Position: 1B
Born: 4/23/1996
Ht: 6’5″ Wt: 245 lb B-T: L-L
Acquired: Drafted 2nd round in the 2017 draft out of Wake Forest
Career Stats
FutureSox Prospect Rankings
- #16 – 2017 Midseason
- #12 – 2018 Preseason
- #18 – 2018 Midseason
- #18 – 2019 Preseason
- #16 – 2019 Midseason
- #12 – 2020 Preseason
- #15 – 2020 Midseason
- #11 – 2021 Preseason
FutureSox Media
- Feature on Sheets with video and interview, May 2018
- Podcast interview, Nov. 2018
- Podcast interview, July 2019
- In-person report from the Arizona Fall League, Oct. 2019
- How will Gavin Sheets’ power play in the International League?, April 2020
- Podcast interview, June 2020
- Gavin Sheets: Making light of a difficult situation, Sept. 2020
- Video interview, Feb. 2021
- All FutureSox articles tagged Gavin Sheets
Accolades
Scouting Report
Sheets’ draft stock got a boost from a massive power display of 21 home runs in 63 games as a junior at Wake Forest. He was given a $2 million bonus to sign as a 2nd rounder in the 2017 draft. He quickly reported for a brief stint in the Arizona League for the White Sox before moving onto Class A Kannapolis. In 104 plate appearances across two levels, Sheets hit .279/.365/.397.
His first full season of pro ball was at High-A Winston-Salem. He held his own, but the power didn’t show up as anticipated, especially at a home run-friendly ballpark. He hit .293/.368/.407. His contact rate was better than your typical slugger (16.3% K/PA).
The following year at Double-A Birmingham was more of the same. He hit .267/.345/.414 with 16 home runs in 126 games. On the upside, his second half (.855 OPS) was far better than his first half (.665 OPS).
He’s a below average runner, but he moves well for his size and has strong acumen on the base paths. Defensively he’s above average at first, which provides a little extra value.
Sheets is stuck behind Andrew Vaughn on the organizational depth chart so it’s tough to see much of a future for him with the White Sox, even if he still has some prospect value. The White Sox didn’t include him at the alternate training site in Schaumburg in 2020, which was not a good sign of his status in the organization.
Major League Outlook: Starting first baseman/DH
ETA: 2021