Just for Fun - your Top Prospects

[NorthSideSox72]

So, there have been some trades. There are new prospects and "prospects" in the system - Abreu and Davidson are both eligible. So is Nieto. Brandon Jacobs is gone.

 

BP and a couple others sites have released their lists. BA is coming out January 6th, FutureSox in January also.

 

Meanwhile, just to prompt discussion... give us your current Top Prospects list. You can to Top 10, or Top 25 or more if you'd like. Just thought it would be a fun discussion. Also feel free to provide prospects you think are under/over-rated, or who may breakout or disappoint in 2014.

 

Go...

 

[GreenSox]

I'll give 2 sleepers.

Jared Mitchell - the only Sox player I actually saw play in college. He was near high school raw when drafted. Then he gets injured. Well it's only AFL, but it's a spark and he has talent. Were he a high school player, which I think he was close to in development when drafted, 5 years in the minors wouldn't hold such a red flag.

Nieto - this guy is another one who started slow, was injured and has been recently improving. He's blocked by 2 catching prospects in Washington. If he doesn't stick, the Sox will try to work a trade. I'm in the minority, but loved this Rule 5 pick.

Edited December 17, 2013 by GreenSox

[GGajewski18]

1. Jose Abreu

2. Matt Davidson

3. Erik Johnson

4. Marcus Semein

5. Tim Anderson

6. Courtney Hawkins

7. Chris Beck

8. Micah Johnson

9. Carlos Sanchez

10. Tyler Danish

11. Daniel Webb

12. Trayce Thompson

13. Jared Mitchell

14. Jacob May

15. Scott Snodgrass

[witesoxfan]

1. Abreu

2. Johnson

3. Davidson

4. Semien

5. Hawkins

6. Anderson

7. Beck

8. Webb

9. Sanchez

10. M. Johnson

 

Eaton would slot in at 3 if he were eligible

[Jake]

1. Jose Abreu

2. Erik Johnson

3. Matt Davidson

4. Marcus Semein

5. Tim Anderson

6. Courtney Hawkins

7. Chris Beck

8. Micah Johnson

9. Daniel Webb

10. Tyler Danish

11. Trayce Thompson

12. Chris Bassit

13. Carlos Sanchez

14. Jacob May

15. Scott Snodgress

[Chicago White Sox]

Shocked Barnum hasn't made a list yet. He had a really nice September with a .914 OPS and a BB:K ratio of 7:10. I know it was an incredibly small sample size, but it's still a very promising sign IMO.

 

Another sleeper I'd go with is Rangel Ravelo. He had a really nice year at Winston-Salem and while his HR numbers leave a lot to be desired for a 1B, he demonstrated excellent gap power last season. He should start 2014 as a 22 year old in AA and maybe we'll start seeing some of those doubles turn into HRs in the near future.

[daggins]

 

1. Jose Abreu

2. Erik Johnson

3. Tim Anderson

4. Matt Davidson

5. Courtney Hawkins

6. Tyler Danish

7. Marcus Semien

8. Trayce Thompson

9. Jacob May

10. Scott Snodgress

11. Micah Johnson

12. Chris Beck

13. Jefferson Olacio

14. Carlos Sanchez

15. Trey Michelczewski

 

 

[Rowand44]

Abreu

Johnson

Davidson

Semien

Danish

Hawkins

Anderson

Beck

Micah Johnson

Webb

[winninguglyin83]

1. Abreu

2. E. Johnson

3. Semien

4. Davidson

5. Webb

6. M. Johnson

7. Hawkins (not a believer that he'll manage the Ks)

8. Sanchez

9. Bassit

10. Anderson

11. Danish

12. May

13. Snodgrass

14. Beck

15. Engel

 

Sorry, Buddy Bell. Not believing the Jared Mitchell hype. Keep talking him up and maybe somebody will take him in a deal.

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

1. Abreu

2. Johnson

3. Davidson

4. Semien

5. Hawkins

6. Anderson

7. Beck

8. Micah Johnson

9. Danish

10. Webb

[PolishPrince34]

1. Abreu

2. Davidson

3. E. Johnson

4. T. Anderson

5. Hawkins

6. Semien

7. Beck

8. M. Johnson

9. Thompson

10. Webb

11. C. Sanchez

12. Danish

13. Snodgress

14. May

15. Olacio

16. Engel

17. Barnum

18. Michelczewski

18. Walker

19. Montas

20. A. Mitchell

Edited December 19, 2013 by PolishPrince34

[Quin]

Looking at these lists...damn our system improved a lot.

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm surprised how many people have Tim Anderson outside their top 5.

 

1. Abreu

2. Davidson

3. E. Johnson

4. T. Anderson

5. Hawkins

6. Semien

7. Beck

8. M. Johnson

9. Thompson

10. Webb

11. C. Sanchez

12. Danish

13. Snodgress

14. May

15. Olacio

16. Engel

17. Barnum

18. Michelczewski

18. Walker

19. Montas

20. A. Mitchell

 

Walker at 18 is interesting. I'd be curious what your thoughts are on him at this point.

 

Looking at these lists...damn our system improved a lot.

 

Definitely.

 

[witesoxfan]

Shocked Barnum hasn't made a list yet. He had a really nice September with a .914 OPS and a BB:K ratio of 7:10. I know it was an incredibly small sample size, but it's still a very promising sign IMO.

 

Another sleeper I'd go with is Rangel Ravelo. He had a really nice year at Winston-Salem and while his HR numbers leave a lot to be desired for a 1B, he demonstrated excellent gap power last season. He should start 2014 as a 22 year old in AA and maybe we'll start seeing some of those doubles turn into HRs in the near future.

 

A 1B who has suffered injuries in back to back seasons just doesn't get my motor running. He's a top 25 prospect for me with the potential to be a top 5 prospect some day, but the excitement for him is just not there yet. If he can stay healthy and put up an .800-.850 with good BB and K numbers, he could easily work his way into the top 10.

[PolishPrince34]

I'm surprised how many people have Tim Anderson outside their top 5.

 

 

 

Walker at 18 is interesting. I'd be curious what your thoughts are on him at this point.

 

 

 

Definitely.

I still think their is still a lot of potential in Walker. Last year was a wasted year in the off-season he had major shoulder surgery and knee surgery. The problem was Walker and Sox rushed him back and was never fully healthy at the start of the season. Sox should insisted and made Walker rehab those injuries a little longer and I believe we would saw better results. I think Walker probably has the best plate discipline in our entire system, defense is solid, potential lead-off type hitter, and has above average speed on the base-paths. This is a make or break year for Walker. Hopefully it was the injuries that made for a disappointing season in 2013. Hit tool is the key question in the equation.

[NorthSideSox72]

I still think their is still a lot of potential in Walker. Last year was a wasted year in the off-season he had major shoulder surgery and knee surgery. The problem was Walker and Sox rushed him back and was never fully healthy at the start of the season. Sox should insisted and made Walker rehab those injuries a little longer and I believe we would saw better results. I think Walker probably has the best plate discipline in our entire system, defense is solid, potential lead-off type hitter, and has above average speed on the base-paths. This is a make or break year for Walker. Hopefully it was the injuries that made for a disappointing season in 2013. Hit tool is the key question in the equation.

Thanks, good synopsis. I'd feel better if he didn't strike out as much as he does, especially being a non-power hitter. But he certainly could surprise this year.

 

[ILMOU]

I'm excited enough about the system that I'll be trying to convince the Mrs. to take a trip to the Carolinas next year.

 

I figure if I can work in a trip to the Biltmore, and a carriage ride in Charleston, I can likely get her to 2-3 Milb games.

 

Like these lists a lot. I posted an early-offseason one that would obviously be much different now. The consensus seems to have Danish a bit lower than I did - I see him as a potential #1 or #2 starter and can't wait to see him in live action

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm excited enough about the system that I'll be trying to convince the Mrs. to take a trip to the Carolinas next year.

 

I figure if I can work in a trip to the Biltmore, and a carriage ride in Charleston, I can likely get her to 2-3 Milb games.

 

Like these lists a lot. I posted an early-offseason one that would obviously be much different now. The consensus seems to have Danish a bit lower than I did - I see him as a potential #1 or #2 starter and can't wait to see him in live action

If you do head down there, make sure you tell us about it after!

 

[GreenSox]

North, considering that organizations have 100+ prospects (or at least players) in the minors, how do these organizations (like BA) or persons (Keith Law) really evaluate the strength of an organization. Do they look at the top 10, top 20 or do they purport to look at the entire system?

 

And then I think about players like Semien, Webb and Erik Johnson...these guys are valuable to the Sox, near ML ready, yet aren't top 100 prospects by any ranking system. Do the higher ranked organizations have 5 or 10 Semiens?

Edited December 20, 2013 by GreenSox

[Jake]

North, considering that organizations have 100+ prospects (or at least players) in the minors, how do these organizations (like BA) or persons (Keith Law) really evaluate the strength of an organization. Do they look at the top 10, top 20 or do they purport to look at the entire system?

 

And then I think about players like Semien, Webb and Erik Johnson...these guys are valuable to the Sox, near ML ready, yet aren't top 100 prospects by any ranking system. Do the higher ranked organizations have 5 or 10 Semiens?

 

I'd say they're mostly thinking about your top 20 versus everyone else's. They'll also have an impression of each of your recent drafts, though, which will certainly overlap with some of your top 20 but they may also like guys from your recent drafts that haven't yet made a name enough to crack the top XX list.

 

Erik Johnson is a top 100 prospect -- someone even mentioned that he probably gets too little love due to BNS (Boring Name Syndrome).

 

Better organizations would have several guys in a given year that look just like Semien. Guys who didn't have any great tools, but really broke out and took a pretty good performance to really really good levels. Some of those guys don't pan out. For us, we need our guy like that to pan out.

[NorthSideSox72]

North, considering that organizations have 100+ prospects (or at least players) in the minors, how do these organizations (like BA) or persons (Keith Law) really evaluate the strength of an organization. Do they look at the top 10, top 20 or do they purport to look at the entire system?

 

And then I think about players like Semien, Webb and Erik Johnson...these guys are valuable to the Sox, near ML ready, yet aren't top 100 prospects by any ranking system. Do the higher ranked organizations have 5 or 10 Semiens?

 

Jake pretty much covers it here...

 

I'd say they're mostly thinking about your top 20 versus everyone else's. They'll also have an impression of each of your recent drafts, though, which will certainly overlap with some of your top 20 but they may also like guys from your recent drafts that haven't yet made a name enough to crack the top XX list.

 

Erik Johnson is a top 100 prospect -- someone even mentioned that he probably gets too little love due to BNS (Boring Name Syndrome).

 

Better organizations would have several guys in a given year that look just like Semien. Guys who didn't have any great tools, but really broke out and took a pretty good performance to really really good levels. Some of those guys don't pan out. For us, we need our guy like that to pan out.

 

I will note though, I saw a BA writer hint that Semien may be in the T100 coming up. Johnson already is/was, Hawkins has been previously. Tim Anderson might show up too.

 

[Balta1701]

Tim Anderson might show up too.

Really? That'd be great to hear some positive about him, it's been excessively quiet on him since he was drafted.

[NorthSideSox72]

Really? That'd be great to hear some positive about him, it's been excessively quiet on him since he was drafted.

I haven't seen quiet. Jason Parks was raving about him not that long ago, and BA hinted he's among the Top 3 in the Sox system (which now means something a little more, since the other two are Abreu and Johnson). He's raw, but I've seen raves about his tools.

 

[Balta1701]

I haven't seen quiet. Jason Parks was raving about him not that long ago, and BA hinted he's among the Top 3 in the Sox system (which now means something a little more, since the other two are Abreu and Johnson). He's raw, but I've seen raves about his tools.

Ok, surprisingly quiet from the places I check...which translates mostly to "here".

[hammerhead johnson]

Wow, good vibes in the Future Sox forum?

 

From fangraphs:

 

Tim Anderson swings and misses too much for a hitter that projects to be a top-of-the-order catalyst but he has just enough raw power potential to mess with his head. His quick bat and fleet feet should help him hit for a solid average if he makes the necessary adjustments alluded to in the previous sentence.

 

Adam Eaton knew his place from the jump. I'm assuming that coaches are constantly asking Tim to work counts and hit ground balls/line drives. Finding a way to reach first base should be his mission in life.

 

But he obviously has great potential in the speed categories. His BABIP was .384, and he stole 24 bases in only 68 games.

 

Fangraphs also said that he has "modest arm strength". There are exceptions, but in the vast majority of cases, those guys eventually find a home at 2B, correct?

 

God, I hope he works out.