Twitter can often times be a source of contention, but our readers are the best. They were asked to come up with mailbag questions that correspond with ranking’s week. They didn’t take that opportunity for granted. Below are the questions that we were submitted and our responses to the best of our knowledge. As always, thanks for reading and supporting FutureSox.
It’s a tough question but there are multiple possibilities. The obvious answer would be Oscar Colas but any of Colson Montgomery, Wes Kath, Yoelqui Cespedes or Norge Vera could be legitimate options as well. If forced to guess, I would go with Cuban righty Norge Vera after he pitches at a stateside affiliate and proves that he’s as advanced as advertised. The White Sox will have another draft class to add to this group as well by then.
Interesting three part question here. Matthew Thompson is more likely to reach his ceiling but he profiles as more of an athletic, mid-rotation starter. Kelley has top of the rotation potential but he’s much less likely to get there. He needs to get healthy, improve his conditioning in a big way and improve the command on his off-speed pitches. I don’t believe that Andrew Dalquist can surpass the two as far as ceiling goes but it’s absolutely possible that Dalquist pitches in the big leagues and the other two don’t. It’s basically an argument about floor and ceiling. The Corey Seager comparison works out defensively but it’s a pretty lofty goal from an offensive perspective. We should probably just let Colson Montgomery be Colson Montgomery at this point.
Thanks for reading! We really appreciate it. This wasn’t a question but I’ll dive in. Jake Burger was an interesting discussion among our writers. The prep pitchers took a step back obviously for a variety of reasons and Burger returned in a big way. #4 in the system seems like the right spot and that’s where we put him. His proximity to the majors matters a great deal. There were some who would’ve put Jose Rodriguez and possibly even Romy Gonzalez ahead of some of the pitchers. As a collective group, we decided to remain conservative on Rodriguez and Gonzalez and we’d love to wrong and watch them continue to thrive.
Oscar Colas will sign with the Chicago White Sox for around $2.7 million on January 15, 2022. We will be writing about and discussing him over the next few months as he enters the club’s system. If we were able to put him in this current version of the list, he’d definitely be in the top five.
The biggest risk to be removed from the 40-man roster this offseason is definitely Micker Adolfo. He’s having a solid year split between AA/AAA but he’s out of options next spring and likely not ready to contribute to the 2022 White Sox. What happens with the former international signing will be an interesting tertiary story to follow this winter. Romy Gonzalez, Lenyn Sosa, Luis Mieses, Kade McClure and Jason Bilous are all Rule Five eligible in December and the organization will have some interesting decisions to make in regards to their status. Gonzalez seems like a no brainer to protect at this stage but the others are less likely. Bilous and McClure would be threats to get selected however.
Cespedes is playing center field in the minor leagues and there’s no reason to change that at this point. His speed has been just average for our in person looks but he looks like a professional out there. He may not be able to stay in center long-term but his 70-grade throwing arm plays in left or right field. The defense won’t be an issue during his professional career. The hit tool will decide what type of player he becomes in the future.
It’s been a struggle for the young pitchers in the system this year. 19-year-old Jared Kelley was the #1 prospect in the system briefly after all of the graduations but 2021 was a struggle for last year’s second rounder. The 6-3 230 pounder averaged 10.7 K/9 but also posted 9.43 BB/9. His ERA was 6.86 in just 21 innings on the year as injuries and conditioning issues have gotten the best of him. Kelley will be shut down for the remainder of the season with a shoulder impingement as well.
The White Sox are hoping that he can pitch during fall instructional league but he’ll need establish a routine and get his conditioning in order regardless. Matthew Thompson just turned 21-years-old and he’s thrown 57.2 innings with the Cannon Ballers this year. The athletic right hander struck out almost 10 guys per nine but walked just under five with a 6.71 ERA. His 4.89 xFIP was more respectable however.
His draft mate and fellow righty is 20-year-old Andrew Dalquist and he’s had a rough year as well. The 6-1 175 pounder posted a 5.02 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 6 BB/9. The silver lining is that Dalquist has thrown more than 70 innings in 2021. Thompson and Dalquist should advance to High-A for 2022 and Kelley repeating in Kannapolis wouldn’t be a surprise at this juncture. They are all still very young.
Coffey is hurt. He underwent Tommy John surgery in the off-season and he’s expected to return sometime next season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Coffey pitching in Low-A at some point in 2022.
Micker Adolfo is an intriguing player but a big league team expected to be in contention for a championship can’t afford to carry him on their 26-man roster right now. The 24-year-old advanced to Triple-A this year and has played in Charlotte recently. The 6-4 225 pounder possesses prodigious raw power and he’s posted a 134 wRC+ with the Knights. Prior to his time in the Queen City however, Adolfo smacked 15 homers and posted a 127 wRc+ with the Barons in Double-A. There’s lots of power and lots of strikeouts but Adolfo is out of options and the White Sox will have a big decision to make this off-season.
Many people smarter than I believe that Montgomery can stick at shortstop so that makes the draft pick even more promising in my opinion. The White Sox think that the Indiana prep product is a no doubt shortstop and they are in lock step with the Corey Seager comparisons, at least on the defensive side of things.
Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath both have the ceiling of impact starters in the big leagues but they have a long way to go to achieve that status. They’re both interesting and packed with upside but prep guys are generally really far away and almost any outcome is possible at this point. Yoelqui Cespedes could be in the majors as early as next season but the impact he will have is still a question. Jake Burger held his own with a contending White Sox team and he’s ready for more big league time. Norge Vera has top of the rotation upside but he needs innings going forward to reach his lofty ceiling. It’s still probably the worst farm system in the sport but it has the ability to move up in outside rankings.
Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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