February 10, 201214 yr Author http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/whitesox-ta...mp;feedID=10338 MLB.com rolled out their top 20 White Sox prospects list and as expected, Addison Reed headlined the rankings with Nestor Molina sliding in second. That's how every prospect ranking has gone this offseason (John Sickels updated his list to flip Reed and Molina, so every list has Reed at No. 1 and Molina at No. 2), but beyond the top two, there are plenty of differences. A few interesting rankings of note: No. 4: Eduardo Escobar. This is as high as Escobar ranked on any list, although MLB.com concedes he profiles as a utilityman. Even in a system as thin as that of the White Sox, a future utility guy shouldn't be ranked in the top five. Escobar was rated as high as No. 6 by South Side Sox and as low as No. 13 by Sickels. No. 6: Erik Johnson. An extremely aggressive ranking here, as Johnson wasn't in the FanGraphs' top 15 and was under the "other" section for South Side Sox and Sickels. Kevin Goldstein was the only one who ranked him, but Johnson was No. 18 in Baseball Prospectus. Granted, Johnson doesn't have much pro experience, but he's right in the same boat as a bunch of other Sox pitchers in that he has two good pitches but lacks a refined third offering. No. 11: Marcus Semien. He wasn't ranked or put in an "other" category by anyone, so to see him not only in the top 20, but at No. 11 is a little interesting. Like Escobar, he's a defense-first infielder without much of a bat, but he's much less advanced. That nobody else bothered to mention his name is a decent sign that he's a longshot prospect. Update: I somehow missed Keith Law's top 10 White Sox prospects list, and he has Johnson at No. 7 and Semien at No. 9. So maybe these rankings aren't as super-aggressive as I initially thought. Not ranked: Jared Mitchell. The former first-round pick's prospect status has taken a huge hit in the last two years, but it's hard to argue that it's been a big enough blow to completely leave him off a top 20 list in a system as weak as that of the White Sox. It's even more head-scratching when the likes of Josh Phegley and Mike Blanke made the cut. Not ranked: Myles Jaye. This guy was only ranked by Baseball Prospectus, but I had the chance to chat with Kevin Goldstein after his appearance on Chicago Baseball Hot Stove earlier this week and came away really liking Jaye. Goldstein sees a lot of potential in the 20-year-old, and while he hasn't pitched above rookie ball, I'd rather see a higher-potential guy on this than Nate Jones (No. 12), Charlie Leesman (No. 14) and/or Jose Quintana (No. 19).
February 10, 201214 yr QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 08:53 AM) http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/whitesox-ta...mp;feedID=10338 Keith Law also has Erik Johnson in his top ten, I believe at #6.
February 10, 201214 yr Johnson has a good arm and some nice upside. I hope we see big things from him this year.
February 10, 201214 yr Semien at 11 and Phegley at 20 surprise me. Semien hasn't shown enough yet to warrant that, and Phegley is just such a health disaster.
February 10, 201214 yr That is the most logical MLB.com top 20 for the Sox I can remember. They've been the worst lists imaginable.
February 15, 201214 yr QUOTE (bighurt4life @ Feb 14, 2012 -> 04:42 PM) would have expected miguel gonzalez somewhere on that list He has really struggled after his strong 2009 in Bristol. Plus he's had injuries. His hitting got better in 2011, but that was repeating A-, and he still only posted a .650 OPS. He's still young so I wouldn't say he's fully off the radar, but I doubt anyone would put him in the Sox Top 25. Maybe still in the top 50.
February 26, 201214 yr QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 10, 2012 -> 08:53 AM) http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/whitesox-ta...mp;feedID=10338 Jared Mitchell ship I am afraid has sailed! I never liked the pick even before he got hurt.
February 27, 201214 yr QUOTE (Soxfest @ Feb 25, 2012 -> 10:34 PM) Jared Mitchell ship I am afraid has sailed! I never liked the pick even before he got hurt. Way too early to make that call yet. If he bombs in 2012 like he did in 2011, then I'll consider that possibility. But not yet.
February 27, 201214 yr Author QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 27, 2012 -> 01:29 PM) Way too early to make that call yet. If he bombs in 2012 like he did in 2011, then I'll consider that possibility. But not yet. Absolutely. When the guy is talking about his ankle still healing when you get to the off-season, it is very telling.
February 27, 201214 yr QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2012 -> 01:32 PM) Absolutely. When the guy is talking about his ankle still healing when you get to the off-season, it is very telling. I'm not saying we should bail on him, but what else is he going to say? That his ankle isn't like what it used to be and his career is hopeless? Of course he's going to be optimistic in a quote.
February 27, 201214 yr I'm not about to write Mitchell off. He had elite athleticism, if he comes even close to that, he should be a viable prospect. If he lays an egg this year, fine, if he plays strong, he should re-emerge as one of the Sox better prospects.
February 28, 201214 yr Last time I checked, an injured ankle shouldn't hinder your ability to see the plate and draw walks, and as far as baseball SKILLS go, that's what Mitchell was known for. Definitely too early to write him off, but certainly hopes are dwindling. Based off the MLB.com list, I'm intrigued with Snodgress.
February 28, 201214 yr Author QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 27, 2012 -> 11:27 PM) Last time I checked, an injured ankle shouldn't hinder your ability to see the plate and draw walks, and as far as baseball SKILLS go, that's what Mitchell was known for. Definitely too early to write him off, but certainly hopes are dwindling. Based off the MLB.com list, I'm intrigued with Snodgress. It can affect your ability to plant and drive through the ball though, which can be just as bad.
February 28, 201214 yr QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 28, 2012 -> 12:27 AM) Last time I checked, an injured ankle shouldn't hinder your ability to see the plate and draw walks, and as far as baseball SKILLS go, that's what Mitchell was known for. Definitely too early to write him off, but certainly hopes are dwindling. Based off the MLB.com list, I'm intrigued with Snodgress. Not just that...he went a full year without having a chance to see live pitching. The ankle may not hurt your ability to see the ball, but losing that year...that really hurts.
February 28, 201214 yr QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 28, 2012 -> 05:27 AM) Last time I checked, an injured ankle shouldn't hinder your ability to see the plate and draw walks, and as far as baseball SKILLS go, that's what Mitchell was known for. Definitely too early to write him off, but certainly hopes are dwindling. Based off the MLB.com list, I'm intrigued with Snodgress. I agree with youa bout Snodgress. IIRC, the Sox almost took him with their first pick.
March 1, 201214 yr QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 28, 2012 -> 03:47 PM) I agree with youa bout Snodgress. IIRC, the Sox almost took him with their first pick. I didn't know they considered picking him so highly. But if they did, I'm sure they were thrilled to nab him in the 5th. I'm intrigued by how much his control has improved in WS compared to how it was at Stanford. Tall lefties will always have great value, and it's nice to see the White Sox flip the script and convert a reliever into a starter. He's a little bit older than most others at his level if I'm not mistaken, but it's still promising to see the peripherals. It's most important for him to work on secondary pitches and increasing his stamina. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on him this season.
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