Primer:
The Top Prospect Report is a weekly post here at FutureSox highlighting performances of the top prospects in the system. More specifically, it will cover the top 15 prospects (plus an occasional bonus or two) as classified by their most recent FS ranking.
This can serve as your one-stop shop to see weekly and season stat lines for all the high-end talent growing on the farm. Most players will have a few notes about their recent performance, while others may have more in-depth blurbs. How much a prospect is featured in a given week will be dictated by performance or relevant narratives.
*Stats may not reflect last night’s results*
Hitter of the week: Jameson Fisher
Pitcher of the week: Lucas Giolito
1. Yoan Moncada, 2B
Moncada posted a selfie in Chicago earlier in the week and that was his biggest highlight as he remains sidelined with a bruised thumb. As it turns out, Moncada was in the Windy City being evaluated by team doctors. He’s currently on the 7-Day DL and it looks as though he’ll be back in action in short order.
Last Week: Did Not Play
Season Line: .331/.401/.504 (.905 OPS), 46 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 15 RBI, 10 SB, 10.8 BB%, 27.4 K%, .440 BABIP, 157 PA
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP
Lucas Giolito threw a no-hitter last night. The game was shortened to 7-innings due to the double-header (a scheduling tactic unique to the minors) but it doesn’t take away from how big this is for Giolito, who has had a tumultuous season up to this point. He tossed seven scoreless innings of no hit ball, with three walks and three strikeouts. For someone who had a 9.6 H/9 through eight starts, this was certainly an unexpected development. Giolito has been refining his delivery and working to get into sync, so this may be an indication things are starting to click for the right-hander. Oh and he did it against the Syracuse Chiefs, who just happen to be the Triple-A affiliate for his former club the Washington Nationals. Here’s a Baseball America report on his start that features some quotes from Lucas himself.
Last Week: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 K, 3 BB, 1 GS, 7.0 IP
Season Line: 1-5, 6.41 ERA, 5.76 FIP, 9.15 K/9, 5.03 BB/9, 1.83 HR/9, 9 GS, 46.1 IP
3. Michael Kopech, RHP
Michael Kopech tossed a gem in his start against Tennessee. He walked two in the first inning, but found his control thereafter and produced a quality outing with few blemishes. He went seven strong innings, giving up just one run on an infield ground-out in the first frame. He had eight punch-outs to those two aforementioned walks, and in total threw 65 percent of his 104 pitches for strikes. Kopech was an inning short from a quality outing in last night’s start. He gave up one run on four hits over five innings. It’s not a Kopech start without plenty of strikeouts. The flamethrower had six but he also walked four. A BB/9 near five won’t cut it at the MLB level, so control remains a focal point for the talented Kopech.
Last Week: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 14 K, 6 BB, 2 GS, 12.0 IP
Season Line: 3-2, 2.76 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 12.54 K/9, 4.89 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9, 9 GS, 47.1 IP
4. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP
Lopez stayed hot this week. He notched his fifth quality start of the season, surrendering just one run on three hits over six innings. Trouble emerged when back to back singles put runners on the corners in the third, but Lopez neutralized the threat by striking out Giavotella. He had five strikeouts on the night to just one walk. The only run came on a Pedro Alvarez double in the sixth, but Lopez avoided a big inning by getting a fly out to end his night. Lopez has a cool 1.57 ERA over the last month.
Last Week: 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 5 K, 1 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 5-1, 2.94 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 9.18 K/9, 4.22 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, 9 GS, 49.0 IP
5. Zack Collins, C
Collins showed good plate discipline this week with five walks to six strikeouts. He tallied a double and home run to his stat line. His OBP sits at .395 and he’s firmly placed his OPS above .800. Not a bad week for Collins, though he’s still not hitting for much of an average.
Last Week: .214/.450/.500 (.950 OPS), 3 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 BB, 6 K, 20 PA
Season Line: .221/.395/.420 (.815 OPS), 29 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 21.5 BB%, 24.4 K%, .271 BABIP, 172 PA
6. Carson Fulmer, RHP
I said last week that Fulmer was coming off a just turn-the-page outing, but you might want to skip ahead to the next chapter. A truly solid season for the right-hander has gone off the rails a bit, with his start against Syracuse hopefully serving as the bottom. Fulmer went six innings, but gave up four earned runs on five hits. He wasn’t generating any whiffs, with just two on the night and those didn’t quite balance out his two walks. The eye-popping stat in Tuesday’s start was the four home runs Fulmer allowed, two of them coming back to back in the sixth. His HR/9 now stands at 1.79 on the season, which needless to say is a concerning metric, even when his home ballpark is a launching pad.
Last Week: 0-1, 6.00 ERA, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 5-3, 4.11 ERA, 5.61 FIP, 6.62 K/9, 3.40 BB/9, 1.79 HR/9, 9 GS, 50.1 IP
7. Alec Hansen, RHP
Hansen had a mixed outing against Greenville. The lanky right-hander struck out ten hitters over five innings, but also gave up three runs on six hits. Most of the damage came in the second inning, where Hansen walked two and gave up three of his hits. After a shaky start to the third, he mowed down the next three batters via the strikeout and found a groove the rest of the way.
Last Week: 1-0, 5.40 ERA, 10 K, 3 BB, 1 GS, 5.0 IP
Season Line: 4-3, 3.21 ERA, 3.06 FIP, 9.82 K/9, 3.59 BB/9, 0.19 HR/9, 9 GS, 47.2 IP
8. Zack Burdi, RHP
Burdi had just one appearance this week and it came in a non-save situation where he gave up a hit and struck out two batters. Burdi’s 2.04 ERA is creeping closer to that coveted sub-two level and it’s only a matter of time before he sees Chicago.
Last Week: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 K, 0 BB, 1 G, 1.0 IP
Season Line: 0-2, 2.04 ERA, 1.72 FIP, 13.75 K/9, 3.06 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 5/1 SV/BS, 15 G, 17.2 IP
9. Luis Alexander Basabe, OF
Basabe has continued to slide since his surge last month, though there have been signs of life the last couple games. He had six singles and a walk over 26 plate appearances on the week but did add two stolen bases. He now has just a .570 OPS over the last four weeks and hasn’t hit for muchpower all season (.080 ISO and .300 SLG).
Last Week: .240/.269/.240 (.509 OPS), 6 H, 2 SB, 1 BB, 8 K, 26 PA
Season Line: .220/.320/.300 (.620 OPS), 33 H, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 SB, 10.3 BB%, 25.3 K%, .305 BABIP, 174 PA
10. Dane Dunning, RHP
Dunning’s May 19th start was noteworthy mostly for how it ended. He had a messy first, where a single and walk both scored on a three-run bomb by Carolina’s Lucas Erceg. He followed that up with a clean second and made quick work of the first two batters in the third frame, before throwing at the aforementioned Erceg. The pitch was definitely of the “head-hunting” classification and it was enough for HP umpire Thomas Roche to issue the automatic ejection. In the end, it was a short night for Dunning who has struggled since his promotion. His ERA in four Winston-Salem starts has ballooned to 5.79.
Last Week: 0-0, 3 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 2.2 IP
Season Line:
Low-A: 2-0, 0.35 ERA, 1.41 FIP, 11.42 K/9, 0.69 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9, 4 GS, 26.0 IP
High-A: 1-0, 5.79 ERA, 5.00 FIP, 12.86 K/9, 6.43 BB/9, 1.29 HR/9, 4 GS, 14.0 IP
11. Jordan Stephens, RHP
*Currently Injured, but now throwing in Extended Spring Training and should return soon*
12. Alex Call, OF
*Currently Injured – intercostal muscle injury, has been taking BP in the cage, should return soon*
Last Week: Did Not Play
Season Line: .244/.311/.366 (.677 OPS), 10 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, 6.7 BB%, 24.4 K%, .333 BABIP, 45 PA
13. Spencer Adams, RHP
Tennessee put on a hit parade against Adams, with eight knocks over five innings, but he was able to limit the scoring to just two runs. Two double plays and a Jones-Rondon relay throw to the plate will do that. Adams only allowed one free pass, which continues to reaffirm his remarkable 1.20 BB/9 in Double-A Birmingham.
Last Week: 1-0, 3.60 ERA, 3 K, 1 BB, 1 GS, 5.0 IP
Season Line: 2-6, 4.30 ERA, 3.53 FIP, 6.54 K/9, 1.20 BB/9, 1.03 HR/9, 9 GS, 52.1 IP
14. Jameson Fisher, OF
It’s time for Jameson Fisher to re-order some postage stamps. The outfielder finally had himself a week to write home about. Kannapolis played two double-headers this week, and Fisher put on a show both days. He piled up five doubles and a triple over his last seven contests. His OBP now sits at .359 and his overall line has been propped up by an .874 OPS over the last month. It’s seems safe to say he’s found his stroke again.
Last Week: .391/.464/.696 (1.160 OPS), 9 H, 5 2B, 3B, 2 BB, 8 K, 28 PA
Season Line: .271/.359/.421 (.780 OPS), 36 H, 11 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 2 SB, 10.2 BB%, 25.5 K%, .368 BABIP, 157 PA
15. Luis Curbelo, SS
*In extended spring training*
Bonus:
25. Bernardo Flores, LHP
Bernardo Flores was part of Hostetler’s lauded 2016 draft haul. A 7th rounder out of USC, the southpaw struggled and mostly pitched out of the pen in college. The White Sox liked the stuff and peripherals and signed him to a $200,000 slot deal. Chicago then tried him as a starter with Great Falls and he did well in Rookie Ball, posting a 3.66 ERA in nine starts with a 6.86 K/9 and just a 1.83 BB/9. A favorite of FutureSox’s Brian Bilek, Flores has a balanced mix in his arsenal with a low to mid-90s fastball, a potentially plus change, as well as the makings of a cutter and curveball. The latter is raw but he’s flashed sharpness with the pitch in the past. Now in Kannapolis, Flores has been good for a 3.62 ERA over nine starts. The strikeouts are up (7.61 K/9) while his control is still strong (1.99 BB/9). FS writer Rob Young saw Flores live when he didn’t have his best stuff and you can read his take here. There’s a lot of projection with Flores and a volatile spectrum of outcomes, but he’s certainly more intriguing than his draft position may have initially suggested.
Last Week: 0-0, 1.50 ERA, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 GS, 6.0 IP
Season Line: 5-3, 3.62 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 7.61 K/9, 1.99 BB/9, 0.91 HR/9, 9 GS, 49.2 IP
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