Patreon Content: Individual Top 30 lists – Mike Rankin

By / / Rankings Discussion, Patreon

It’s rankings week at FutureSox and the schedule of events is below!

In addition to our regular content, our participating rankers (James Fox, Mike Rankin, Dan Santaromita, Rob Young, Sean Williams and Jasper Roos) will each release their individual top 30 lists to Patrons throughout the week!

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED
James Fox’s List
Jasper Roos’ List
Sean Williams’ List

Mike Rankin

1. LUIS ROBERT (OF)
2. MICHAEL KOPECH (RHP)
3. ANDREW VAUGHN (1B)
4. NICK MADRIGAL (2B)
5. JONATHAN STIEVER (RHP)

Rankings one-through-four were unanimous for us at FutureSox. However, I’ll admit I listed Andrew Vaughn at No. 2 for about 48 hours before flipping him with Michael Kopech. I stand by my final decision based on the immediate impact Kopech will bring to the big-league club in 2020, as well as the value he offers as a starting pitcher with a repertoire that features a fastball consistently in the upper 90’s. Vaughn will be the top prospect come mid-season.

I was also one of the few to rank Jonathan Stiever ahead of Dane Dunning. The fact Dunning hasn’t pitched in a live game since June of 2018 forced me to credit the guy who dominated his first stint in Winston-Salem. Stiever’s arrow cannot trend any more upward than it is right now.

6. DANE DUNNING (RHP)
7. ZACK COLLINS (C)
8. GAVIN SHEETS (1B)
9. ANDREW DALQUIST (RHP)
10. MATTHEW THOMPSON (RHP)

I’m still pretty high on Zack Collins despite the concerns surrounding his performance in 27 Major League games last year as well as his position within the organization. As a left-handed hitting catcher, Collins’ plus power and plate discipline remains valuable to the White Sox.

Love me some Gavin Sheets in 2020. I wrote about my rationale on Sheets’ No. 8 ranking, as well as my decision to put Dalquist over Thompson. The long and short of it is: Sheets is a pure hitter, while I believe Dalquist, at this time in their young careers, has a more projectable starter’s build based on his delivery, pitch types and frame compared to Thompson. We’ll know much more about these intriguing high school arms in 2020, where both will seriously be put to the test for the first time in their professional careers.

11. MICKER ADOLFO (OF)
12. LUIS ALEXANDER BASABE (OF)
13. BLAKE RUTHERFORD (OF)
14. LUIS GONZALEZ (OF)
15. YOLBERT SANCHEZ (SS)

This group is loaded with question marks and also loaded with talent. Will it translate and will they stay healthy? Micker Adolfo is 6-4, 255 pounds. I can’t wait to see him up close in person. He reminds me a lot of Jorge Soler. I also want to see what Basabe can do in a full season without injury limitations. If his floor is a fourth outfielder on the White Sox, then consider me giddy because I sure will take a switch-hitting corner outfielder with plus speed.

I’m good with Yolbert Sanchez at No. 15 because he’s entering his age 23 season with tools developed enough to be considered Major League ready. Despite not playing stateside in his professional career, not many prospects are as advanced as Sanchez in their careers.

16. JIMMY LAMBERT (RHP)
17. ZACK BURDI (RHP)
18. TYLER JOHNSON (RHP)
19. IAN HAMILTON (RHP)
20. KONNOR PILKINGTON (LHP)

Jimmy Lambert remains in high regard among us at FutureSox despite suffering Tommy John surgery. He has the stuff to get Major League hitters out. I’m extremely excited about Zack Burdi. The soon-to-be 25-year-old was shelved last year due to a right knee injury, but appeared healthy two years removed from Tommy John surgery. Burdi can pitch on 35th and Shields this year if his velocity, command and stamina hold up.

Tyler Johnson and Ian Hamilton are two of the more exciting relief arms in the Sox system. Johnson has the stuff to fly through the system this year, while Hamilton pumps an upper-90’s fastball that’s already been flashed at Guaranteed Rate Field. Konnor Pilkington, meanwhile, works fast, locates well and has good enough stuff to warrant his No. 20 ranking.

21. CODI HEUER (RHP)
22. BRYCE BUSH (OF)
23. KADE MCCLURE (RHP)
24. BERNARDO FLORES (LHP)
25. WILL KINCANON (RHP)

Oh, now we’re talkin’. I am enamored with the potential attached to Heuer, Bush and McClure. Keep an eye on those three because I sure am. I’m a bit down on Bernardo Flores. I need to see better production out of him in 2020. Flores is currently on the 40-man roster, so he better figure it out quickly because those spots are of course valuable.

Hey, shout out to Will Kincanon. I’m the only one to include this 24-year-old right-handed reliever on our individual top-30 lists. Kincanon sits in the mid-90’s with his fastball that occasionally gets up to 97 mph. Despite Advanced-A being his highest level of competition (where he dominated, by the way), it’s not atypical to see a guy like Kincanon shoot up the system quickly. Based on his age, experience, position and stuff, I like Kincanon as a sneaky prospect to pay attention to in 2020.

26. DJ GLADNEY (3B)
27. JOSE RODRIGUEZ (SS)
28. JAMES BEARD (OF)
29. BENYAMIN BAILEY (OF)
30. JAKE BURGER (3B)

I’m not going to not include 2017 11th overall pick Jake Burger on this list because he is just too talented to leave off. 30 is fine, even though there are serious questions surrounding his future in baseball.

Now that that’s out of the way, boy, do I love me some DJ Gladney. I tried ranking him in the top-10, but I got yelled at by my colleagues. I guess Jose Rodriguez is pretty good, too. James Beard is young and fast, while Benyamin Bailey has the ability to explode on the scene and make his way onto some national lists after this season.

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, if on a mobile device) and click the “Subscribe” button. 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 you can read about here. Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with the latest FutureSox apparel.

1 thought on “Patreon Content: Individual Top 30 lists – Mike Rankin”

Comments are closed.