Chisoxfn

FutureSox.com The Chicago White Sox and compensatory pick Giovany Gonzalez have made a hand shake agreement. Gonzalez will get a $850,000 signing bonus and will get his college tuition paid for if he chooses to go to college. Gonzalez will then fly out to Arizona to begin training. He will likely be sent to Kannapolis or Great Falls following that. Gonzalez was the 2nd best left handed pitching prospect in the draft, behind only Scott Elbert (Seneca High School, Missouri) and arguments could be made that Gonzalez was in fact the best left handed pitching prospect. Had the off the field issues not happened, he would of been a sure fire first rounder. Gonzalez features one of the best hooks in the draft. It isn't a Barry Zito, slow 12-6 curve, but a very hard tight curveball. Gonzalez also has a good fastball and projects to add another couple MPH on his already plus fastball (90-94). Gonzalez mixes in a good changeup as well. The only questions on Gonzalez entering the draft were the incident where his mom blew up with his high school coach over Gio's brothers playing time. The incident lead to Gio being kicked off the team. The other question is how his body will hold up. At 6ft, 170 pounds he has a very small frame for a pitcher. However, as he develops he should put on a little bit more mass, while hopefully adding leg strength, which should put less stress on his arm. Gonzalez went 6-0 with a .93 ERA. He struck out a whopping 81 batters in 37 innings of work prior to him being kicked off Pace Monsignor's team. Pace was ranked #1 in the country most of the season and they were eliminated from the playoffs by Archibishop McCarthy. It was the first game the team played with Giovany. FS Take: Look for Gonzalez and a few of the other higher draft choices to start in Kannapolis. The Intimidators have a strong pitching staff, but they have a few pitchers worthy of a promotion (McCarthy, Haigwood, Rodriguez, possibly Miller), while the Warthogs, are in dire need of improved starting pitching. Both Gonzalez and fellow compensatory pick Tyler Lumsden have the ability to pitch in Kannapolis' rotation out of the gate.

Its pretty cool that he's a Sox fan.

Gio Gonzalez to Sign on Friday By Jason Gage June 8, 2004 FutureSox.com The Chicago White Sox and compensatory pick Giovany Gonzalez have made a hand shake agreement. Gonzalez will get a $850,000 signing bonus and will get his college tuition paid for if he chooses to go to college. Gonzalez will then fly out to Arizona to begin training. He will likely be sent to Kannapolis or Great Falls following that. Gonzalez was the 2nd best left handed pitching prospect in the draft, behind only Scott Elbert (Seneca High School, Missouri) and arguments could be made that Gonzalez was in fact the best left handed pitching prospect. Had the off the field issues not happened, he would of been a sure fire first rounder. Gonzalez features one of the best hooks in the draft. It isn't a Barry Zito, slow 12-6 curve, but a very hard tight curveball. Gonzalez also has a good fastball and projects to add another couple MPH on his already plus fastball (90-94). Gonzalez mixes in a good changeup as well. The only questions on Gonzalez entering the draft were the incident where his mom blew up with his high school coach over Gio's brothers playing time. The incident lead to Gio being kicked off the team. The other question is how his body will hold up. At 6ft, 170 pounds he has a very small frame for a pitcher. However, as he develops he should put on a little bit more mass, while hopefully adding leg strength, which should put less stress on his arm. Gonzalez went 6-0 with a .93 ERA. He struck out a whopping 81 batters in 37 innings of work prior to him being kicked off Pace Monsignor's team. Pace was ranked #1 in the country most of the season and they were eliminated from the playoffs by Archibishop McCarthy. It was the first game the team played with Giovany. FS Take: Look for Gonzalez and a few of the other higher draft choices to start in Kannapolis. The Intimidators have a strong pitching staff, but they have a few pitchers worthy of a promotion (McCarthy, Haigwood, Rodriguez, possibly Miller), while the Warthogs, are in dire need of improved starting pitching. Both Gonzalez and fellow compensatory pick Tyler Lumsden have the ability to pitch in Kannapolis' rotation out of the gate.

He doesn't play at a junior college so it wouldn't be an option. He's going to be going back to school though or at least thats what I suspect.

I saw an article a while back where KW was quoted as saying if the Sox had Colon they wouldn't of been able to afford Maggs. Don't know if he was just posturing to make the loss not sound as bad.

Haggert picked up 4 hits as well for Kanny. He's really been hitting. Frasier Dizzard has quietly been pitching pretty good. I wonder if the Sox have thought about moving him to a starting pitching spot eventually. Personally I think he's a sleeper prospect in the organization.

According to the WhiteSox.com he was clocked as high as 97 MPH. Thats pretty damn sick for a lefty. I'm sure thats him hitting that on the gun a few times, but even if he's consistently as 93, thats very impressive for a lefty. It also sounds like he has quality secondary pitches.

I figured we should have a new one for day two, that way its at least semi easy for people to look through and get info on different picks. If all 50 were in one thread it could get difficult looking through page after page. The draft is slated to start at Noon (eastern time, I'm assuming) and will finish up around 6.

Ok, here is how it works. The rule was created in 1995 and basically it was done to protect baseball teams from two sport athletes ditching. In the past a player could of signed a contract and then ditched baseball in a year while keeping the money he gained. Now the signing bonus is spread to prevent the player from jumping so the Sox can pay Fields bonus over a 5 year period. To me thats a pretty nice thing and makes him incredibly forward. The Twins did this with Joe Mauer if I recall.

I just know its always talked about. I'll try and look on the net and figure out exactly how it works. I'm trying to think of the purpose, unless it is to spread out the payments, which would make sense. I don't see how thats a good thing for the player, unless they somehow save on taxes this way as well.

For whatever reason, teams can spread out the signing bonus over a 5 year period (I think its 5 years) when its two sports. I'm assuming its part of the CBA. I don't know if that means they can spread it out, as in pay Fields in sums, or if somehow they can spread it out in the payroll department for whatever reason (since their isn't a salary cap, I'm not sure how it works).

Fields Likely to Move Through the System Quickly By Jason Gage June 8, 2004 FutureSox.com A few hours after being selected in the 1st round (18th overall) by the Chicago White Sox, Fields was told that if he signed quickly he would be sent to Winston Salem. This should give the young 3rd baseman more incentive to sign quickly. The Sox went on to inform him that he would have a good shot at being promoted to Birmingham before season's end and could even start his professional debut in Birmingham. FS Take: This move sounds odd out of the gate, especially since Ken Williams, Dave Wilder and the rest of the Sox staff seem to be making a point on moving players slowly through the system. They have done a good job of holding pitchers back as well as hitters and giving them time to make adjustments and get comfortable. You can make a point that even Ryan Sweeney and Brian Anderson are being moved along slower then the organization would have in years past. However, upon further review, you'll notice that Micah Schnurstein is in Kannapolis and while Schnurstein is a talented 3rd base prospect (formely the best in the organization), it is also obvious that he isn't ready for a promotion to Winston Salem. This means for Fields to start in Kannapolis, you would either have to shift Micah or move Fields to 1st or left field, which wouldn't be wise if the Sox believe his future is at 3rd base. Either way this should offer Fields more incentive to sign. While Fields is a college quarterback, he should give up the sport rather easily and the Sox won't be afraid to give him the money (doesn't project to be an overly large bonus), especially because they can spread out the signing bonus, due to the fact that he's a two-sport athlete.

Good stuff. All I can say is that I think Lumsden is a pretty good pick. Seems to know how to pitch and has a good arm, like most of the Sox picks.

Seldomly Used

He's got a full ride to the University of Miami, but I think he wants to play baseball and the Sox took a good amount of reaches and college players early, which should be signable guys. In short, this should give the resources to get a guy like Giovany signed and hopefully quickly.

I would too...Larish is a freaking stud. He was hurt this year and dealt with a change of position. This was the best college rated hitter entering the season and lik you said had an absolutely sick season, plus he had a tremendous eye and would of filled an organizational weakness (1st base), although he has a strong arm. I guess one stat guy got him in Depodesta. Still, I'm absolutely shocked he slid so far. Teams must of called him and the agent said he wanted 2nd round money no matter where he went so they let him go. He was a junior so I assume he'll re-enter again next year. Either wya I'd of taken him and considering all the Sox reaches in the earlier rounds, they could of probably given him good money. Can't only blame the Sox though, cause all the other teams minus the Dodgers were fools as well for letting him continue to drop.

Ya, some of their reaches really had me confused. I think the reason was so many high picks made them take some of them, but I was puzzled at them not taking Jason Vargas when he was still on the board as well as them passing up on Szymanski. Still, can't say I'm too dissapointed, plus its so damn hard to tell anyway.

He's going to be a pitcher, or at least thats my belief. Has a very good arm and some serious raw potential. He's a bit more of a project then you would like to see that early in the draft though. But left handed power arms are hard to find.

Hard to say thus far cause it depends heavily on the signings. I'm pretty pleased with the draft, although I would of taking Jeff Larish from ASU, sometime during his slide to the 13th round. Still, Sox looked to get some guys with potential high ceilings. Depsite that, I don't really like rating it, but I like the guys they got, now its just letting them play and seeing how they all pan out.

An Overview of the First Day By Jason Gage June 7, 2004 FutureSox.com The Chicago White Sox started the draft by taking Josh Fields, a 3rd baseman that had been considered a favorite to go to the White Sox. Fields, like another top prospect Joe Borchard, was also a college quarterback. While Fields was likely to be selected in the NFL draft, it wouldn’t be until the latter rounds and Josh realizes baseball is his future. However, while Fields was the first pick taken in the draft, he isn’t the player that intrigues me the most. That notion belongs to left handed pitcher Giovany Gonzalez. Gonzalez attended Monsignor Pace in Florida, but was kicked off the team a week before playoffs due to an incident between his mom and the head coach in regards to Giovany’s brothers playing time. Despite that incident Gonzalez was Monsignor’s ace pitcher and featured one of the best curve balls in the high school ranks. He also throws a good fastball (88-91) that has good movement and has an impressive changeup. Its very rare for a high school pitcher to feature three good pitches as well as good control. He has committed to the University of Miami, which will likely make him the most expensive of the compensatory selections. Another unique thing about Gonzalez is his high leg kick. In short, Gonzalez may have the highest ceiling of any of the players selected by the White Sox. Once signed he is one of a few rookies that could potentially see Kannapolis by seasons end. Another pick that surprised me was the White Sox selection of Stanford catcher Donald Lucy with top catchers Kurt Suzuki and Jason Jaramillo still on the board. While both Suzuki and Jaramillo have had better, more productive college careers, but Lucy is the one with the most upside. He’s an athletically gifted catcher who would have been a 1st or 2nd round pick out of high school had he not already committed to Stanford. He then played second fiddle to Ryan Garko (Now with the Indians) and became a starter this season. Offensively he has a lot of power potential and defensively he is quick behind the plate with a strong arm and quick release. He’s shown the ability to block pitches and has quick reflexes for a catcher. Matthew Olson, a 3rd round pick, also looks interesting. Olson did nothing but win for Oklahoma City University going 12-0 with a 2.55 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 81 innings. They were the #1 junior college team in the country during the season. He features a good fastball (89-94) with a very good knuckle curve. Realistically, you can make comparisons of Olson to Kris Honel. Olson wore down as the season went on and should be carefully watched because he was limited to 38 innings his first due seasons, thanks in large part to tendonitis during his sophomore year. The last player I’m going to heavily highlight on the 1st day is Adam Russel, who was selected in the 6th round out of Ohio University. At 6-8, 250 pounds Russel strikes fear in the opponents before making a pitch. Then hitters see his fastball, which consistently hits 95 MPH, and they are struck with more fear. Russel lacks a good secondary pitch, but his arm was worth being taken this high and he was projected to go a little earlier in the draft. Other Prospects to Note: Raymond Liotta - Liotta is a very odd pick. He has a solid fastball and a good curveball that has lots of late movement. The odd thing about him is that according to MLB.com’s scouting reports, he didn’t pitch all of last year. It appears that Liotta pitched for Tulane two seasons ago and then transferred to Gulf Coast Community College. The likely reason he didn’t pitch last season is that he was in-eligible. Lucal Harrel – Likely draft and follow pick who features a good fastball (90-93). He appears adamant about playing at least a season of junior college. Brandon Allen – High school linebacker, who is a first baseman. He shows great power potential and is a good athlete. Has hit better with wood bats, which bodes well. One flaw is he has trouble making contact, but he should improve now that he will be focusing on baseball full time. He could potentially play left field as well. Nick Lemon – Lemon, who went to BYU, is much like Adam Russel (featured above). He features what might be the best fastball in the draft (98 MPH) but has no control and absolutely no secondary pitches. He walked 50 and hit another 8 in just 37 innings this past season. However, he did limit opponents to a .217 AVG, which is a testament to his potential. Ryan McCarthy – He was a very good defensive shortstop for the UCLA Bruins (5 errors this season), but will likely move to 3rd base in the professional ranks. He has shown some power potential and could be a sleeper. Of course he has #1 pick Josh Fields ahead of him. Adam Ricks – Ricks was drafted as a second baseman and grades out as a good defefnsively infielder, but some scouts believe he could make the move behind the plate. Offensively he has a very smooth swing and uses all parts of the field. Could be a definite sleeper. Fernando Alvarez – Drafted out of Florida International, which is the same school that Ricardo Nanita came from. Alvarez is a little raw, but has the tools to become a good outfielder. He generates some power and grades out to be a good defensive outfielder, although a move to first base is also a possibility.

For Charlotte???

Not a problem, I have a blast doing this type of stuff. Its my hobby. Some people surf out where I am, I like writing stuff on baseball and prefer snowboarding during the winter

Well the McCarthy kid from UCLA was a shortstop, however he's likely to move to 3rd base. He did just commit 5 errors though, so he is good defensively. Steve, your list is up now . Now I'm going to write up an overview on just a few of the players taken in day one.

2004 Draft Choices By Jason Gage June 7, 2004 FutureSox.com The first day of the major league draft came to the end with the White Sox taking 3rd baseman Josh Fields to start the day while taking RHP Brett Scarpetta to finish the day. The final 32 rounds of the draft will go on tomorrow and tomorrow night FutureSox.com will have an updated list of all the White Sox picks. Check back with FutureSox in the coming week to ten days to check out FutureSox.com’s draft review where we will give tidbits on every player selected. One trend to point out is the fact that the White Sox went very college heavy, which should make the players easier signs as well as give them at least a little bit of a head start in their development. Just 5 of the Sox first 22 picks were from high school. The Sox also selected 14 pitchers, one of which, Nick Lemon, can throw up to 98 MPH and was rated as having one of the best fastballs in the draft. 1. Josh Fields – 3b – R/R - Oklahoma State University 1s. Tyler Lumsden – LHP – Clemson University 1s. Gio Gonzalez – LHP – Pace Monsignor High School (Florida) 2. Wes Whisler – LHP/1st – UCLA 2. Donny Lucy – C – R/R - Stanford 2. Raymond Liotta – LHP - Gulf Coast Community College 3. Matthew Hansen – RHP – Oklahoma City University 4. Lucas Harrel – RHP – Ozark High School (Missouri) 5. Brandon Allen – OF – Bats: Left – Throws: Right - Montgomery High School (Texas) 6. Adam Russel – RHP – Ohio University 7. Tim Murphy – LHP – Glascock County High School (Georgia) 8. Nick Lemon – RHP – Brigham Young University 9. Ryan McCarthy – 3rd/SS – R/R - UCLA 10. Adam Ricks – 2nd – S/R - University of Miami 11. Garry Bakker – RHP – University of North Carolina 12. Daron Roberts – CF – R/R – Cal State San Bernardino 13. John Egbert – RHP – State University Rutgers 14. Michael Swain – 3rd – L/R – Wabash Valley College 15. Carlos Torres – RHP – Kansas State University 16. Fernando Alvarez – OF – L/L - Florida International 17. Jacob Wild – RHP – Bakersfield College 18. Brett Scarpetta – RHP – Hononegah High School (Illinois) 19. Caleb Cooper - 3rd - R/R - Cal State Hayward (Sophmore) 20. Michael Dubee - RHP - Riverview High School 21. Brian Flores - LHP - Carlsbad High School (New Mexico) 22. Matthew Mansilla - SS - American Heritage High School (Florida) 23. Derek McNeil - SS - R/R - St. Leo College 24. Josh Hansen - C/OF - R/R - University of San Diego 25. Justin Sincock - RHP - Millikan High School (California) 26. Daniel Jordan - 3B - R/R - Gulliver Prepatory 27. Logan Williamson - LHP - Pensacola Junior College 28. Gregory Young - CF - R/R - Delaware Tech Community College 29. Frank Viola - RHP - Florida Community College 30. Matthew Zaleski - RHP - Indiana State University 31. Nichols Walters - LHP - Mountain Ridge High School 32. Eric Sheridan - RHP - Saddleback Community College 33. Brandon Cooney - RHP - Broward CC 34. Mario Suarez - 3rd - R/R - Florida International U 35. Evan Tartaglia - CF - L/L - Elon U 36. Kenneth Williams - CF - S/R - Plainfield HS 37. Robert Grinestaff - C - L/R - Okaloosa Walton CC 38. Shaun Spearman - SS - R/R - St. Pius X School 39. James Leigh - LHP - Bryant HS 40. Justin Roelle - LHP - Iowa Western CC 41. Matthew Rozier - RHP - Meridian CC 42. Michael Schower - LHP - Riverview HS 43. Ian Murray - RHP - Jefferson College 44. Steven Muck - RHP - Covington Catholic HS 45. Jason Sullivan - RHP - Crowder JC 46. Jason Rodriguez - SS - L/R - Alta Loma HS 47. Richard O'Brien - C - R/R - No School 48. Peter Vuckovich - C - R/R - Clarion University 49. Dennis Guest - 2B - R/R - St. Joseph College 50. Bryan Wagner - RHP - Thunderbird HS

That or they may of had both rated similarly and Szymanski is probably a little more raw. Plus Fields does also fill a need in the organizatoin. Need is something I don't like to look at typically, but if two playesr rate out similarly then you look at signability and organizational strength, imo.