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.
We can always count on Mr. Ramos to ask a question that will require significant research to answer. It’s what the man does but he’s a content factory so we’ll let it slide. This one is really interesting. It makes lots of sense to make trades in general.
Micker Adolfo and Blake Rutherford are running out of minor league options. Jake Burger and Gavin Sheets are theoretically blocked unless the outfield becomes a more clear path. With a loaded bullpen, Tyler Johnson and Zack Burdi appear to be up and down types that could pitch for a lot of teams. Zack Collins could really help someone but he has no value and no path toward playing time in Chicago either. Trading players with deteriorating control for more prospects makes some sense just from a control standpoint. The best case scenario however would be a few of these guys increasing their value and being used to enhance the 2021 White Sox in deadline trades, allowing the organization to keep their further away prospects with the franchise for trades in the future. I hope this helps, Beef. If not, air out your grievances on twitter.com and we can discuss further over there.
Enoy Jimenez is a 5’10” 160 pound infielder that has played in the Dominican Summer League. The 20-year-old played in 29 games for the White Sox’s affiliate in Boca Chica in 2019 and he slashed .208/.282/.247. He’s not a prospect at this point but the signing likely made Eloy Jimenez very happy and sometimes organizations do similar things.
Catcher is one of the weaker spots in the White Sox’s farm system currently. Zack Collins was the club’s first rounder in 2016 and he’s in the majors as a reserve. Yermin Mercedes and Seby Zavala are both in the high minors and members of the 40-man roster but that wasn’t really the question you asked. On our recently published just missed article, multiple catchers were listed.
Victor Torres was an 11th rounder out of Puerto Rico back in 2019 and he has quality defensive skills. Jefferson Mendoza is a recent international signing from Venezuela who should make his stateside debut this year. He has a chance but he’s very far from contributing. Tyler Osik is interesting as an older prospect that could make a big league impact if he continues to hit in the minor leagues. The organization knows that the system is deficient and the word is that amateur scouting director Mike Shirley and his staff have been all over prep players in the lead up to July’s draft. Selecting one of the myriad prep catchers at #22 overall wouldn’t be a stretch at this point. They also signed Manual Guariman out of Venezuela in this year’s international class and he has power and defensive skills. He likely starts his career in the Dominican Summer League, however.
This is an interesting one because there are a few guys. I think Jake Burger has a big year and puts himself firmly in the mix for a big league role. Bryce Bush and Bryan Ramos are the prospects who are the most likely to make a big step as far as rankings are concerned. Caleb Freeman in a relief role could have a similar rise to Matt Foster and Codi Heuer as well. I’m not sure it’ll ever be reflected on prospect rankings but he could just be on the doorstep of the big leagues all of a sudden.
Micker Adolfo needs to stay healthy and play baseball first and foremost. There are some pressing questions about his hit tool as well. Adolfo has an 80-grade throwing arm in right field and prodigious raw power. He hasn’t gotten to that power in upper level minor league games consistently enough. It’s a big year for Adolfo. He was granted another minor league option but his time in the organization is ticking. He will play at either Charlotte or Birmingham during this make-or-break season.
New White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz is trying to make that happen. Dylan Cease was a top 50 prospect in baseball for a reason. He has tremendous stuff. He just needs to harness it more often. It’s the cliche answer but he has to command his fastball. If he does that, he should be a lot better.
This is probably a cop out but if it’s not Jared Kelley, I’d think whoever the franchise drafts with the #22 overall pick in July would be that guy. Matthew Thompson is a contender as well if he pitches like the organization expects him to in 2021. Yoelqui Cespedes is a name to watch as well. There were very mixed reports on the outfielder upon signing but if he lives up to his potential at an upper level affiliate, he has a chance to soar up the prospect rankings. Ramos and Bailey could have big years and move into the system wide top 10. It’ll be tough for them to play well enough to get the top spot though.
The White Sox are one of the teams that don’t take advantage of the international market as well as they should. They land high profile Cuban players very often but they don’t have a foothold in the Dominican Republic for whatever reason.
Teenage shortstops and center fielders can move to other positions. They are the current currency of the game on the trade market. The White Sox must do a better job of acquiring players like this via the draft and international market. One area where the organization does a solid job is developing relievers. They have quite the pipeline. While signing a Liam Hendriks every once in awhile makes sense for a “win now” team, not having to constantly spend real money on middle men and setup guys is a good thing.
The days of the 40-round draft are over. Luckily for all parties, though, the five round sham of a draft that took place in 2020 was a one off. The draft has been moved to July and it will be more of a featured event that will take place during All-Star Week from now on.
The format is 20 rounds. Bonus pools will stay the same as 2019. The White Sox have the 22nd selection. They’ve made a concerted effort to add prep talent to the system in recent years but they haven’t taken the plunge on a high schooler in round one since selecting Courtney Hawkins back in 2012. I think this is the year that they select a prep position player in the first round. Georgia prep catcher Harry Ford and Washington prep outfielder Malakhi Knight are a couple early names to watch.
It sounds like Michael Kopech and Garrett Crochet will begin the 2021 season with the White Sox pitching out of the bullpen. Both players will be on innings limits and what the minor league season will look like is still a bit uncertain. I’m apprehensive about the Crochet plan if the White Sox truly want to make him a starter in 2022. It would be helpful to know the exact number of innings these guys will throw this year.
With that being said, these are both high impact arms and wasting any of the bullets in the minors during a championship or bust season does seem a bit foolish. I think starting them in the majors is an organizational decision. There are likely some who disagree with this plan but I’ll trust their pitching development people on this one.
This is a fascinating question. I think Bryce Bush has the highest ceiling of the group and he’s the furthest along. Bryan Ramos is probably next but a move to second base would increase those possibilities. Gladney and Bailey have very high ceilings as well but they’re totally dependent on the bat. Gladney has a really low floor due to his strikeout rate and possible move to first base.
Bailey has big raw power and plate patience but is a likely left fielder. Rodriguez and Krogman have lower ceilings but much higher floors. Rodriguez is likely to move to second base in the future and he’s very aggressive. Krogman is a good outfielder with a strong arm and left handed bat but he’s probably a corner player as well. If I have to rank them according to ceiling only I’d probably do this: Bryce Bush, Bryan Ramos, Benyamin Bailey, DJ Gladney, Jose Rodriguez and Chase Krogman.
Andrew Vaughn can hit righties and lefties and that appears to be the plan at designated hitter in short order. Gavin Sheets and Zack Collins have loads of minor league success against righties and they could serve in some sort of big league role in 2021 as well. Luis Gonzalez is probably a reserve outfielder on a team as good as the 2021 White Sox should be but he hits left-handed as well which is something they don’t really have on their current bench.
Beef has returned because he has a constant need to be the center of attention. This is a really good question though. We’re choosing to do something more elaborate and have one of the writers (not me) tackle this subject in an article later on. Thanks for the idea Beef. Your check is in the mail!
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.
Looking At Dylan Cease, I think that his major problem is his lower half of his delivery. He is off balance way too many times and to me that accounts for his wildness. As a former pitching coach myself, I think that Katz will fix this pretty easily and make him a terrific starting pitcher. I teach young pitchers to work backwards so to speak and to self correct themselves while on the mound. Working on their landing foot hitting the same spot all of the time does wonders for ones control and ability to spot pitches where you want to. What do you think?
From someone who knows, what did you think of Don Cooper’s last few years? Did modern sabermetrics and the like take anything away from good old veteran years on-the-job? My guess is probably a little and you aren’t going to put yourself out there for lots of mean replies. So maybe a percentage. Like how much, if any, did the new stuff take away from the old stuff?
I have been carrying the torch for Yesmin Mercedes for well over a year now. The perfect scenario would be to let Yesmin be the 3rd catcher and main DH for the first month while Andrew Vaughn marinates until another season of control is attained. He controls the running game as well as Collins and Zavala. So there’s that. Just give the man a chance. A month’s worth of at-bats and let’s see what we’ve got there.