NorthSideSox72

I understand what you are saying, I just disagree with the approach. Probably because I see Fisher as a substantially higher level prospect than Booker.

It makes sense for me, but the problem is right now, the DH is unavailable. So if you remove him (mostly) from the OF picture, what does that leave? 1B? I'm all about getting rid of Barnum at this point, but I think Fisher needs more defensive development than Booker does. There is no good clear answer here of course, it's a logistical problem no matter what.

I am a little surprised at people talking about pushing Fisher aside or benching him or having him change positions, all in favor of Joel Booker. Let's remember that last year at High-A, Fisher put up substantially better numbers than Booker, at the (nearly exact) same age. And we are talking here about not even a month of games, with one in AA with the other still in A. Also, having seen both play, while clearly Booker is the better defender, I am not convinced Booker will hit at all in the upper levels. He's a sharp kid and a grinder, but his swing is poor and the bat speed isn't there, nor does he draw walks. Fisher has a better shot at being a major league contributor than Booker does, in my view.

Julie's column this week dives into the winding, and often parallel, developmental paths of the twin brothers, Luis Alexander and Luis Alejandro Basabe. Here it is. Some very interesting trends in their paths, even when away from each other.

If you read the intro to the article, you will see what the article is. It's about best performances. It is not an evaluation of prospect value. Blackman isn't even on the radar, and Booker is fringy. I think what you are missing here is that "production" is not a key factor in these lists. Also, even with all factors in consideration, 3 months of play does not turn someone well off the T100 into suddenly T50.

Ken is one of our newest writers at FutureSox. It had been a little whole since he'd gone to a minor league game, so, he made the trek to Indianapolis to see their game versus Charlotte. What he's written is about his experience, but in the form of a travel guide. Are you considering going to see one of the White Sox affiliates? Trying to find one playing close by, like reasonable driving distance? Ken has you covered.

Basabe is a fun prospect, but to the bold - no and no. Not even close on either. No way Basabe passes Jimenez or Robert, nor is he likely to pass 3-4 others, at least right away. And he may or may not even make the T100 at mid-year, or even end of year. It's true that he's had a big opening, but it's still less than a month in. Also true that he LOOKS different too, now healthy. But that doesn't suddenly elevate him to that elite level. Nor did last year's performance actually drop him down as far as some folks thought. It means that if he keeps raking, he could be in AA by June, and goes up a few runs on the org list.

Luis Alexander Basabe and Michael Kopech take home the awards for April, with 4-5 honorable mentions in each category making strong cases as well. Here are the details!

The latest FS Podcast is up, with special guests Scott Merkin (MLB.com White Sox beat reporter) and Charlie Tilson (Charlotte Knights outfielder). It's a very "I was raised in the Chicago area" episode. Listen and/or download here. Already lined up Jason Benetti for the next episode.

Get up to speed right here!

I already published deep looks at some pitchers and hitters, but I also had notes and video on two more starters and seven more relievers with Winston-Salem and Kannapolis that aren't as highly-touted. No point keeping those to myself - so here are reports on all of them, some detailed and others brief. All with video.

Still tickets available. Going to do another marketing push soon, it's possible they sell out at some point but there are plenty left as of this time. Come on out!

He did play a lot of 1B this year, but he also told me recently he played only catcher in Spring Training, and now in Kanny he's mixing it up. He doesn't know what their plan is with that, he's just going with it.

Has played it on and off, but this year is the first for him where it's his main position. If he can defend there, that substantially raises his stock.

They have three catchers in Kanny for some reason or another. Having watched them, my feeling is that Perez should probably move up to W-S. Mercedes is just a beer league softball player there anyway. Zavala should maybe go to AAA sometime in May or June, send Yermin up to be Collins' backup/platoon in AA, Nolan and Perez pair off in Winston-Salem. Allows Skoug and Hickman to play more, and they need more development too.

Not sure it has to happen this year, but at some point the power needs to happen in games. He's still quite young, it can wait a bit. But if it never does, he's Ryan Sweeney.

Sorry there are so many pinned FS posts, but I really wanted to make sure this one got some attention. It took a lot of work and I'm pretty proud of it, plus I think this is a team people should know more about. I promise, most days there will only be one article from FS to pin in PHT. The Kannapolis Piranhas - a run-down of their entire starting lineup, with video and quotes.

Julie's column this week takes a look at some big performances thus far in 2018 on the farm, from players that are not generally part of the prospect conversation.

What a weird ending for Charlotte. Ryan Brett pinch runs as the 2nd base auto guy in the top of the 10th, in his first game of the year in AAA, doesn't score. Brett is then put at third base defensively for the bottom of the 10th - a position he has literally never played in his pro career. First pitch, the other team bunts, he throws it away, runner scores from 2nd and game over. I feel bad for Ryan Brett.

With injuries to some key position player prospects, who has been taking advantage of the gap? Which players are doing well with those opportunities? Ken goes into detail here, highlighting some players getting unexpected daylight.

He is in High-A this year.

Lots of strong performances to highlight, especially with the A-ball clubs. See who's had the hot hand lately on the White Sox farm.

If it's a DL trip, my guess is they go with Daniel Palka. Corner OF, can also play 1B, left power bat. They might want to see if there's anything there with him.

I was definitely Hansen when I voted on the T30 in January. Now having seen Cease in person (and been very impressed), and with Hansen injury concerns, it becomes a really tough call.

Adams improved pretty dramatically last year in the areas he needed too. This year its 2-3 starts and I wouldn't read a lot into it yet. And yeah, he's still a good couple years younger than the average player in his league. But again, there are legitimate reasons why a pitcher may do better in relief than starting. As far as I can see, none of those apply to Adams.