Twitter can often times be a source of contention but it’s still an essential medium for what we do. And our readers remain 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.
Sammy Peralta low-key tho
— . (@vincent_maltese) February 20, 2023
had an xFIP of 3.55 in AA, 29% K, 9%BB, 50% GB rate. great changeup. gets righties out better than lefties. Capable of throwing multiple innings. Had good showing in AFL too.
Peralta was a player that our team discussed in advance of the top 30 list publishing. The just missed portion was packed with relievers but this former 18th rounder out of Tampa might be the best oversight. The 24-year-old southpaw also posted a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings during the Arizona Fall League with 14 strikeouts and four walks. He was Rule Five eligible as well and stayed in the White Sox’s system. Peralta will return to Triple-A but could serve as immediate left-handed relief depth for the big league team. Bennett Sousa was recently designated for assignment and claimed on waivers by the Reds. Peralta could be one reason why the lefty was deemed expendable.
Thoughts on if Dario Borrero will have a breakout season at A ball? Will the power finally show up for him?
— Brian Labude 🐻❄️ (@Polar_Bear_Ball) February 21, 2023
Dario Borrero is a 19-year-old Venezuelan who made his stateside debut in Arizona last year. The 6-5, 190 pounder looks to be moving to first base defensively so developing power will be imperative. In 46 games in the Arizona Complex League, the lefty hit .313/.349/.373 with a 101 wRC+. He doesn’t walk much and he has zero professional homers to date. Borrero has shown bat-to-ball skills but his ability to hit for power will determine whether he stays on the prospect radar.
If you’re another GM, who are you asking for in a potential mid-season trade where you’re sending ML reinforcements to the Sox? If you’re Rick Hahn, who’s on your do-not-trade list?
— Andrew Segall (@acs624) February 21, 2023
You would think that rival clubs would always start with Colson Montgomery. With that being a non-starter for the White Sox, it gets a bit tricky to make deals. The development of Noah Schultz, Peyton Pallette and Tanner McDougal will be important to monitor this year in regards to trade value. Some clubs will value Bryan Ramos, Jose Rodriguez and Lenyn Sosa but those players need to be on a 40-man roster and could lose some value because of it. Cristian Mena would be a likely target and rival executives have already asked about Panamanian infielder Ryan Burrowes often.
To the extent that we can project rosters…which affiliate's opening day rotation will have the most impact on org outlook in, say, 2025? What about position players? Personally hyped for Pallette/McDougal/Schultz/Cannon? in Kanny + the Project Bham guys wherever they start '23.
— Eleven (@Eleven90Three) February 21, 2023
This is quite a question. There should be a period of time this year in which Noah Schultz, Peyton Pallette and Tanner McDougal will all be in Kannapolis. That’s likely the answer to this question. However, Winston-Salem should have guys who can move quickly like Jonathan Cannon, Tyler Schweitzer and Drew McDaniel. Norge Vera could be back in High-A as well. Birmingham should feature Matthew Thompson, Jared Kelley, Andrew Dalquist, Kohl Simas and Cristian Mena. Montgomery and Ramos should be in Birmingham but Charlotte should have quite the positional core.
Montgomery looks like the future. If CHW dared to make one big giant move to contend NOW and next season, regardless of what MLB does with Clevinger, would you center a package around Montgomery & Mena to trade for a guy like Max Fried?
— Brando Cel (@BigCelio) February 21, 2023
The White Sox would very likely need something extremely significant to move Colson Montgomery at this point. It seems incredibly unlikely that he’d be traded for anyone. You have the right idea though. If the organization felt it necessary to push the chips in and make a deal of this magnitude, someone like Max Fried or Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes would likely be involved.
Yolbert Sanchez just hasn’t been able to impact the baseball at the Triple-A level and he turns 26 next week. The White Sox didn’t protect the Cuban infielder in advance of the Rule Five draft and nobody in the league claimed him. He has a chance to make the big leagues but he doesn’t appear to be an organizational priority for the White Sox currently.
Any chance colson hits the bigs this year. I’m guessing only if injury happens
— Woody (@Woody102778) February 22, 2023
It would be pretty surprising but the good ones have a way of forcing the issue. Montgomery will be in Double-A this year and if he continues to perform like he has, he’ll be on the periphery of the big leagues with a likely arrival in 2024.
Was Vera’s fall to #10 due solely to his availability, or is he not the prospect he was thought to be?
— Steve Ochoa (@steve8a) February 22, 2023
What are we looking for from Mena and Vera this season? Who has the better 2023 and who is closer to seeing time in Chicago?
— Eleven (@Eleven90Three) February 23, 2023
These are two very different situations currently. Mena needs to continue doing what he’s doing while developing a third pitch and improving his fastball velocity. He should spend much of the season in Double-A and could be the best pitching prospect in the White Sox’s system with a bullet at this point soon. Vera just needs to pitch. He only accumulated 35 innings last year and increasing that total significantly is the most important next step in the Cuban righty’s development. Mena is closer to Chicago and a 2023 debut isn’t completely out of the question.
Where does Tatis rank?
— Jacob Larsen (@jakelarsen) February 22, 2023
This made me chuckle. Elijah Tatis was released by the organization last season after immense struggles in rookie league action. There is another Tatis brother on the horizon though as Daniel Tatis could sign with someone during the next international period. Maybe it will be the White Sox.
Do you feel this organization has gone down a different path in Amateur Player Evaluation? Recent drafts feel different. International signings are a bit different. Has the organization improved in player development? "Project Birmingham" unique, but helpful?
— Wayne (@richwp01) February 23, 2023
It’s definitely a different path. The draft classes have been much more diverse under the leadership of amateur scouting director Mike Shirley. He hasn’t been afraid to swing for premium talent and the organization has adjusted to selecting more prep players as opposed to college heavy drafts. The franchise is now a complete wild card in the draft with essentially any demographic on the table at all times. While older Cuban talent will always be an emphasis on the international market, the organization has recently started incorporating the addition of more pitching via the international market. It’s an interesting shift.
In regards to player development, the White Sox are still “old school” in many areas but the implementation of data has started to catch up to the industry. The changes on the hitting side of the organization have been strong under coordinator Andy Barkett. The pitching folks have been in place for awhile but there are some recent additions on that front as well. This will be a very important year for the organization.
Given the current players in the system, if the Sox drastically underperform again this year and start selling veteran stars at the deadline — a la the Sale/Eaton trades + rebuild — what year seems like the best bet as a target to again field a competitive team?
— Cooper57 (@cooper57xl) February 23, 2023
Even if the White Sox underachieve again in 2023, I’m expecting the team to be competitive in 2024. There’s a lot of talent on the club. They could feasibly sell off some veterans while acquiring prospects and spending money on the 2024 product. There are some immediate contributors down on the farm but I don’t expect another full scale rebuild any time soon.
If you could assemble a hierarchy of catching prospects in the Sox system, what would that look like?
— Brad Herdklotz (@BHerdklotz) February 24, 2023
Carlos Perez is the closest to the majors. Adam Hackenberg might be the most interesting. Evan Skoug and Tyler Osik are trying to make names for themselves and crack into the big league mix. Catching isn’t an area of strength in the system at this time. Venezuelan Manual Guariman could make his full season debut this year and the organization invested $500K in Angelo Hernandez this past January. Check back in next month when our positional previews get released here at FutureSox.
If we just talked ceiling is it #1Montgomery,#2Ramos ?
— yung reliever (@paulderdash1) February 24, 2023
Another interesting question. Montgomery probably has the highest ceiling as you’ve noted here. He could be a legitimate star level player while staying at shortstop. Ramos has a high ceiling if it all comes together but we need to include Noah Schultz and Norge Vera on this list. Both pitchers have top-of-the-rotation potential if they can reach their lofty ceilings.