryan Ramos (3B)
FutureSox Top 30 Ranking: No. 28
Last Level: Arizona rookie ball (2019), fall instructs (2020)
Ramos hit very well in Cuba’s 15-and-under leagues prior to signing with the White Sox for $300K in 2018. He skipped the Dominican Summer League and went right to the AZL as a 17-year-old. He definitely held his own against older competition. The third baseman hit .277/.353/.415 with four homers while posting a 110 wRC+. Over the course of 51 games, Ramos walked at a 8.7% rate with a 20% strikeout rate. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder possesses strength and bat speed and could project for 20 homers in the future. He uses a whole field approach, but needs to improve on pitch recognition and approach.
The right-handed hitter will play the entire 2021 season as a 19-year-old. Getz has indicated that he’ll head out to full season ball for the first time. Kannapolis seems like the appropriate destination. Baseball America thought highly enough of Ramos to rank him as the No. 14 prospect in the White Sox system this year. They called him a “strong player with big bat speed who can impress in batting practice but still needs to work on timing and consistent direction to the ball in his swing.”
Ramos has been a free swinger as a professional, especially early in counts and it’s something that could affect him greatly with a big jump to A-ball expected. Ramos could have above average power potential, but he needs to hit enough to reach it in game action. He’s a below average runner, but the White Sox have tried him at second base, believing he may have the athleticism to man the position. Ramos is really young but he’s one of the young gems to follow in a system increasingly flowing with teenage talent.
5. DJ Gladney (3B)
FutureSox Top 30 Ranking: No. 25
Last Level: Arizona rookie ball (2019), fall instructs (2020)
The White Sox brought Gladney in for a pre-draft workout prior to the draft in June of 2019. The local product (Iliana Christian High School) showed some big power and the club selected him in the 16th round. He signed for $225,000. The former Amateur City Elite member passed on a chance to attend Eastern Kentucky to get his professional career started. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has strong makeup that really impressed White Sox evaluators as well.
Gladney played 50 games for the Arizona rookie league affiliate. While he struck out 37% of the time, he flashed huge raw power by smashing eight homers in 200 plate appearances. DJ hit .264/.309/.428 and drove in 25 runs. I caught up with the 16th rounder after he was drafted and he detailed his journey for FutureSox. After the shutdown, Gladney worked to keep his body right and implemented swing and approach changes with newly appointed rookie league hitting coach Devin DeYoung.
Baseball America has reported that the White Sox “want him to focus on using his legs more in his swing and sharpening his pitch recognition skills.” The publication lists the third baseman as the No. 22 prospect in the system.
Gladney went to fall instructional league action with some clear objectives. Gladney started off on a good note in Arizona once again as he homered three times in his first three games. His plus raw power was on display as he posted exit velocities in the 114 mph range. DJ gets to his plus raw power due to bat speed, projectable strength and leverage with the ability to drive the baseball to all fields.
Cutting down on the strikeouts is a focus for Gladney. He struck out 82 times in rookie ball.
He’s playing the hot corner as of now but some scouts have questioned his footwork and arm. There are evaluators who believe he’s destined for first base in the near future. Gladney is a name to watch in the White Sox system. He used the time off to get better. The White Sox are expected to be aggressive with some of their younger players in regards to assignments, but it’s unclear whether Gladney ends up in full season or back to Arizona to start.
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Burger’s swing is veryimpressive. Very compact and gets to the ball super fast. If Sheets develops as hoped the Sox will have a nice problem.