Top 20 Prospects: Chicago White Sox
1. Courtney Hawkins, OF, B
The White Sox 2012 first round pick, Hawkins has a very intriguing set of tools. He has huge power potential to go along with great athleticism, very good speed for his size and a big time arm. He profiles to be a Nelson Cruz type right fielder if everything works out for him.
2. Nestor Molina, RHP, B/B-
Molina broke out last year in the Blue Jays system in his first full season as a starter, but has struggled pretty badly this season since being traded for Sergio Santos in the offseason. His walk rate is still around his career average, but his strikeout rate is way down and his hit rate has spiked this season. He still has mid rotation capabilities, but needs to improve his secondary offerings as well as his command within the zone if he wants to remain a starter.
3. Jared Mitchell, OF, B/B-
A top prospect coming out of LSU in 2009, Mitchell missed all of 2010 with an ankle injury and last season he struggled making contact. With a much better approach this year in AA, Mitchell is once again showing the power/speed skills that he did in college. He is still striking out at a high clip, but he is walking a lot more, a sign that his approach has improved.
4. Simon Castro, RHP, B-/B
Traded for Carlos Quentin in the offseason, Castro was a top prospect a couple of years ago with the Padres and looked like he was going to be a good number 2 starter given his solid stuff, command and deception. He has never fared well in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League, however, and his secondary pitches regressed last season. In AA for the third season, he is doing well yet again, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to handle AAA. It might be a good move to skip AAA and just head to the majors when the opportunity presents itself, as he now looks like a good mid-back end starter.
5. Tyler Saladino, SS, C+
Saladino is not showing the type of power he did last year, but he is certainly showing a ton of speed this year as a 22 year old in AA with 23 steals in 62 games. He is not hitting at the same clip that he did last year (.232 average down from .270), but his approach and on base skills appear to be excellent with a 47/54 BB:K ratio. His defense is also solid and he could be very valuable if he can stay at short—he has played 9 out of 62 games at second.
6. Keenyn Walker, OF, C+
Walker could certainly be a future switch hitting leadoff hitter with excellent speed, good base stealing skills, and an improving approach and contact skills. He is a toolsy athlete, something the White Sox look for, and his ceiling is very high. It would be very good for his prospect status if he were able to move up to AA at some point next season, but it may be worth it to give him more seasoning and move him slowly.
7. Trayce Thompson, OF, C+
Thompson has an intriguing power/speed combo but has always had contact issues. He certainly has a very high ceiling, but unless he improves his contact skills and/or his approach, he will not live up to that potential.
8. Jake Petricka, RHP, C+
Petricka has a power arsenal and has been getting more strikeouts this year despite mostly using a sinker, but he has some control and command problems that have limited his effectiveness.
9. Keon Barnum, 1B, C+
Barnum’s game is all power and he certainly has a lot of it. Fairly old for a high school kid, he will probably need to move quicker than usual, but given the development time needed for these types of sluggers, expect a slow development process, even with his 2 homers in his first 3 professional games.
10. Andre Rienzo, RHP, C+
Originally ranked higher on our list, Rienzo tested positive for a performance enhancing drug earlier this year. Even though he is having a very strong season, you have to be skeptical after one positive test.
11. Chris Beck, RHP, C+
12. Kevan Smith, C, C
13. Jeff Soptic, RHP, C
14. Rangel Ravelo, 3B/1B, C
15. Carlos Sanchez, SS/2B, C
16. Joey DeMichele, 2B, C
17. Kyle Hansen, RHP, C
18. Nick Basto, SS, C
19. Erik Johnson, RHP, C
20. Michael Earley, OF, C
21. Dan Black, 1B, C
22. Mark Haddow, OF, C
23. Terry Doyle, RHP, C
24. Charles Shirek, RHP, C
25. Charlie Leesman, LHP, C
26. Scott Snodgress, LHP, C
27. Brady Shoemaker, OF, C
The White Sox 2012 first round pick, Hawkins has a very intriguing set of tools. He has huge power potential to go along with great athleticism, very good speed for his size and a big time arm. He profiles to be a Nelson Cruz type right fielder if everything works out for him.
2. Nestor Molina, RHP, B/B-
Molina broke out last year in the Blue Jays system in his first full season as a starter, but has struggled pretty badly this season since being traded for Sergio Santos in the offseason. His walk rate is still around his career average, but his strikeout rate is way down and his hit rate has spiked this season. He still has mid rotation capabilities, but needs to improve his secondary offerings as well as his command within the zone if he wants to remain a starter.
3. Jared Mitchell, OF, B/B-
A top prospect coming out of LSU in 2009, Mitchell missed all of 2010 with an ankle injury and last season he struggled making contact. With a much better approach this year in AA, Mitchell is once again showing the power/speed skills that he did in college. He is still striking out at a high clip, but he is walking a lot more, a sign that his approach has improved.
4. Simon Castro, RHP, B-/B
Traded for Carlos Quentin in the offseason, Castro was a top prospect a couple of years ago with the Padres and looked like he was going to be a good number 2 starter given his solid stuff, command and deception. He has never fared well in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League, however, and his secondary pitches regressed last season. In AA for the third season, he is doing well yet again, but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to handle AAA. It might be a good move to skip AAA and just head to the majors when the opportunity presents itself, as he now looks like a good mid-back end starter.
5. Tyler Saladino, SS, C+
Saladino is not showing the type of power he did last year, but he is certainly showing a ton of speed this year as a 22 year old in AA with 23 steals in 62 games. He is not hitting at the same clip that he did last year (.232 average down from .270), but his approach and on base skills appear to be excellent with a 47/54 BB:K ratio. His defense is also solid and he could be very valuable if he can stay at short—he has played 9 out of 62 games at second.
6. Keenyn Walker, OF, C+
Walker could certainly be a future switch hitting leadoff hitter with excellent speed, good base stealing skills, and an improving approach and contact skills. He is a toolsy athlete, something the White Sox look for, and his ceiling is very high. It would be very good for his prospect status if he were able to move up to AA at some point next season, but it may be worth it to give him more seasoning and move him slowly.
7. Trayce Thompson, OF, C+
Thompson has an intriguing power/speed combo but has always had contact issues. He certainly has a very high ceiling, but unless he improves his contact skills and/or his approach, he will not live up to that potential.
8. Jake Petricka, RHP, C+
Petricka has a power arsenal and has been getting more strikeouts this year despite mostly using a sinker, but he has some control and command problems that have limited his effectiveness.
9. Keon Barnum, 1B, C+
Barnum’s game is all power and he certainly has a lot of it. Fairly old for a high school kid, he will probably need to move quicker than usual, but given the development time needed for these types of sluggers, expect a slow development process, even with his 2 homers in his first 3 professional games.
10. Andre Rienzo, RHP, C+
Originally ranked higher on our list, Rienzo tested positive for a performance enhancing drug earlier this year. Even though he is having a very strong season, you have to be skeptical after one positive test.
11. Chris Beck, RHP, C+
12. Kevan Smith, C, C
13. Jeff Soptic, RHP, C
14. Rangel Ravelo, 3B/1B, C
15. Carlos Sanchez, SS/2B, C
16. Joey DeMichele, 2B, C
17. Kyle Hansen, RHP, C
18. Nick Basto, SS, C
19. Erik Johnson, RHP, C
20. Michael Earley, OF, C
21. Dan Black, 1B, C
22. Mark Haddow, OF, C
23. Terry Doyle, RHP, C
24. Charles Shirek, RHP, C
25. Charlie Leesman, LHP, C
26. Scott Snodgress, LHP, C
27. Brady Shoemaker, OF, C
2012 Draft Review: Chicago White Sox
Overall Draft Grade: B-/C+
The White Sox found a nice balance of high school and college products in this class. They went for upside and power potential at the top with Hawkins and Barnum, and then progressed into some "safer" picks, mainly from the college ranks. Chicago had $5.915 million to spread across 11 selections in the first 10 rounds this year and this class looks fairly signable. Hawkins and Barnum will have some big price tags, but they balanced those out nicely with some of their later selections. Overall, however, we're not thrilled with the talent they brought in. Hawkins is deserving of his high selection, but Barnum has some question marks and there's nothing to get too excited about after those two.
1st Round (13): Courtney Hawkins, OF, Carroll HS (TX), 6'3", 220, R/R
Hawkins is an outstanding athlete, as evidenced by his on-air backflip, and he oozes potential at the plate and in the outfield. He's very, very strong and while his hit tool is far behind his athleticism, he shows raw power and the ability to turn around velocity. He's certainly a project, but Hawkins has huge upside if he puts it all together.
The White Sox found a nice balance of high school and college products in this class. They went for upside and power potential at the top with Hawkins and Barnum, and then progressed into some "safer" picks, mainly from the college ranks. Chicago had $5.915 million to spread across 11 selections in the first 10 rounds this year and this class looks fairly signable. Hawkins and Barnum will have some big price tags, but they balanced those out nicely with some of their later selections. Overall, however, we're not thrilled with the talent they brought in. Hawkins is deserving of his high selection, but Barnum has some question marks and there's nothing to get too excited about after those two.
1st Round (13): Courtney Hawkins, OF, Carroll HS (TX), 6'3", 220, R/R
Hawkins is an outstanding athlete, as evidenced by his on-air backflip, and he oozes potential at the plate and in the outfield. He's very, very strong and while his hit tool is far behind his athleticism, he shows raw power and the ability to turn around velocity. He's certainly a project, but Hawkins has huge upside if he puts it all together.
Supplemental Round (48): Keon Barnum, 1B, King HS (FL), 6'5", 225, L/L
Barnum is a big, powerful first baseman from the Florida high school ranks. While the power is intriguing, this pick confuses us a little as he was projected to go much lower. Barnum is quite old for a high school player and seems to only have a limited set of skills. While one of those skills is the ability to drive a ball out of a ballpark, in our opinion, there were better power options available at this spot.
Barnum is a big, powerful first baseman from the Florida high school ranks. While the power is intriguing, this pick confuses us a little as he was projected to go much lower. Barnum is quite old for a high school player and seems to only have a limited set of skills. While one of those skills is the ability to drive a ball out of a ballpark, in our opinion, there were better power options available at this spot.
2nd Round (76): Chris Beck, RHP, Georgia Southern University (JR), 6'3", 225
Beck has a workhorse build and the stuff to match. He was originally projected as a first-round selection, but was a little too hittable this year at Georgia Southern. Regardless, we had him ranked as roughly the 10th best college arm in this class and he reminds us of Trevor Cahill. He doesn't have a huge ceiling, but Beck has the stuff, build and mentality to find a spot in the rotation at the next level.
Beck has a workhorse build and the stuff to match. He was originally projected as a first-round selection, but was a little too hittable this year at Georgia Southern. Regardless, we had him ranked as roughly the 10th best college arm in this class and he reminds us of Trevor Cahill. He doesn't have a huge ceiling, but Beck has the stuff, build and mentality to find a spot in the rotation at the next level.
3rd Round (108): Joey DeMichele, 2B, Arizona State University (JR), 5'11", 190, L/R
DeMichele has shown some pop for Arizona State this year and put up an impressive .336/.398/.548 line. He has some speed, will steal a base from time to time and has shown good defense at second. The bat has a chance to play up if he sticks there defensively, and DeMichele is one of the more intriguing bats in the college class.
4th Round (141): Brandon Brennan, RHP, Orange Coast College, 6'4", 220
We can't find too much on his stuff, but it's fairly easy to project what it could be given his pitcher's frame and outstanding JUCO statistics this year. Brennan went 11-1 with a 1.25 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 108.1 innings this year for Orange Coast. While he wasn't overpowering anybody, he certainly knew how to get hitters out and held them to a .197 BAA.
5th Round (171): Nick Basto, SS, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL), 6'1", 180, R/R
Basto comes out of the same powerhouse program that produced 2012 first round pick Nick Travieso. He is a solid athlete with good middle infield tools and the potential to stay at short at the next level. He's a work in progress at the plate, but there are tools here that are definitely intriguing.
6th Round (201): Kyle Hansen, RHP, St. John's University (JR), 6'8", 215
Hansen is obviously a physically imposing presence on the mound and some scouts have immediately pegged him as a reliever. His stuff could play either way as he features an above-average fastball and a solid average slider. He's developing a change-up, but sometimes struggles with command and consistency of mechanics. Either way, he's an interesting selection at 201 and his frame definitely points to the upside Hansen possesses.
7th Round (231): Jose Barazza, C, Sunnyside HS (CA), 6'1", 220, L/R
8th Round (261): Zach Isler, RHP, Cincinnati University (JR), 6'4", 235
9th Round (291): Micah Johnson, 2B, Indiana University (JR), 5'11", 200, L/R
10th Round (321): Brandon Hardin, RHP, Delta State University (SR), 6'0", 200
A special shout-out to our friend, teammate and captain Mitch Glasser, the hometown kid who got selected out of Macalester College in the 39th round. The White Sox took a great player, leader and all-around baseball nut. We wish him the best.
DeMichele has shown some pop for Arizona State this year and put up an impressive .336/.398/.548 line. He has some speed, will steal a base from time to time and has shown good defense at second. The bat has a chance to play up if he sticks there defensively, and DeMichele is one of the more intriguing bats in the college class.
4th Round (141): Brandon Brennan, RHP, Orange Coast College, 6'4", 220
We can't find too much on his stuff, but it's fairly easy to project what it could be given his pitcher's frame and outstanding JUCO statistics this year. Brennan went 11-1 with a 1.25 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 108.1 innings this year for Orange Coast. While he wasn't overpowering anybody, he certainly knew how to get hitters out and held them to a .197 BAA.
5th Round (171): Nick Basto, SS, Archbishop McCarthy HS (FL), 6'1", 180, R/R
Basto comes out of the same powerhouse program that produced 2012 first round pick Nick Travieso. He is a solid athlete with good middle infield tools and the potential to stay at short at the next level. He's a work in progress at the plate, but there are tools here that are definitely intriguing.
6th Round (201): Kyle Hansen, RHP, St. John's University (JR), 6'8", 215
Hansen is obviously a physically imposing presence on the mound and some scouts have immediately pegged him as a reliever. His stuff could play either way as he features an above-average fastball and a solid average slider. He's developing a change-up, but sometimes struggles with command and consistency of mechanics. Either way, he's an interesting selection at 201 and his frame definitely points to the upside Hansen possesses.
7th Round (231): Jose Barazza, C, Sunnyside HS (CA), 6'1", 220, L/R
8th Round (261): Zach Isler, RHP, Cincinnati University (JR), 6'4", 235
9th Round (291): Micah Johnson, 2B, Indiana University (JR), 5'11", 200, L/R
10th Round (321): Brandon Hardin, RHP, Delta State University (SR), 6'0", 200
A special shout-out to our friend, teammate and captain Mitch Glasser, the hometown kid who got selected out of Macalester College in the 39th round. The White Sox took a great player, leader and all-around baseball nut. We wish him the best.
White Sox Draft Strategy: An Overview
The White Sox have been known for their love of toolsy outfielders, but what they seem to love more in the draft is pitching. 9 out of their top 12 picks in 2011 were pitchers, their top 5 picks in 2010 were pitchers and 8 out of their top 11 picks in 2009 were pitchers. Also, while toolsy outfielders usually come out of high school, they seem to have taken more college guys in recent years. They only took 3 high school players through the first 35 rounds in 2011 and 6 high schoolers through round 35 in 2010 and 2009. With $5.915 million to spread over 11 selections in the top 10 rounds this year, I could see them going a similar route: pitchers and up the middle hitters, many college players and a fair number of JUCO players. Their top 10 selections last year were college guys, half of them JUCO players, which suggests a potential trend toward JUCO products. We had them selecting Michael Wacha and Nick Williams with their top two selections, and although Williams is the epitome of a high risk high reward player, Wacha should be a safe bet to make the majors pretty soon to help out the current division leading White Sox.
Mock Draft Selections: Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M University, Nick Williams, Galveston Ball HS (TX)
Mock Draft Selections: Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M University, Nick Williams, Galveston Ball HS (TX)
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