DirtySox Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Jared Mitchell, Trayce Thompson and Keenyn Walker are all raw, toolsy White Sox draft choices, and all have had their problems making contact in the minors. Who's most likely to have a productive major league career, and how would you rank them defensively? Dan Christenson Aurora, Ill. The White Sox spend less on the draft than any team, but they invested $1.2 million in Mitchell as a 2009 first-round pick and gave rare (for them) above-slot bonuses to Thompson ($625,000 in the second round in 2009) and Walker ($795,000 in the sandwich round last year). All three are high-risk, high-reward prospects and their inability to make consistent contact could cause them all to go bust rather than boom. Thompson is the best bet to be a useful big leaguer, because he has the broadest base of tools. He may always strike out and never hit for a high average, but he has a lot more power potential than Mitchell or Walker. Thompson is an average runner with good instincts on the bases and in center field, and he has enough arm strength to be a legitimate right fielder. Walker has the speed to make an impact on the bases and in center field, but he's going to have to make significant strides with his on-base ability. Mitchell, who won national titles in baseball and football (as a wide receiver) at Louisiana State, is the best all-around athlete of the trio. But he hasn't been the same player since he tore a tendon in his left ankle when he ran into an outfield fence in the spring of 2010. Walker is the best defender of the three, followed by Mitchell and Thompson in that order. None of them is the top defensive outfielder in Chicago's system, however. That distinction belongs to Jordan Danks. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...12/2612849.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Sickels did farm system rankings for the first time. Guess who's last? The list tries to find a balance between everything. Both high-end impact talent and overall depth are considered. I probably consider depth more than some other analysts. I've been working on this list for about a week and I could tinker with it forever, but it's time to get things moving, so here goes. 1) Toronto Blue Jays: Eight B+ prospects with ridiculous depth behind them. 2) San Diego Padres: Incredible depth after the winter trades pushes this system almost to the top. 3) Texas Rangers: Continues to churn out talent, with much more percolating at the lower levels. I do not give the Rangers farm system credit for Yu Darvish. They would rank number one if I gave them credit for Darvish, but in my mind that is unfair to the other teams: I see him as a major league free agent, not a prospect. 4) Seattle Mariners: Jesus Montero plus three elite pitching prospects and others who can improve. 5) St. Louis Cardinals: They don't get talked about as much as other teams, but they have a Grade A prospect in Shelby Miller and a lot of pitching depth behind him. I think this system is underrated. 6) Kansas City Royals: They slipped from last year's top spot, showing the volatility of pitching prospects, but heavy investments in draft and foreign players should continue to show dividends. 7) Tampa Bay Rays: Impact depth behind Matt Moore has slipped but this is still a robust organization. 8) Atlanta Braves: Lots of pitching at the top, but they need more hitters. 9) Arizona Diamondbacks: Another system with lots of pitching but not much hitting, even more extreme than Atlanta. 10) Oakland Athletics: Trades helped this system a lot, would have ranked much lower otherwise. 11) Boston Red Sox: Large group of B- types who can improve. Hitting stronger than pitching at this point. 12) Pittsburgh Pirates: Heavy draft investments slowly-but-steadily raising the talent level in this system. 13) Colorado Rockies: Middle of the pack at this stage, two definite impact talents and a large group of C+ types who can improve. 14) Washington Nationals: The big trade with Oakland tore the top off this farm system. You still have Bryce Harper and some interesting players in the B- range. Would have ranked much higher without the trade. 15) New York Mets: Solid depth in pitching, especially at the top with Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Jeurys Familia. 16) New York Yankees: You can make a case to rank them as high as 12 or 13. Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances are strong Grade B prospects for me and there is a nice balance between hitting and pitching. 17) Minnesota Twins: Another middle of the pack organization, fairly balanced between hitting and pitching, some potential regulars with several solid role players. 18) Los Angeles Angels: Not terrible, there is some depth behind Mike Trout but a lot of questions, too, and most of the tool-heavy bets in recent drafts haven't paid off as well as Trout has. 19) Baltimore Orioles: You have Machado and Bundy at the top but it falls off quickly after that. 20) Chicago Cubs: Another middle-of-the-pack system with a lot of B-/C+ type prospects. Could rank much higher next year if some of the lower-level guys pan out. 21) Cincinnati Reds: Heart of this system torn out by Mat Latos trade but there is enough at the lower levels that I think they can recharge quickly. 22) Los Angeles Dodgers: Some intriguing pitching depth, much of it fairly close to the majors, but not much hitting. 23) Detroit Tigers: Thins out very quickly after Jacob Turner and Nick Castellanos. 24) Philadelphia Phillies: There is some interesting pitching but tools guys not developing as hoped. 25) Houston Astros: Gradually improving, and there are several players at the lower levels with a chance to develop. Could rank much higher a year from now. 26) San Francisco Giants: This system has thinned out but is not hopeless. Pitching needs a recharge. 27) Cleveland Indians: Of all the teams ranked low, the Indians have the greatest chance to improve in the coming years. There is a lot of talent at the lower levels, but most of it is in the C+ or "Grade C with higher potential" category right now because it is so far away. It would not surprise me to see the Indians in the Top 10 by 2014. 28) Milwaukee Brewers: There is some talent on the pitching side but hitting looks thin. 29) Miami Marlins: Relatively even balance between hitting and pitching, but not a lot of impact coming up. 30) Chicago White Sox: You have two B+ pitching prospects in Addison Reed and Nestor Molina and some other raw materials for a decent bullpen. Hitting is a disaster. I like Tyler Saladino but I have huge doubts about their other hitting prospects. http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/1/23/2...kings-prospects Edited January 23, 2012 by DirtySox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick Former #Marlins & #Nationals starter Scott Olsen has signed minor league deal w/ #WhiteSox. Deal includes big league option for 2013 56 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick Olsen didn't pitch last year. He had shoulder problems and #Pirates released him in May. He's 37-49, 4.85 in the big leagues. 39 seconds ago Favorite Retweet Reply Olsen is a local guy. Crystal lake. Edited January 25, 2012 by DirtySox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Jared Mitchell still confident in big league ability http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...rtnerId=rss_cws But this past year in the Carolina League marked Mitchell's return to baseball. He missed the entire 2010 campaign after suffering a torn tendon on the inside of his left ankle when making a spectacular catch and crashing into the left-field wall during a mid-March Cactus League game in Tempe. Mitchell had already been reassigned to Minor League camp, but still made a positive impression in his work with the White Sox. There was a point during the 2011 season where Mitchell described the surgically repaired ankle with the term "as good as it was going to get," which sounds a little bit short of completely healed. After an impressive instructional league showing, Mitchell went home and was surprised to have more spring, range of motion and flexion in the ankle that he didn't have the whole year. "Better than it had been in a while," Mitchell said. "It wasn't all the way back [in 2011]. It wasn't all the way strong, and it hadn't been used to doing stuff on it every day. It took time to come back and get into that shape." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has his Top 100 Prospect List out. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/prospects/watch/y2012/ White Sox have 1 prospect on it. Coming in at the last spot, #100, Addison Reed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 (edited) Prospect lists generally are just good entertainment. Here's the list from 5 years ago...some great players...lotta busts. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...007/263445.html Actually, it's not a bad list. Most of those guys are contributing players, if not stars. Brandon Wood stands out though. Never lived up to the hype. Edited January 26, 2012 by flavum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Soxfan Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Anyone hear anything on the promising pick Royse who had arm surgery over a year ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiliIrishHammock24 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 08:19 AM) Anyone hear anything on the promising pick Royse who had arm surgery over a year ago? Thomas Royse? I haven't heard almost anything about him in a LONG time. I just googled him, and John Sickels said he has heard nothing about his rehab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danman31 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 07:19 AM) Anyone hear anything on the promising pick Royse who had arm surgery over a year ago? Also, no one thought Royse was promising. Most people blasted the pick when it was made. The injury only amplified that concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 03:00 PM) Also, no one thought Royse was promising. Most people blasted the pick when it was made. The injury only amplified that concern. I actually had forgotten about Royse. I recall some opinions that he had the ceiling of a number 4 starter. I was actually kind of optimistic about him until the injury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiliIrishHammock24 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I just randomly remembered how we failed to sign Matthew Grimes. I hope that doesn't come back to haunt us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Soxfan Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (danman31 @ Jan 26, 2012 -> 03:00 PM) Also, no one thought Royse was promising. Most people blasted the pick when it was made. The injury only amplified that concern. Just got Baseball America's prospect handbook and it lists Royse as 31 on our list and calls him a steal before the injury and that he should be ready for spring training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 QUOTE (Springfield SoxFan @ Jan 27, 2012 -> 07:31 AM) Just got Baseball America's prospect handbook and it lists Royse as 31 on our list and calls him a steal before the injury and that he should be ready for spring training. With Tommy John, I wouldn't expect too much from him this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavum Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Some interesting minor league nuggets from the Soxfest seminars... https://twitter.com/#!/WhiteSoxTalkCSN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 QUOTE (flavum @ Jan 28, 2012 -> 02:28 PM) Some interesting minor league nuggets from the Soxfest seminars... https://twitter.com/#!/WhiteSoxTalkCSN Those are great, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 WhiteSoxTalkCSN White Sox Talk Bell: Mike Blanke has a hockey mentality. Needs to slow down so he can see stuff a little more clearly. 2 hours ago WhiteSoxTalkCSN White Sox Talk Bell: "I do not think it's out of the question that [saladino] could help our major-league team this year b/c of his intelligence." #SoxFest 2 hours ago WhiteSoxTalkCSN White Sox Talk Bell: Saladino is a very good prospect, will start 2012 in Birmingham. #SoxFest 2 hours ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 WhiteSoxTalkCSN White Sox Talk KW says Nestor Molina could crack the rotation by mid-season or the end of the season. Thinks he's a top-line starter. #SoxFest 21 hours ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 -CAPRA ON WHITE SOX PROSPECTS: > Jordan Danks: “If he works out a few things, we’ll have a special player there.” > Josh Phegley: “Been unlucky with injuries, but he’s a take-charge guy.” > Brandon Short: “Doesn’t stand out athletically, just gets the job done. He’s a sleeper.” > Trayce Thompson: “Really excited about him. Five-tool guy, has a chance to be a great major-league player.” > 2011 1st round pick Keenyn Walker: “Still getting acclimated to our program, but we see good things. You just can’t pass up that kind of talent.” -BELL ON 2010 1st-round pick JARED MITCHELL: “I would take him in the draft every year. He’s doing some swing changes. When it clicks, he’s going to be an All-Star. His ceiling is so high.” -HAHN ON TRADES THIS OFFSEASON: “We feel like we replensihed the next level of players coming to Chicago.” -MORE HAHN: “We don’t worry about player or prospect ratings. Our job is to get our players to Chicago.” -HAHN, PART 3: We promote players if we feel like they can help at the next level and if they’ve earned it, regardless of pedigree.” -BELL: “The best day of our year is when all of our draft picks sign. And then our job is to slow everything down for them.” Riefert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Buddy Bell, the Sox's vice president of player development/special assignments, and player development director Nick Capra will leave Wednesday for the Dominican Republic to scout the Caribbean World Series. … Amateur cross-checker Nick Hostetler was seen last week scouting in Puerto Rico. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 Interesting with the three Cuban players in the DR right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 WhiteSoxTalkCSN White Sox Talk Rick Hahn admits the Dave Wilder scandal hurt the team's international infrastructure. #SoxFest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 ChiTribRogers Phil Rogers #WhiteSox minor-league RHR Ryan Kussmaul has 21 Ks in 13 2-3 winter innings, and picked up hold in Puerto Rico's Caribbean Series opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsox Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 08:14 AM) ChiTribRogers Phil Rogers #WhiteSox minor-league RHR Ryan Kussmaul has 21 Ks in 13 2-3 winter innings, and picked up hold in Puerto Rico's Caribbean Series opener. Kussmaul had great stats last yeat at Winston-Salem; never understood why he wasn't held in higher regard by Sox. Here's hoping 2012 is big year for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 QUOTE (oldsox @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 10:20 AM) Kussmaul had great stats last yeat at Winston-Salem; never understood why he wasn't held in higher regard by Sox. Here's hoping 2012 is big year for him. Old for level, UDFA pedigree. He's a little like Remenowsky in those respects, but started even later, a year or two later. Kussmaul turns 26 this year, Rem is almost the same age but started in the system in 2008 and has seen AAA. Kussmaul hasn't been higher than A+. That said, if he turns heads in B-Ham, he might see a mid-season promo to AAA and find himself on the radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsandz Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 "Bell: Saladino is a very good prospect, will start 2012 in Birmingham" Uh, no. He's not. I've seen him play and talking to scouts, he's barely an average prospect right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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