Some notes from recent Burger/Burke interviews:

• Colson Montgomery and Sean Burke lived together during the offseason. They trained with Jake Burger in Nashville regularly.

• Burke says Colas may be the most talented baseball player he’s taken the field with, citing his bat-to-ball skills plus “swagger and confidence” at the plate. He also noted that Colson is far more “mature and focused” than he was at the same age.

• Burke describes his arsenal as four seam, curveball, slider, changeup. He says he takes inspiration from Verlander, and the coaches have also had him watch tape on Cease to try to emulate a similar slider.

• Burke mentioned Duke Ellis as an underrated guy in the system, complimenting his speed, baseball IQ, contact skills, defense, and hustle.

• Burger says Colas’ power is legit, based on hitting behind him in CLT and watching his cage work. He says Seager comps are accurate for Colson, and Burke is one of the hardest workers in the org.

• Burke watched Buerhle’s highlight reel backhand play live. It was the first time he’d seen Buerhle pitch.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/2/24/23613612/white-sox-third-base-prospect-bryan-ramos-does-more-than-talk-a-good-game

We sure have some likable prospects.

It's pipeline so I don't know what to think, but what a nice writeup on Ryan Burrowes.

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/whitesox/

Quote

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45 

Eligible to sign in January 2021, Burrowes waited until he had nearly finished high school in Panama before turning pro for $75,000 last April. He made his pro debut two months later and immediately stood out in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, prompting other clubs to ask for him in trade talks. He returned home in the fall to complete his high school degree and will make his highly anticipated U.S. debut in 2023. 

Burrows' advanced hitting ability and projectable 6-foot-2 frame give him one of the highest offensive ceilings in the system. He recognizes pitches and manages the strike zone better than most teenagers, repeatedly barreling balls with a sound right-handed swing. He generates high exit velocities for someone so young and could develop at least 20-homer power as he gains strength and experience. 

A solid runner with good instincts on the bases, Burrowes went 12-for-12 stealing bases in the DSL but may slow a bit as he fills out. He has the athleticism and solid arm strength to possibly stick at shortstop, and if he outgrows the position, he'd profile well at third base. He's bilingual and draws praise for his intelligence and charisma in addition to his tools. 

 

Edited March 2, 20233 yr by DirtySox

 

 

I fucking hate everything.

On 3/10/2023 at 9:20 AM, DirtySox said:

 

Seems like a plan that rarely works. Just give him TJ now.. His clock hasn't started.

 

Noah Schultz out with a flexor strain. Sox keeping on the down low. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/noah-schultz-impressing-in-white-sox-farm-system?bt_ee=oS6AeqcRkOhc7DJjitDa%2FYFaytyKn2f1YkklWkqQ4e6iTaVAVa9CpKZlVHET%2FjJO&bt_ts=1678711896995&partnerId=zh-20230313-849701-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20230313-849701-mlb-1-A

 

 

Definitely nervous TJ is in his future. 

Excite.

 

Fucking hell RE: Schultz. Can the Sox ever catch a break on the injury front these days? 

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

Fucking hell RE: Schultz. Can the Sox ever catch a break on the injury front these days? 

I mean, I expected it the moment I saw his body type.

1 hour ago, Jack Parkman said:

Fucking hell RE: Schultz. Can the Sox ever catch a break on the injury front these days? 

What happened?

10 minutes ago, Chicago White Sox said:

What happened?

Quote

He's been in town since mid-January when arriving for prospect minicamp. The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder, who has already drawn exciting comparisons ranging from Chris Sale to Randy Johnson without throwing in a Minor League game, has been halted this past week due to soreness caused by a left flexor strain.

This issue is “nothing crazy,” per Schultz, who expects to start throwing again soon.

“It’s working in a good direction,” Schultz told MLB.com during a recent interview. “Been working in the training room, getting help from the trainers.

“They have been amazing. The weight room, the trainers there, they have been helping with everything, modifying workouts and such. Everybody has just been great and I’ll be back out soon.”

 

Edited March 27, 20233 yr by DirtySox

3 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

 

It's nothing crazy but Fegan said he's not returning to games until June. 

Edited March 27, 20233 yr by Jack Parkman

1 hour ago, Quin said:

I mean, I expected it the moment I saw his body type.

And throwing motion. Way too much strain on the elbow. 1/2 joking…but might as well just get the TJ surgery out of the way now to not waste development time and he’s basically starting from scratch as a prospect in 2 years. 

Fegan has an awesome prospect update out now. Something of note is Montgomery is out until late April with oblique issue.  Good news is a lot of the other named guys seem healthy.

Quote

First-round pick Noah Schultz has the potential to throw upper-90s out of a funky lower slot and something that could grow into a dominant slider. But what Getz highlights from the 6-foot-9 19-year-old, and what separates him from other raw pitching prospects, is his command.

“You look at the slider, it grades out plus but he also regularly throws it for a strike,” Getz said. “When you’re looking at a 6-foot-9 body, there can be some moving parts but for as big as he is, it’s fairly athletic and proportional. He’s able to repeat that delivery with not necessarily raw stuff, but pure stuff.”

Even with his post-draft work in a summer prospect league, Schultz pitched so few innings last year, which the Sox have to be cognizant of when mapping out his first full pro season. Additionally, while Getz said a forearm strain Schultz suffered has “resolved itself,” he is still in the process of building back toward throwing off a mound. With the target of getting Schultz in games in June, Getz is optimistic that he could pitch into September with outings that slowly build up in length from one to four innings. The expectation is that at some point, those outings will be at Low-A Kannapolis.

From said Fegan piece.

https://theathletic.com/4353955/2023/03/27/white-sox-colson-montgomery-noah-schultz/?source=emp_shared_article

Edited March 28, 20233 yr by DirtySox

Picked out some other things.

Quote

He will be in the complex league in his first full season in the United States, but 18-year-old Panamanian shortstop Ryan Burrowes is a breakout candidate, if only based on the interest from other teams and to say nothing of the early returns on his plate approach.

“They consistently asked for Ryan Burrowes (in trade talks), which obviously speaks to what other teams are seeing already,” Getz said. “One of our more if not most athletic defenders. He looks like a kid that could go out there and fit it on a basketball court, a football field. He has the body to be able to play any position and then you look at his ability to field the ball, move left, right, come in on balls. He’s got arm strength, can throw from different angles. He’s a really heads-up player and you can really dream on a player like Ryan Burrowes.”

And of course my guy Mena. Starting in AA. Hope the added velocity rumors are true. Because that guy with a bigger fastball would be something else.

Quote

After making himself an organizational favorite last season, 20-year-old curveball artist Cristian Mena has had “an excellent camp,” with “some dominant games this spring.”

“His velocity continues to climb,” said Getz. “His curveball is a weapon for him, he’s always been comfortable with his curveball. His slider is continuing to improve. It’s soon to be a plus pitch for him and he is gaining a lot of confidence with his changeup as well. Cristian we have in the rotation in Double A. He’s a guy that’s moving and he has a chance to move quickly.”

Some other things.

- Jose Rodriguez back in AA to start the season.

- Jared Kelly fractured his foot in spring training but it didn't stop his throwing/conditioning.

- Tanner McDougal in Kanny rotation.

- Cannon starting in W-S.

- Wes Kath to start in W-S. Made some swing adjustments to hopefully combat the strikeout rate.

Edited March 28, 20233 yr by DirtySox

9 hours ago, fathom said:

Fegan has an awesome prospect update out now. Something of note is Montgomery is out until late April with oblique issue.  Good news is a lot of the other named guys seem healthy.

It really was a nice, informative article. Schultz is fine but he’s basically starting in extended spring training. 

Seems Benyamin Bailey was released.

1 minute ago, DirtySox said:

Seems Benyamin Bailey was released.

Wow…I will never forget that insane DSL walk rate he put up