Catcher is a frequently discussed position group among White Sox fans. With a series of polarizing players toggling between Triple-A and the big-league club in 2021, it’s understandable why there is so much conversation on the topic. However, Zack Collins, Seby Zavala and Yermin Mercedes are no longer part of the prospect discussion, so the talk shifts to a much different grouping.
With two new players added in the late rounds of the 2021 draft and none of the younger players establishing themselves, the competition for affiliate assignments in the lower minors will be one of the things to watch in the early going of the minor league season.
With our 2022 preseason prospect rankings on the horizon, we are gearing with a position-by-position breakdown of White Sox prospects. Here’s a look at the top five backstops in the White Sox organization heading into the 2022 season:
1. Adam Hackenberg — Last level: Kannapolis (A-)
Taken in the 18th round of the 2021 draft out of Clemson, the long-scouted Hackenberg was selected for his plus defense. Despite his durable 6’2” 225 frame, he suffered numerous injuries at Clemson and only showed flashes at the plate. Those flashes transformed into full-on floodlights in his 86 plate appearances for Kannapolis in 2021.
Slashing .346/.384/.457 with an 18.6% K rate is impressive for someone just turning pro. If Hackenberg’s whopping 130 wRC+ and .841 OPS can be replicated in 2022, he’ll move through the system and up our rankings quickly. And if the name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. His brother Christian starred at Penn State before being drafted by the New York Jets
2. Jefferson Mendoza — Last level: Arizona
Last year’s number one prospect at the position, Mendoza’s stock dipped with a suboptimal 2021. In his first season in the states, the 20-year-old out of Venezuela slashed a disappointing .216/.319/.392 striking out in nearly 28% of his plate appearances. He arrived in Arizona much heavier than his listed 220 lbs. Touted as a plus defender, it’s far too early to write off the bundle of raw talent.
He has massive power and a high walk rate. Having lost a year due to Covid and adjusting to life in the U.S. are potential reasons fueling his drop off from the 141 wRC+ he posted in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. With a crowded field at the low end of the minors, where he’s assigned could telegraph how the team feels about his long-term potential
3. Carlos Perez — Last level: Birmingham (AA)
As much as the landscape behind the dish looks different in 2022, Perez represents more of the more of the same. Like many of the catchers we watched on the Southside in 2021, he is an older prospect (25 in 2022) with a lengthy minor league stay. Carlos Perez brings something the previously mentioned players don’t — a glove.
On the periphery of our rankings in previous seasons, Perez emerged in 2021 as he finally showed a bat to go along with his solid defense. Perez has put up Nick Madrigal type contact rates throughout his minor league career but smashing 13 home runs in the notoriously tough Southern League gets attention. His wRC+ of 102 and ISO of .154 don’t scream offensive juggernaut, but a 10.2 K rate and good defense could separate him from the other backstops at the top of the minor league system. Perez is having a solid offensive season in winter ball, but the fact that the team left him unprotected in the Rule-5 draft may be more telling than any of the measurables.
4. Victor Torres — Last level: Kannapolis (A-)
Taken in the 11th round of the 2019 draft and receiving an over slot bonus, Torres has been more about potential than production. Perhaps overmatched at the level, 2021 did nothing to change that. In 185 plate appearances, the backstop out of Puerto Rico slashed .195/.255/.284 with a wRC+ of 51. Torres may have been a victim of the absence of the Great Falls affiliate. He hit well in Arizona with a wRC+ of 116 and an OPS of .806, but faltered in Low-A. One positive going into 2022, is that Torres only struck out 21% of the time in Kannapolis, his future rests on the ability to convert those balls in play into base hits.
5. Manuel Guariman — Last level: Dominican Summer League
The third catcher out of Venezuela on our list, Manuel Guariman showed above-average defensive skills with a solid season at the plate. The 17-year-old slashed .317/.378/.366 in 111 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League with a lower than 10% strikeout rate. Those numbers combined with a wRC+ of 116 should earn him a ticket to Arizona in 2022, where a clearer picture of his potential will emerge.
Also receiving consideration: Colby Smelley
Photo credit: Michael Guariglia/FutureSox
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