Hi-A outfielder Alex Destino enjoyed a career week, while White Sox No. 3 prospect Matthew Thompson produced his best start of the season, to earn the highlight spots in the FutureSox Team of the Week for the period of July 26 – August 1, 2021.
Here’s a look at the full lineup:
Catcher — Xavier Fernández (Double-A) — 5 G, .471/.524/1.000, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R
- Unranked catcher Xavier Fernández delivered three home runs and six RBI across a five-game stretch to help Double-A Birmingham earn a series split against Rocket City (LAA). Fernández, 26, homered in three consecutive games between Wednesday and Saturday, and extended his hit streak to eight games. The former 11th-round selection out of Puerto Rico logged a standout .324/.397/.500 slash line throughout the month of July.
First baseman — Jameson Fisher (Double-A) — 4 G, .375/.444/.688, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 6 R
- Double-A first baseman Jameson Fisher slugged .688 in Double-A Birmingham’s series against Rocket City (LAA) to earn the nod at first base in the FutureSox Team of the Week. The 27-year-old former fourth-round pick has hit safely in 13 of the past 15 contests, which includes seven multi-hit efforts. Fisher sits three home runs shy of his career-high of 10 set in 2017 between Low-A Kannapolis and Hi-A Winston-Salem.
Second baseman — Yolbert Sanchez (Double-A) — 5 G, .444/.474/.500, 2B, RBI, 2 R, SB
- White Sox No. 16 prospect Yolbert Sanchez continued to excel at Double-A and earned his third consecutive weekly honor at second base. The 24-year-old hit safely in all five appearances against Rocket City (LAA) and extended his hit streak to 12 games overall. Sanchez, whom the White Sox signed in July 2019 out of Cuba, owns a dynamite 196 wRC+ through his first 10 games with Birmingham, as well as a comparable 7.0 percent walk rate and 9.3 percent strikeout rate.
Third baseman — Mitch Roman (Double-A) — 4 G, .308/.400/.462, 3B, 3 R, SB
- Former 12th-round selection Mitch Roman collected hits in each of the final three games of Double-A Birmingham’s series against Rocket City (LAA) to earn the spot at third base in the FutureSox Team of the Week. Roman, 26, also drew a pair of free passes throughout the week and leads the club (among active qualifiers) with a 12.6 percent walk rate this season. The Wright State product also swiped his 11th base of the season Sunday, which ranks fourth on the team.
Shortstop — Matt Reynolds (Triple-A) — 5 G, .313/.389/.563, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R
- Veteran infielder Matt Reynolds continued to produce at Triple-A Charlotte with hits in 4 of 5 games against Jacksonville (MIA). Reynolds, 30, has also hit safely in six of the past seven contests. Reynolds leads the Knights with a .372 on-base percentage this season, which marks his first as part of the White Sox organization.
Outfield — Joel Booker (Double-A) — 5 G, .421/.450/.789, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 5 R, 7 SB
- Double-A outfielder Joel Booker filled the box score throughout Birmingham’s series against Rocket City (LAA) to earn the first of three outfield spots in the FutureSox Team of the Week. Booker, a former 22nd-round selection out of Iowa, delivered his first-career multi-homer game Saturday and recorded at least one hit in all five games against the Trash Pandas. The 27-year-old, who has split time between Double-A and Triple-A this season, was also a force on the basepaths and stole seven bases throughout the week, including four in a single game Wednesday night. Booker has amassed double-digit stolen bases in all five years as a pro.
Outfield — Misael Gonzalez (ROK) — 5 G, .368/.500/.737, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, SB
- Misael Gonzalez of the ACL White Sox showcased his tools down in Arizona with seven hits, including three extra-base knocks across five games. Gonzalez, a 20-year-old outfielder from Puerto Rico, holds a .311 clip at the plate and a standout .972 OPS in 61 at-bats this summer. He also swiped his third base of the year, which ranks second on the club.
Outfield — Alex Destino (Hi-A) — 6 G, .385/.429/.962, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 6 R
- Unranked outfielder Alex Destino lit up the scoreboard for Hi-A Winston-Salem with five home runs and 10 RBI throughout the Dash’s six-game set against Greensboro (PIT). Much akin to White Sox catcher Seby Zavala, Destino uncorked three home runs in a loss Thursday night. The 25-year-old out of South Carolina produced three multi-hit performances in the series and concluded the month of July with a remarkable 1.075 OPS, eight home runs and 18 RBI. Destino owns an impressive 122 wRC+ this season.
Starting pitcher — Matthew Thompson (Low-A) — W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
- White Sox No. 3 prospect Matthew Thompson strung together his second consecutive impressive start with six innings of one-run ball Saturday in a 7-3 win for Low-A Kannapolis against Salem (BOS). Thompson, a 20-year-old right-hander struck out six and did not walk a batter in the strong performance. He tossed 71 percent of his pitches for strikes and earned his first victory as a pro.
Relief pitcher — Jordan Mikel (Low-A) — 2 G, 2 GF, W, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
- Local product Jordan Mikel worked three scoreless frames out of the bullpen and struck out four to earn the Relief Pitcher of the Week honor. The Plainfield, Illinois, native collected his third win in relief this season with Low-A Kannapolis, and boosted his K/9 rate to 11.96 with the solid performances. Mikel, who attended the University of Illinois – Springfield, has finished 12 games this year for the Cannon Ballers, which ranks second on the club behind White Sox No. 29 prospect McKinley Moore (15).
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 create subscription. 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.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.