In this entry in the off-season article series here at FutureSox, we’ll discuss the third base prospects in the White Sox’s farm system. There were six prospects to choose from for this list, so instead of prioritizing the five, I’ll sneak in a sixth because it’s what the people want. Contributing writers mostly agreed on the order of this list.
Jake Burger is a former first rounder who enjoyed a stellar bounce back while making his big league debut. Wes Kath is a 19-year-old Arizona prep who was added to the mix in July. Cuban Bryan Ramos continues to grow into one of the brighter spots of the Marco Paddy signing tenure. In addition to Ramos, the franchise has continued to add corner infielders with power from the Dominican Republic on an annual basis. Two of those players qualify here as well in addition to a recent over-slot high school pick from the Chicago area.
Here are the top five third base prospects in the system:
1. Wes Kath-Ranked 3rd Overall. Last Level: Arizona (R)
The White Sox selected the Arizona prep infielder with the 57th pick in the second round this past year and paid him an over-slot bonus of $1.8 million. The 19-year-old hits left-handed and throws with his right and projects as a third baseman despite playing shortstop consistently as an amateur.
The 6-3 200 pounder hit well on the showcase circuit last year and he was named Arizona High School Player of the Year by Gatorade. He also led Desert Mountain High School to the 5A state championship last year.
The White Sox selected Kath due to their belief in his “easy left-handed stroke that consistently provides hard contact to all fields”. He’s an advanced hitter that displays patience at the dish as well. MLB Pipeline believes that the infielder should develop “average or better pop once he turns on more pitches or adds more loft to his swing”. The infielder is a below average runner but he should stick at third base ecause of his soft hands and plus arm.
After the draft, scouting director Mike Shirley met the assembled media and spoke glowingly about Kath’s future.
“Wes Kath is mature,” Shirley said. “He has this balance in the delivery of his barrel, you see it in the box. There’s not a lot of stress to it. You think of the Andrew Vaughns and Gavin Sheets. As you scout these guys, you see the maturity in how they handle a bat.”
He earned some comparisons to Braves’ star Freddie Freeman as well just from a sense of comparing swings at a similar age.
Kath struggled over the course of 28 games in the Arizona Complex League after signing. In 115 plate appearances, the infielder hit .212/.287/.337 with a wRC+ of 66. The strikeout rate ballooned to 36.5%. He hit three homers and drove in 15 runs. Kath was more impressive during fall instructional league and likely makes his full season debut in Kannapolis to begin 2022.
2. Jake Burger-Ranked 4th Overall. Last Level: Charlotte (AAA)
The 25-year-old had an impressive year in 2021 and his story is quite remarkable. The White Sox selected Jake Burger with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Missouri State. After hitting five homers and posting a 116 wRC+ in A ball, the third baseman was invited to big league spring training where he ruptured his achilles tendon in 2018. Burger missed the 2018 and 2019 seasons after a re-rupture of the tendon followed by bruising in his heel. It was a long road back for the slugger but he was drafted partly for his makeup and he proved the organization right in 2020 while playing at the alternate site.
The 6-2 210 pounder really changed his body and he looked great on the comeback trail in 2020. The White Sox agreed and added the former first rounder to the 40-man roster. In what some felt was a rather aggressive placement, the development staff decided to send Burger to Triple-A Charlotte for the 2021 season. In 82 games with the Knights, the righty hit .274/.332/.513 with 18 homers while posting a 122 wRC+ with a .239 ISO. Burger really mashed lefties in the Ieague. He also played 15 games in Chicago, earning his first call up to the majors. In 42 plate appearances, the former Bear slashed .263/.333/.474 with a 120 wRC+, .211 ISO and he hit one homer while playing mostly third base.
In the recent prospect update at Baseball America, Bill Mitchell ranked Burger as the #7 prospect in the system currently. They laud his solid approach at the plate and note that he possesses a “quick swing, plus raw power and the ability to drive balls from gap-to-gap”.
They feel that he profiles best as a “righthanded power hitter who bounces between third and first base”. Burger shows bat speed and all fields power. He’ll be in big league spring training unless he’s moved to another club this off-season. He’s a corner guy in an organization filled with experienced corner guys. He likely begins the 2022 season back in the Queen City if he’s a member of the franchise.
3. Bryan Ramos-Ranked 11th overall. Last Level: Kannapolis (Low-A)
Ramos will play next season as a 20-year-old and likely starts in High-A with Winston-Salem. The 6-2 190 pounder slashed .244/.345/.415 in 504 plate appearances over the course of 115 games in Low-A with Kannapolis. The right-handed hitter posted a 109 wRC+ while hitting 13 homers, driving in 54 runs and walking at a 10.1% clip overall. He burst onto the scene in 2019 when the organization sent to him to Arizona for rookie ball as a 17-year-old without any experience in the Dominican Summer League prior. In 51 games, the Cuban hit .277/.353/.415 with a 110 wRC+. He hit four homers and walked at an 8.7% rate as the third youngest player in the league at the time.
Ramos is the 10th ranked prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline and they note that he’s been a frequent target in trade discussions with other clubs. He’s ranked where he is due to “standout raw power, strength and bat speed”. The publication projects the third baseman to hit for 20 plus homers on an annual basis and they note that he also possesses a feel to hit and uses all fields. Pitch recognition and plate discipline are areas in which improvement is needed.
For his size, he’s a solid runner but he’ll likely end up with below average speed overall. His range is just average but he should have enough arm to stay at third base while moving to an outfield corner is always an option. The White Sox feel he has “natural infield actions” and because of that, they’ve played him at second base quite often. He can be over-selective at that plate which is something he’s worked on with team instructors. He understands the importance of taking walks but often bypasses pitches to really do damage on due to poor pitch recognition or selection. Ramos should keep moving up the system ranks as he matures and advances to higher levels.
4. Wilfred Veras-Ranked 30th overall. Last Level: Arizona (R)
Veras had a monster debut in the Arizona Complex League as an 18-year-old making his professional debut in 2021. In 46 games in rookie ball, the 6-2 180 pounder slashed .322/.416/.533 with a 147 wRC+. He right-handed hitter clubbed four homers while driving in 26 runs, posting a .211 ISO with a walk rate of nearly 12%. His BABIP was likely unsustainable but the power is real and worth monitoring. He was signed for $200K as a member of the club’s 2019-2020 international class.
The class was headlined by Cuban shortstop Yolbert Sanchez and Elijah Tatis was a noteworthy addition due to the bloodlines as well. Veras who is the cousin of Tatis and son of former big leaguer Wilton Veras, has had a much better start to his professional career however and is firmly on the prospect radar. After signing, Wilfred didn’t play in 2020 because the Dominican Republic was shut down for the pandemic. The White Sox decided to debut him stateside which is something that Chris Getz hasn’t been afraid to do with teenagers in his tenure.
The 19-year-old projects as a third baseman with a strong arm, solid hands and good footwork despite below average speed. He should stay at the hot corner but he’s played some first base as well. That likely continues in Low-A with the Cannon Ballers while he splits time with Wes Kath and DJ Gladney on that squad potentially in 2022. The bat is his carrying tool and the White Sox loved his power potential when he was signed out of the Dominican. There is plenty of physical upside remaining with this player and he’s a name to keep an eye in the system going forward.
5. Victor Quezada-Unranked. Last Level: Dominican Summer League (R)
The 6-1 185 pounder throws and hits right handed and was signed out of the Dominican Republic for $525K in January 2021. Now 18-years-old, he made his debut with the White Sox’s affiliate in the Dominican Summer League as a 17-year-old this past season. In 49 games, he slashed .250/.353/.436 with six homers and 20 runs batted in over 184 plate appearances. Quezada posted a 120 wRC+ with a wOBA of .383 while compiling a 28.3% strikeout rate and 14.1% walk rate.
He should be on a similar trajectory to Wilfred Veras and likely debuts stateside in Arizona in 2022. He had a solid showing in the DSL and his tools were on display. He’s physically advanced with raw power and a strong build. The teenager also possesses a plus arm that plays at third base currently after moving over from shortstop as an amateur. The swing is simple and he’s shown all fields power. Ben Badler of Baseball America profiled the Dominican slugger in his international preview for the White Sox last year. $525K is a significant bonus on the international market and Quezada is a guy to watch moving forward.
Honorable Mention: DJ Gladney-Unranked. Last Level: Kannapolis (Low-A)
Gladney fell off our top 30 list in the previous cycle as he really struggled in his assignment to Low-A with Kannapolis. As a raw 19-year-old that lost the 2020 season, full season ball just proved to be too daunting of a task but the organization didn’t really have a choice in their defense. In amassing a 42% strikeout rate, Gladney hit .191/293/.324 with seven homers in 71 games which is good for a wRC+ of 73. The one positive offensively was the 10.5% walk rate he posted with the Cannon Ballers.
The 6-3 195 pounder posted a 97 wRC+ with eight homers in 50 games during his debut in the Arizona League in 2019. The White Sox drafted him out of Iliana Christian High School in the 16th round in 2019 and paid him $225K to eschew his commitment to Eastern Kentucky. He’s the 28th ranked prospect in a thin system over at MLB Pipeline and they note his plus raw power as the obvious carrying tool. The power is created with “bat speed, projectable strength and leverage in his large frame”.
The infielder shows pop to all fields and the organization is focused on improving his footwork and the consistency of his arm stroke but they feel he can become an average defensive third baseman. Gladney has serious swing and miss concerns due to a “rudimentary approach and pitch recognition” and external evaluators think he could end up relegated to first base or left field so he has to hit to be a factor at all. Gladney could repeat Low-A or move on to Winston-Salem depending on how aggressive the player development staff wants to approach things this spring.
Photo credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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.