SB Nation - Sergio Santos

Chicago WhiteSox Top 20 Prospects for 2010

John Sickels — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:15:07 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

3 months ago: Chicago White Sox' Gordon Beckham dashes down the first base line on his two run home run in the third inning against the Boston Red Sox during their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Monday Aug. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Chicago White Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2010.

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change. Don't get too worried about exact rankings at this point, especially once you get beyond the Top 10. Grade C+/C guys are pretty interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. Complete reports on these and over 1,000 other players will be in the2010 Baseball Prospect Book, now available for pre-order, shipping on February 2^nd!

1) Dan Hudson, RHP, Grade B+: A personal favorite, since I rated him as a big sleeper pre-season and he really broke through.

2) Jared Mitchell, OF, Grade B: Grade A tools, refinement is a Grade C/C+ right now.

3) Tyler Flowers, C, Grade B: Power and patience are plusses, defense has improved a great deal according to all reports.

4) Brent Morel, 3B, Grade B-: I think he's underrated. Only questions about power at higher levels keep him from a Grade B. Now blocked behind Mark Teahen, a long-term signing I don't understand.

5) Jordan Danks, OF, Grade C+: Borderline Grade B-, as I like the tools and think the bat may still come around.

6) Dayan Viciedo, 3B, Grade C+: Cutting him some slack since he was young for Double-A and was pushed fast, but this is a good example of why we need performance data rather than just hype and team propaganda/scouting reports when evaluating players.

7) David Holmberg, LHP, Grade C+: Will the fastball get faster? If it does his stock could go up quickly.

8) C.J. Retherford, 2B, Grade C+: He can hit despite unimpressive tools. Not sure how he fits into long-term plans.

9) Christian Marrero, 1B-OF, Grade C+: Looks underrated to me. Could be a good platoon player.

10) Santos Rodriguez, LHP, Grade C+: Gotta love the strikeouts, but a long way from being ready to help. High ceiling though.

11) Miguel Gonzalez, C, Grade C+: Interesting catcher with good hitting in the Appy League and good glove rep, could rise quickly up the list in '10.

12) Jhonny Nunez, RHP, Grade C+: Power relief arm could help sometime soon.

13) Josh Phegley, C, Grade C+: Borderline Grade C; defensive questions still present and he had trouble transitioning from metal to wood, but can't ignore Indiana numbers completely yet.

14) John Ely, RHP, Grade C: I know scouts hate him but he just keeps getting people out. Passed Double-A Finesse Pitcher Test with flying colors.

15) John Shelby, OF, Grade C: Good speed, good glove, some power, on-base skills still sketchy despite increase in walk rate.

16) Tracye Thompson, OF, Grade C: Great tools, horrible hitting skills at this point. High risk of bust, but physical potential is impressive.

17) Clevelan Santeliz, RHP, Grade C: I know he throws hard and has the pretty ERA in Double-A, but his walk rate remains too high for me to trust him at this point.

18) Lucas Harrell, RHP, Grade C: Another guy with a decent arm but unattractive component ratios.

19) Brandon Hynick, RHP, Grade C: Nice pickup from the Rockies, possible inning-eater type though stuff is marginal.

20) Carlos Torres, RHP, Grade C: Old for a prospect at 27, but pitched well in Triple-A and could be a useful staff asset.

Others of Note (all grade C): Kyle Bellamy, RHP; Ryan Buch, RHP; Nick Ciolli, OF; Justin Collop, RHP; Tyson Corley, RHP; Eduardo Escobar, SS; Stefan Gartrell, OF; Jon Gilmore, 3B; Nevin Griffith, RHP; Gregory Infante, RHP; Nathan Jones, RHP; Jon Link, RHP; Charlie Leesman, LHP; Dan Remenowsky, RHP; Sergio Santos, RHP; Joe Serafin, LHP; Brady Shoemaker, OF; Taylor Thompson, RHP.

This is a very thin farm system, thanks in part to frequent trades and major league graduations like Gordon Beckham. I like the four guys at the top: Hudson and Mitchell are both personal favorites, though both still have enough questions to keep them from getting B+ ratings. Flowers seems to have come around defensively and has a good bat. Morel is another guy I like quite a bit and he has breakout potential in '10.

After that things thin out fast. Danks, Viciedo, and Holmberg all have good potential but even bigger questionmarks than the top guys. Marrero strikes me as an underrated player. Rodriguez and Gonzalez are intriguing but we need to see them at higher levels. After that we have a bunch of potential role players, possible bullpen arms, or guys with big ceilings but gigantic holes in their game (Trayce Thompson).

If Mitchell begins to fulfill his potential he'll be the clear number one next year.

This Month in White Sox Minor League Baseball

larry — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:34:57 -0000

You won't be seeing Sergio Santos use this anymore.

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Today was the Arizona Fall League Championship game between the Phoenix Desert Dogs and Peoria Javelinas, for whom White Sox prospects play. The Javelinas won 5-4. AFL batting champion Brent Morel had a good game, going 2-4. Jordan Danks continued his struggles with pitches inside, grounding out to the right side on such pitches three times. He did draw a walk, finishing 0-4. But C.J. "Stumpy" Retherford was the hero. He drove in Morel on a fielder's choice for the first Javelinas run and then hit an absolute bomb to left field in the 8th to give them a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

RHP Sergio Santos, the recently converted SS, made an appearance. As expected, the control was spotty - one of his strikeouts also hit the batter - and the results were rather typical (1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K) but he flashed a very nice slider and the fastball velocity looked very good.

In other news:

Video from the AFL, including Retherford, Morel and Danks.
The White Sox added five to the 40 man roster, thus protecting these players from next month's Rule 5 Draft. Phil Rogers' favorite OF Stefan Gartrell was added; with the outfield situation uncertain at this point, he was a reasonable use of space, though he strikes me as an AAAA player at best. RHP Brandon Hynick, who came over in the Contreras trade, was also protected. Of all the adds, he was the likeliest to actually be picked considering he is the closest to major league ready. Raw RHP Sergio Santos is another reasonable addition. His potential is tremendous and, as he's new to pitching, you don't know when things may click. RHP Santo Luis will be 26 next season and it will be his first time above A ball. I suppose he does have a nice strikeout rate. SouthSideSox had been hearing that RHP Brian Omogrosso tore his labrum so, if that's the case, I'm not sure why he was protected since another team couldn't stash him on the DL all year. Perhaps he's healthier than that or perhaps the White Sox see this as an irrelevant move since they have plenty of roster room and they can put him on the DL all year and, if so, would be able to get another option year.
Potentially notable non-additions are 2006 waste of a first round pick Kyle McCulloch and John Shelby. But I wouldn't be too concerned.
Minor league free agency began. Notable filings: Ehren Wassermann, David Cook and Fernando Hernandez. But I wouldn't be too concerned.
Lists season is in full swing. BP's Kevin Goldstein published his. No real surprises on it, as one could expect an analyst who favors tools to rank Jared Mitchell and Trayce Thompson higher than most.
You can keep track of all the White Sox players in winter ball here. Not much has changed since last post: Jon Link still walking too many and Clevelan Santeliz is still striking out many. Jhonny Nunez has begun playing for Licey in the Dominican Winter League so he's another to watch.

This will probably be the last front page update post until March. Check out the right sidebar for the Minor League Update fanpost, which will probably be around in one form or another for most/all of the offseason. And you can follow me on Twitter @SouthSidelarry.

A Few AFL PITCHf/x Leaders

Harry Pavlidis — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:42:00 -0000

More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

Drew Storen can do this for real, too.

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I like the Arizona Fall League. I've been tracking and classifying a lot pitches, thanks to the PITCHf/x installations in Peoria and Surprise. Nearly 10,000 pitches through Saturday's Rising Stars Game.

Let's take a look-see at some of my favorite stats. These are based only on PITCHf/x data. Some, such as ground ball rates, can be expanded to cover the non-PITCHf/x games, too. But I'm not. I'm also collapsing across pitch types due to sample size issues and a lack of finality on many of those classifications.

Anyway, on with the Strasburg. I mean Storen. I mean show.

The minimum pitch total I'm using is 59. Read Hardball Times on Tuesday and you'll figure out why. Hint: Aaron Crow's pitch total.

	Whiff
Lee Hyde	0.458
Sergio Santos	0.396
Michael Dunn	0.377
Scott Gorgen	0.373
Craig Kimbrel	0.353
Robert Wooten	0.345
Stephen Strasburg	0.339
Daniel Moskos	0.333
Zach Braddock	0.333
Jenrry Mejia	0.317

	B:CS
Drew Storen	1.4
Michael Dunn	1.4
Zach Braddock	1.4
Robert Wooten	1.4
Daniel Meszaros	1.4
Dustin Richardson	1.5
Matthew Long	1.6
Mike Leake	1.6
Logan Ondrusek	1.6
Aaron Hartsock	1.6

	In Wide Zone
Wilton Lopez	0.646
Logan Ondrusek	0.646
Mike Parisi	0.632
Jeff Lyman	0.604
Carlton Smith	0.597
Ryohei Tanaka	0.591
Bryan Augenstein	0.589
Ian Kennedy	0.580
Michael Dunn	0.579
Drew Storen	0.577

	GB%
Aaron Hartsock	75%
Stephen Strasburg	73%
Carlton Smith	69%
Josh Wilkie	67%
Connor Graham	64%
Jeff Mandel	63%
Jenrry Mejia	63%
Wilton Lopez	62%
Tommy Mendoza	59%
Javy Guerra	59%

	LD%
Wilton Lopez	0%
Spencer Steedley	0%
Steve Hirschfeld	0%
Brennan Garr	4%
Sergio Santos	5%
Joshua Fields	6%
Javy Guerra	6%
Aaron Hartsock	6%
Daniel Meszaros	7%
Drew Storen	8%

Notice how well Mejia and Strasburg rank in Whiffs and Ground balls? Storen is all over the place, along with Dunn.

This Month in White Sox Minor League Baseball

larry — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:28:16 -0000

Jordan Danks does it for the kids.

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This month:

Jordan Danks has been the outstanding performer so far for the White Sox winter ballas. Shaking off his poor, potentially injury induced, second half of 2009, he's gone .333/.450/.485 in 18 games. Watch him this Saturday at 7:15pm on MLB Network in the AFL Rising Stars Game.
The White Sox originally sent a bunch of junk to pitch in the AFL. Two junk removals have provided opportunities to a couple interesting guys. One, Sergio Santos, is simply that: interesting. A former first round pick of the Diamondbacks as a high school SS, he spent 7 seasons in the minors, never fulfilling his promise. After being invited to Spring Training this season by the White Sox and not impressing them with his hitting, either, he was converted to pitcher and, while very raw, showed some promise on the mound with a 9.4 K/9. Of course, that came with 6.4 BB/9 and a slew of wild pitches and hit by pitches. The story has been much the same in the AFL, with 6 BB and 12 K in 9.1 IP.
Also recently added from the instructional leagues was Kyle Bellamy, who is actually a prospect. A 2009 5th round selection, as a college closer, he's a fast track type and his appearance in the AFL confirms this impression. A tall, right-handed side-armer, some think he could be on the South Side next season and a good showing in the AFL would go a long way in raising his status in the organization.
As most of you know, Dayan Viciedo was shut down due to tendinitis in his right elbow after just four games. The injury is not considered at all serious and can arguably be chalked up to simple overuse in a player not used to a season stretching from February into November. He's an expected attendee at Camp Cora this January.
The injury to Viciedo opened up an opportunity for larry favorite Brent Morel. So far, .280/.296/.280.
C.J. Retherford: .255/.309/.392.
They do play baseball in places other than Arizona and the White Sox have a couple other notable participants. Jon Link is pitching for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League where he's taken his usual high strikeout/high walk act: 15.1 IP, 11 H, 10 BB, 15 K. Clevelan Santeliz is playing for Navegantes del Magallanes in the VWL and is continuing his 2009 transformation into a high strikeout/low walk pitcher: 12.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 16 K. Look for him to get a serious look for the opening day roster.
High A affiliate Winston-Salem will finally be getting their new ballpark completed. After a year delay which forced them to play at the stadium they had sold to Wake Forest, the Dash's new home in downtown Winston-Salem is set to open on April 13. Hopefully this means the club will draw more than the putrid 901 fans per game they averaged last season.
And, for the first time in more than a decade, the White Sox will take on their AAA affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, in a pre-season exhibition on April 1, 2010.

Arizona Fall League PITCHf/x - Day One

Harry Pavlidis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:05:39 -0000

No, I won't do this everyday (maybe). Yes, I have a huge back-log of New Arms. More on that below...

Today was opening day in Arizona, as top prospects in the Arizona Fall League started their short season. Thanks to MLBAM, PITCHf/x will be running in Peoria and Surprise (home to 3 of the 6 teams in the league).

The Gameday IDs will be pretty good as things progress, as the MLBAM team is getting more information on the lesser known pitchers in the league. They already have weightings in the system for pitchers who have seen big league time and some from the higher minor leagues, according to Cory Schwartz, Director of Stats for MLBAM.

I quickly classified the pitches from today's game myself, without splitting two- and four-seam fastballs. I want more data from the pitchers, and the new installations, before I get too fancy. All that's after the jump...first, a teaser.

I've got the ALDS and NLDS all tidied up and classified. I'll share some of the numbers tomorrow night.The bigger effort is nearly done ... classifying all pitches thrown in 2009 by rookies. And position players. I've completed initial classifications for all 120-something of them, and I'm in the process of reviewing and revising. Or in the process of getting ready to review and revise. Dang AFL distracted me .... oh yeah, read on for the pitch classifications from today's action in Peoria.

Click the headers to sort.

pitcher	cfx	#	MPH	PFX_X	PFX_Z	DEG	RPM
Andrew Oliver	Change-up	2	85	5	9	150	1979
Andrew Oliver	Fastball	21	93	4	12	162	2595
Andrew Oliver	Slider	6	83	-5	5	228	1390
Brennan Garr	Fastball	11	91	-7	9	219	2323
Brennan Garr	Slider	3	81	-1	-2	311	385
Eric Krebs	Change-up	3	83	-11	4	251	2081
Eric Krebs	Fastball	17	92	-8	6	234	2125
Eric Krebs	Slider	8	83	-1	-2	251	459
Gary Daley	Change-up	5	84	-7	3	249	1501
Gary Daley	Curveball	1	80	1	-9	10	1561
Gary Daley	Cutter	1	93	0	5	179	981
Gary Daley	Fastball	10	92	-8	4	245	1832
Grant Duff	Change-up	1	83	-7	-1	275	1243
Grant Duff	Curveball	5	83	0	-3	206	765
Grant Duff	Fastball	12	94	-4	8	207	1832
Ian Kennedy	Change-up	6	83	-9	5	241	1871
Ian Kennedy	Curveball	9	78	2	-10	13	1759
Ian Kennedy	Cutter	1	92	-1	7	189	1487
Ian Kennedy	Fastball	29	91	-8	7	229	2057
Ian Kennedy	Slider	7	85	-1	2	230	430
Mike Parisi	Fastball	3	92	-8	5	238	2050
Mike Parisi	Slider	1	86	-2	4	204	923
Omar Aguilar	Change-up	5	81	-11	0	269	2096
Omar Aguilar	Fastball	30	91	-7	7	225	2177
Omar Aguilar	Slider	4	81	1	2	153	556
Robbie Weinhardt	Change-up	4	86	-12	2	260	2402
Robbie Weinhardt	Curveball	9	84	0	-4	166	879
Robbie Weinhardt	Fastball	27	92	-9	2	257	1921
Scot Drucker	Change-up	5	83	-9	3	252	1802
Scot Drucker	Curveball	2	77	3	-5	32	1055
Scot Drucker	Fastball	29	90	-9	7	232	2332
Scot Drucker	Slider	2	79	2	0	89	347
Sergio Santos	Change-up	6	86	-10	1	260	2052
Sergio Santos	Curveball	2	85	0	-8	180	1549
Sergio Santos	Fastball	15	96	-7	4	241	1766
Sergio Santos	Slider	1	86	-1	1	241	266
Zachary Kroenke	Change-up	6	78	4	6	141	1247
Zachary Kroenke	Fastball	16	91	6	9	145	2190
Zachary Kroenke	Slider	3	83	-1	6	194	1126

The History of the Diamondbacks Drafts

Jim McLennan — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:09:52 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

The most recent AZ pick to reach the big leagues, Daniel Schelerth, has a record of 0-2 in his five major-league outings. Clay Zavada's mustache (1-0) is unimpressed.

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With the 2009 MLB draft taking place in the next few days, I figured it might be fun to take a look back at the previous thirteen drafts for the Diamondbacks - they've been taking part since before the franchise played a meaningful game - and see how the team has done. For each year, we'll list the following information: who we picked in the first-round, who we should have picked [a player who went lower, but has gone on to much greater success - yeah, with total 20/20 hindsight!], the most successful player chosen, and any others of note, as well as semi-random occasional comments.

1996
1st-round pick: #30, Nick Bierbrodt
Should have been: #46, Jimmy Rollins
Best pick: #155 (5th round), Brad Penny
Major-leaguers: 10/62 (16%) - Casey Fossum (7th), Junior Spivey (36th) and Jason Jennings (54th, did not sign)

With their first-ever pick in a June draft, the not-yet in actual existence Diamondbacks took Bierbrodt. To describe him as a bust would be unfair to busts. He appeared in just five games for us, posted an ERA of 8.22 and was part of a deal with the Devil Rays which got us Albie Lopez, the forgotten sixth starter in the 2001 team and Mike Difelice, who tried to set a woman on fire. Bierbrodt got shot in a Tampa drive-through and still has a bullet in his liver.

1997
1st-round pick: #30, Jack Cust
Should have been: #185, Tim Hudson
Best pick: Cust, I guess.
Major-leaguers: 5/60 (8%) - Alex Cintron (36th).

The pickings here were very slim. This was a abominable set of choices: between Cust and Cintron, we had 34 picks, who totaled 424 at bats and four innings pitched. Among the players available and picked - just not by Arizona - Matt LeCroy, Randy Wolf, Aaron Cook, Rick Ankiel, Eric Byrnes, Michael Young, Garrett Atkins, Johnny Estrada, David Eckstein and JC Romero.

1998
1st-round pick: None. Top pick was in the third round: #103, Darryl Conyer
Should have been: #210, Matt Holliday or #265, Mark Teixeira
Best pick: #883 (29th) Mike Koplove
Major-leaguers: 6/48 (12%) - Bret Prinz (18th), Robby Hammock (23rd)

Arizona paid the price for free-agent signings this year, not having a pick in the top hundred, thanks to the arrival of Jay Bell and Willie Blair - though the picks made in our place never amounted to anything much [it probably helped that as an expansion franchise, we automatically got to pick last, so no great loss] We did pick Javier Lopez in the fourth round, but lost him to the Red Sox in the December 2002 Rule 5 draft.

1999
1st-round pick: #4, Corey Myers
Should have been: #9, Barry Zito or #10, Ben Sheets
Best pick: #538 (18th) Lyle Overbay
Major-leaguers: 5/48 (10%) - Casey Daigle (supp 1st), Chris Capuano (8th), Matt Kata (9th)

For the first time, we had a high draft selection, a result of our 96-loss debut season. Unfortunately, we used the #4 pick on Corey Myers, about whom one assistant GM was quoted as saying, "We had him rated in the seventh round." Score one for that GM: Myers toiled for over three thousand PAs in the minors without ever reaching the show. Even moving from shortstop to the corner infield or to catcher couldn't get him to break through.

2000
1st-round pick: None. Top pick was in the second round: #69, Mike Schultz
Should have been: #89, evil Chris Young
Best pick: #248 (8th), Brandon Webb
Major-leaguers: 9/49 (18%) - Brian Bruney (12th), Doug Slaten (17th), Ian Kinsler (29th, did not sign)

In terms of sheer percentage of players reaching the majors, this is the best in franchise history, with almost one in five choices making it, even though we lost out first-round pick to the Braves for signing...er, Russ Springer. They used it on Adam Wainwright, though later traded him to the Cardinals. Would rather have had him than Springer, that's for sure. On the other hand, there were 247 missed chances for teams to pick Brandon Webb before we did...

2001
1st-round pick: #22,. Jason Bulger
Should have been: #38, David Wright
Best pick: #338 (11th), Dan Uggla
Major-leaguers: 7/50 (14%) - Scott Hairston (3rd), Chad Tracy (7th), Brandon Medders (8th), Kinsler again (26th, still did not sign!)

Not a bad set of players here, though a good number only blossomed away from Arizona e.g. Hairston and Uggla. This also applied to our top pick [is it just me, or does 'Jason Bulger' sound like a porn-star name?], who never did much for us. He pitched ten innings in 2005, and was then traded for Alberto Callaspo to Anaheim, where he's now a bullpen regular.

2002
1st-round pick: #27, Sergio Santos
Should have been: #64, Brian McCann
Best pick: #68, Chris Snyder
Major-leaguers: 4/50 (8%) - Lance Cormier (4th), Brian Barden (6th), Dustin Nippert (15th)

Another career minor-leaguer, Santos was part of the trade that got us O-Dawg, but subsequently bounced around the Blue Jays, Twins, White Sox and Giants farm systems, without ever reaching the big-leagues. He's now back with Chicago, but is now trying to re-invent himself as a pitcher - last weekend, he made his debut with the Sox A-ball affiliate, and threw a scoreless inning of relief.

2003
1st-round pick: #19, Conor Jackson + #29, Carlos Quentin
Should have been: #62, Andre Ethier or #114, Jonathan Papelbon
Best pick: Quentin
Major-leaguers: 4/51 (7%) - Jamie D'Antona (2nd), Matt Chico (3rd)

Hooray. The eighth draft and we finally see first-round picks that get more than a cup of coffee in the majors. The weird thing about this year is how quickly the bottom fell out for Arizona. Second- and third-round picks both reached the majors, but beyond that... Absolutely nothing: forty-seven consecutive picks and six years later, not even a cup of coffee in the majors. You'd think one should have made it, somehow, but no. Only five even made it to Triple-A.

2004
1st-round pick: #15, Stephen Drew
Should have been: #65, Dustin Pedroia
Best pick: Drew or #476, Mark Reynolds
Major-leaguers: 5/50 (10%) - Garrett Mock (3rd), Ross Ohlendorf (4th), Chris Carter (17th)

16th-round selection Reynolds shows that gems can sometimes be found towards the bottom of the mine; while not the last player picked to reach the majors, he is the last to have more than a couple of hundred at-bats. Indeed, five years on, no-one after the 34th round - almost five hundred picks - has had even a single appearance in the big leagues. One wonders whether the effort down there is worth the return, in the very occasional nugget dug up.

2005
1st-round pick: #1, Justin Upton
Should have been: No arguments here
Best pick: Three guesses
Major-leaguers: 3/52 (6%) - Micah Owings (3rd), Greg Smith (6th)

Two really good things came out of the 2004 Diamondbacks season: RJ perfect game, and the #1 pick in the 2005 draft, with which we pounced on J-Up. Our supplemental first-round pick, Matt Torra is still at Mobile (a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts this season), though is only 24. A couple of picks before Owings, we took a flier on Jason Neighborgall, and his 100+ mph fastball. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out: before retiring in 2007, in 42.1 minor-league innings, Neighborgall walked 128 batters and threw fifty-nine wild pitches.

2006
1st-round pick: #11, Max Scherzer
Should have been: #11, Max Scherzer
Best pick: #11, Max Scherzer
Major-leaguers: #11, Max Scherzer, Clay Zavada (30th)

There. That was one of the simpler entries to write, wasn't it? Obviously, we're now getting to the level where it's too much to expect all but the elite to have reached the majors. Thus far, 31% of first-round picks that year have done so, but the drop-off thereafter is steep: 9% in round two, and only one player from the third and none out of the fourth. Fun fact: we were one pick away from having Tim Lincecum drop to us in the first-round.

2007
1st-round pick: #9, Jarrod Parker
Should have been: who can say?
Best pick: Parker is looking solid enough
Major-leaguers: 1/52 (2%) - Bryan Augenstein (7th)

Parker got moved up to Double-A a month or so ago, after four starts in A-ball with a sub-one ERA. And, as we all know, after Mobile, it's next stop the majors for Diamondbacks prospects! We'll see. Odds are we'll have two rotation spots open in 2010, replacing Davis and Garland; whether Parker will be ready depends on him. He has an ERA of 3.00 in his eight Mobile starts to date. If I had to guess, I'd say if not Opening Day 2010, then at some point that season.

2008
1st-round pick: #26, Daniel Schlereth
Should have been:
Best pick: So far, Schlereth
Major-leaguers: 1/51 (2%) - Schlereth

While Schlereth certainly whizzed through the farm system to make his debut for the Diamondbacks a few weeks ago, he wasn't the first member from the class of 2008 to make it to the majors. That honor goes to the Giants' Conor Gillaspie, who made his debut on September 9th last year, barely three months after being picked by them in the first round. Now, that's getting fast-tracked.

This Week in White Sox Minor League Baseball

larry — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:53:49 -0000

You are what you wear? So the White Sox hope.

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This week, I'm truncating the news and publishing larry's Official SSS Top Ten White Sox Prospects List after the jump:

The Dominican Summer League opened play and the White Sox have the aptly named DSL White Sox participating. While it is inherently difficult to get solid information regarding the players in this league, the famous/infamous 18/35 year old Juan Silverio is playing and off to a hot start. I'll let others wax on about the rumors surrounding his $600,000 signing. I will, however, be watching him and a few other players, such as 2B Daurys Mercedes and C Jamie Del Valle. All of the players in the league are years away from ever even sniffing the majors but are worth some attention.
Jose Contreras made one final start at Charlotte before his call-up for Monday's game: 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 4 BB, 3 K.
Sox Machine recapped the month of May for Charlotte and Birmingham and Winston-Salem and Kannapolis.
Finally, there were a couple odd stories this week from the low minors. First, Sergio Santos, who some may rememeber was a non-roster invitee this spring training and played third base, has re-surfaced in Kannapolis as a pitcher. Next, after an injury to one of the two umpires, Winston-Salem's Christian Marrero had his offday cut short when he was pressed into service as a replacement umpire.

First, a brief discussion of methodology. It's an alchemy. I think about tools, current skills, makeup, ceiling and likelihood of reaching that ceiling. And then I mash it together. One could probably say that pitchers are at a disadvantage in this because of their increased likelihood of injury. I also am not a fan of numerical listings. What does it mean to be #2 if the gaps to #1 and #3, respectively, are of markedly different sizes? That's why I prefer groupings. Here, I would probably put Beckham by himself, #2-3 together, #4-5 together, #6 all alone, and then #7-10 together (and, no, there was no one left off who would make the last group).

1. Gordon Beckham, 3B: The organization’s clear top prospect received the call-up he deserved this week so he won’t be eligible for this list much longer. At every level – Class A, Arizona Fall League, AA, AAA – Beckham was superlative. While the shift to third base will raise additional and different questions about his glove than there were about it at shortstop, the bat will make up for it. His line drive swing should result in lots of doubles and the Cell will carry a lot of his hits out, as well. Path to the majors: Arrived.

2. Tyler Flowers, C: The heir apparent to the top spot has improved his standing this season with some superb hitting for the Barons. Many observers – including this one – would be able to make a pretty good argument that his bat is ready for the majors right now. Behind the plate, however, he requires a good deal more seasoning but the White Sox are adamant that he will be a major league catcher. Path to the majors: Flowers has a clear, though measured, path – he is the organization’s only prospect of any note at the position and A.J.Pierzynski, whose contract is up after next season, should play well enough to squelch any calls to prematurely promote him. Expect a call-up to Charlotte sometime in the second half with a late 2010 arrival.

3. Aaron Poreda, SP: The organization’s top pitching prospect returned to AA this season to continue working with J.R. Perdew. While his fastball has never been questioned, his secondary offerings always have. In the past, scouts have overwhelmingly predicted a future in the bullpen; recently, however, his slider and changeup have become more consistent – though still need work – and opinion has shifted to a more even divide between rotation and relief. The White Sox have been patient with Poreda, consistently resisting calls to bring him up, and their patience may be rewarded. Path to the majors: He’s ready now for the bullpen (and has been for awhile) but needs the rest of the year in the minors to develop as a starter. Expect a September call-up and a spot in next season’s Opening Day rotation.

4. Brandon Allen, 1B: Once described by a member of the front office as the organization’s "sleeping giant," Allen awoke in a big way last season and has continued to produce this season. While he’s a big man at 6'2'' and 230+, he’s very athletic with surprising speed on the basepaths and plays solid defense at first. Path to the majors: With Thome’s contract up and Konerko getting to the age where he’d benefit from more days off from the field, the left-handed hitting Allen should slot right in. Expect a June promotion to Charlotte and a mid 2010 arrival.

5. Jordan Danks, CF: You can bet that, once Beckhamania dies down, the next savior for whom fans will be clamoring is Danks. Always a toolsy player, at Texas Danks never fulfilled the promise with production. Because of this and a perception that he would finish his college eligibility, he dropped to the White Sox in the seventh round where they scooped him up for a well over-slot bonus. Such "scouting," as Hawk and Stone describe it, has paid handsome dividends so far: his numbers after promotion to Birmingham (.348/.419/.489) have been nearly idential to those at Winston-Salem. The K rate remains worrisome but his production – not to mention his above-average defense – is hard to ignore. Another positive is that, consistent with his collegiate history, the left-handed hitting Danks has an acceptable platoon split. Path to the majors: Another guy with a clear path, expect a second-half promotion to Charlotte and a mid-2010 arrival.

6. Dayan Viciedo, 3B: The hype machine has moved on from Viciedo after a piss-poor start to his minor league career. At the time, I cautioned patience because of his extreme youth compared to most of his peers. Soon after, he began to hit for a higher average – he’s now up to .286. The next step will be to add the power expected from a man with his attributes. After that, it would be hoped that some measure of plate discipline could be attained. His defense at third is butcherific so a position change is likely in order. Path to the majors: Slow and steady. He’s going to need a full year at Birmingham. Assuming he adds the power in the second half, he may start 2010 in AAA. But, at 20 and without a clear defensive position, the White Sox can afford to be restrained with their pricey investment. Mid-2011 arrival.

7. Dexter Carter, SP: His classic fastball-curve combo has befuddled Class A hitters so far this season. His K/9 is 11.88, though his dominance shouldn’t be surprising considering his advanced collegiate background. One issue for Carter is the necessity to develop his changeup into a legitimate pitch; otherwise, his future is in relief. Another concern, especially in this organization, is his fly-ball tendencies. Nevertheless, his raw ability is tantalizing. Path to the majors: A promotion to Winston-Salem is in the cards for June. After that, hope for a steady climb up the ladder. 2012 arrival.

8. Jon Link, RP: With a fastball and slider that can be vicious to opposing hitters, Link has the makeup of an aggressive closer. While his walk rate still is a concern of mine, his strikeout rate has remained high. Consistent with organizational philosophy, Link, though a closer, has experience pitching more than an inning in relief. Path to the majors: In other years, we probably would have already seen Link. Thus far, the bullpen has been strong; however, with each of Dotel, Jenks, and Linebrink showing some fragility in the recent past, a hard-throwing righty may be needed later on in the year and that’s when Link will arrive.

9. John Shelby, UTIL: Often lost in the background of the top prospects, Shelby quietly continues to improve. While his numbers this season are a bit non-descript, some of that can be attributed to a low BABIP. He also has cut his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate. The arrival of Danks has short-circuited the CF experiment but Shelby continues to project as a solid utility player, with a Willie Harris-esque ability to play all outfield positions and second base. Path to the majors: Since he does nothing spectacular and no longer has the CF track to himself, his path is less clear. Likely will spend the rest of the season in AA and start the next in AAA. Mid-2011 arrival.

10. Daniel Hudson, SP: This righty tore through the SAL but has found Advanced A ball a bit more challenging. He’s kept the K rate high but more polished hitters are walking more against him. He has a 91-93 MPH fastball with good movement but often relies on a slider to get strikeouts and hitters are beginning to lay off. Hudson will need to adjust and how he adjusts will dictate his future - tonight's outing was a nice start. Path to the majors: Like Carter, hope for a slow and steady climb up the ladder. 2012 arrival.