The White Sox, like their counterparts in Chicago a few years prior, are undergoing a serious rebuilding process that started a couple of seasons ago and is starting to bear fruit at the major league level. There are still some very good pieces down on the farm that could make an impact for the big club this year. Overall though, it is a fairly top heavy system without much proven depth behind the top few names that many are familiar with. That doesn’t mean there aren’t intriguing plays, it just means they aren’t as developed as those ahead of them. Chicago’s window is just beginning to open and their hope is that this bumper crop of prospects will keep it open for several years to come.
Top Prospects In The System
Pos. - OF Ht/Wt - 6’3” 185 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 22
Level - Triple-A Signed - May 2017 ETA: 2020
Grades: Hit: 55 Power: 65 Run: 65 Arm: 65 Field: 55
Robert was the talk of the baseball world last year with his impressive showing over three levels with a 30/30 season and a slash line of .306/.352/.573 just between Double-A and Triple-A. He was a highly-touted signing back in 2017 and it didn’t take him long to show why. Just two and a half years after signing, he’s poised to be the starting center fielder on the South Side of Chicago to start 2020. He was at the top of my rookie article that came out earlier this offseason in the draft guide and for good reason. Robert has an amazing skill set that makes him the elusive high-average, big-power, big-speed type that eventually will fit in the mold of Ronald Acuna Jr. or Christian Yelich and play Gold Glove-caliber defense in the outfield. Robert has everything you want in a prospect but there will be growing pains as he embarks on his rookie year in the majors. Can he show patience when major league pitchers don’t challenge him or throw him mainly off-speed stuff. If he’s still available in your league, you need to get a hold of Robert as he’s a can’t miss prospect.
Pos. - 1B Ht/Wt - 6’0” 214 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 21
Level - A-Advanced Drafted: 2019 (1.3) ETA: 2021
Grades: Hit: 60 Power: 60 Run: 30 Arm: 50 Field: 50
One of the fastest ways to speed up a rebuilding process is to take an elite college bat that won’t take long to get to the majors, and that’s exactly what Chicago did when they drafted Andrew Vaugnh early in the first round of the 2019 draft. A piece of his draft profile says “as he could very well be the best bat in the entire draft class, college or prep. In the last two seasons at Cal, Vaughn has played 104 games, had 372 at-bats, slashed .395/.540/.777 with 38 homers, 112 RBI, 108 runs, and five steals in that span. That line explains the 60-grade Hit and Power tools he possesses but it belies the 30-grade Speed tool he has. The defense is solid enough to not be a hindrance at first base as he moves forward, but it’s clearly the bat that will carry his profile going from level to level. Vaughn is a college bat that will move quickly once drafted given his 102 BB to 50 Ks in the last two years at college showing his advanced approach at the plate. In the 55 games played in the pros in 2019 (29 at High-A) he slashed .278/.384/.449 with six home runs, 17 doubles, 36 RBI, and 33 runs. After playing a full college season and then 55 games at pro ball at three levels, that’s a very good slash line for a first pro season. Vaughn should continue to move very quickly as there are very few weaknesses in his offensive game and the defense is improving slightly too. Expect Vaughn to be the starting 1B option early in the season next year and be in the running for rookie of the year.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’3” 200 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 23
Level - Majors Drafted - 2014 (1.33) ETA: 2020
Grades: Fastball: 80 Slider: 65 Curveball: 50 Changeup: 50 Control: 45
Kopech started to make noise as a Red Sox farmhand a few years ago with his high-velocity and ungodly movement, and then he and Yoán Moncada were the headliners in the Chris Sale deal in the 2016 Winter Meetings. After the trade, he posted some of the best strikeout totals in the minor leagues the next two years before ending the 2018 season requiring Tommy John surgery after a taste of the Majors. Kopech’s velocity is legendary, having hit 105 on his fastball in a start in 2016, but mostly it sits in the high-90s with late run on the pitch. The slider is the second-best pitch in the repertoire and has great two-plane break on the pitch with upper-80s velocity on it. Prior to the Tommy John, and as part of his recovery, he’s working on the softer stuff in the arsenal as well, mainly the changeup and curveball. The changeup has nice sinking action to it but he does get too firm with it at times and that tends to flatten it out and make it easier to hit. The curveball is for a different look and more velocity separation from the fastball though it’s still developing and is only an average pitch right now. The biggest things that Kopech will have to show on the way back Tommy John is his ability to control his pitches better. Walks have always been a bugaboo of his with more than 4.2 BB/9 in the last two full-season stops in the minors, and he’ll have to work on the softer stuff. If he can’t fully develop the softer stuff, we might be looking at a dominant closer instead of a frontline starter.
Pos. - 2B Ht/Wt - 5’7” 165 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 23
Level - Triple-A Drafted - 2018 (1.4) ETA: 2020
Grades: Hit: 70 Power: 35 Run: 65 Arm: 45 Field: 60
Madrigal, like Vaughn, was a highly sought after college bat when they drafted in him the 2018 June selection process. The diminutive keystone has been flying through the White Sox system since being taken out of Oregon State and flying serves a dual meaning here. In 43 games in 2018, Madrigal slashed .303/.353/.348 with 25 runs, 16 RBI, and eight steals. Then in 2019, he again went through three levels and slashed .311/.377/.414 in 120 games with 35 steals, four homers, 76 runs, and 55 runs. The really impressive part of his stat lines have been the walks versus strikeouts with him walking a combined 71 times and striking out just 51 times in 163 career games. Madrigal should be up in the majors very early in 2020 and manning second base for the White Sox full-time and bringing his double-plus hit tool to the top of the order in short order too. The speed is also hard to ignore as he has the capability of reliably stealing 30 bags a year and just like Jose Altuve , the small frame shrinks his strike zone quite a bit also helping his hit tool play up.
Pos. - RHP Ht/Wt - 6’4” 200 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R Age: 25
Level - Double-A Drafted - 2016 (1.29) ETA: 2021
Grades: Fastball: 55 Curveball: 50 Slider: 55 Changeup: 55 Control: 55
Dunning is the oft-forgotten part of the Adam Eaton to the Nationals and Dunning, Reynaldo López , and Lucas Giolito to the White Sox deal a few years ago. They were very happy to get him in the deal since they considered drafting him just three picks before the Nationals selected him 29th overall. The righty was on the verge of making the White Sox roster in late 2018, before an elbow sprain cost him the end of the season and then turned into Tommy John surgery making him miss all of 2019 as well. It is tough to decide which of his pitches is the best of the four as they are all nearly equal in grade and quality but the lead pitch is the mid-90s heavy sinking fastball that he commands very well to both sides of the plate. Each of the secondary pitches are or flash above-average though the curveball and slider are both ahead of the changeup in consistency and effectiveness in missing bats and inducing weak contact. In his last time on a mound in a game, he pitched 86.1 innings with a 2.71 ERA, 100:26 K:BB ratio, and .235 BAA with most of the innings coming at Double-A Birmingham. Before getting injured, Dunning had the safest floor of any White Sox pitching prospect before the injuries but there isn’t much concern that the floor has changed much, it’s just the timeline to make the Majors that has. He will likely be up in Chicago in 2021 and should reach his ceiling as a number-two starter without much trouble. The floor is a number-three piece in the rotation.
Prospects To Watch For
3B Age: 23 Class-A ETA: 2022
Burger was the first first-round pick in Missouri State history when he was taken with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft as a solid-hitting, power bat at the hot corner. However, injuries have sapped him of the first two full pro seasons since being drafted as he tore his Achilles fielding a ground ball in February of 2018, and then re-tore it three months later while rehabbing and then missing the 2019 season with a severely bruised heel. Once he gets on the field the 50-grade hit tool and 60-grade power will begin to show through. The defense is a question mark mostly because of his stocky frame and slight awkwardness in movements though he does have enough range and arm strength to remain at third base long term as he progresses through the system. The swing has a touch of an arm bar (or straight arm) in the middle of it that’s reminiscent of Todd Frazier though Burger has a much better hit tool than Frazier did or does. The main question for Burger is can he stay healthy and where will he play once he does so as Yoán Moncada is entrenched at third base and Andrew Vaughn and José Abreu and Yasmani Grandal are ahead of him at first base as well. The bat may play as a DH-type in the long-run or as a trade piece as well.
"Burger's got some wheels!"
— South Side Update (@SSupdatepodcast) February 24, 2018
Jake Burger with a TRIPLE #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/vWnmg1ohLO
Norge Carlos Vera
RHP Age: 19 Unassigned ETA: 2024
Vera is the newest prospect from Cuba to make it stateside and was the best pitching prospect in the 2019 international signing class. The 19-year-old already has a physically mature frame at between 6’2” and 6’4” but only 185 lbs making him a fairly lanky right-hander at the moment. The stuff is raw, which is to be expected based on the league he came from, but the potential is there for him to be a number-two type starter with a fastball that sits 90-93 but touches 97 mph and there’s room in the frame to add velocity to that. The problem is that there is only average life on the pitch and not a lot of deception in the delivery either. He rounds out the four-pitch arsenal with a cutter, slider, and changeup with the latter being the better pitch than the former two. It has good fade and sink when right but it’s inconsistent, just like most of his secondary pitches and flashes at a 55-grade offering when right. The cutter is a short breaking variety but unless it improves it will just be to get hitters off of other pitches. The slider has nice shape to it but it also gets a little slurvy at times as well and needs the most work to being an MLB-caliber pitch. When all is said and done though, he looks to have at least three above-average pitches and adds some velocity while trending towards a number-two starter 4-5 years from now.
RHP Age: 22 Advanced-A ETA: 2021
Stiever was taken in the fifth round of the 2018 draft out of Indiana University despite leading the Big Ten in strikeouts in 2018 with 97 strikeouts in 100.1 innings but a bad last start and physical concerns dropped him on boards. The righty anchors his four-pitch mix with a fastball that sits 92-96 with good sink and run and the high-three-quarters delivery adds to the downhill plane on the pitch too. The spike curveball that works in the upper-70s is his second plus pitch after the fastball. It’s his most common out pitch as well. When he wants to he can turn the curve into a slider that grades as above-average and really dives down with the delivery and angle he gets on it too. A changeup is the fourth pitch and the one that is still developing but he shows good feel for it. Stiever is a polished college pitcher and he should continue to move quickly through the system with a repeatable delivery and one that fills up the strike zone at a high rate. He has the stuff and makeup of a mid-rotation starter.
White Sox pitching prospect Jonathan Stiever is sitting 95-96 mph, throwing a ton of strikes, has K’d three in two perfect innings and works quickly. A four-pitch strikeout with two foul tips takes 45 seconds pic.twitter.com/Me10EfQtvz
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) August 4, 2019
Matthew Thompson
RHP Age: 19 Rookie ETA: 2023
Thompson has the stuff to have been a first-round pick in the 2019 class, but an inconsistent senior season at his Texas High School dropped him to the second round. The young righty has a very quick arm action that helps the velocity on the fastball sit in the mid-90s while his delivery helps getting a sharp downward plane on the pitches that hides the fact that there’s little life on the fastball. The curveball is his second above-average-to-plus pitch though there is still inconsistency there and if he doesn’t stay on top of it, it can turn into a flatter slider with not as much bite as it should have. Thompson’s changeup is in the beginning phase, but that’s not shocking for such a young pitcher and kid coming out of the high school ranks. The pitch does show promise and sink and has a shot at becoming an above-average offering when all is said and done. Thompson has the upside of a number three starter and the athletic and clean delivery to be an innings eater in that role.
With the No. 45 overall pick in the 2019 #MLBDraft, the White Sox select RHP Matthew Thompson, out of Cypress Ranch HS in Texas.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) June 4, 2019
Thompson was No. 48 on the BA 500. Read his scouting report right here: https://t.co/mb7Nl0HvJc pic.twitter.com/iFE9FfVS0H
OF Age: 23 Double-A ETA: 2021
Basabe was included in the Chris Sale trade as well, though he was overshadowed by the other players in the deal and for good reason. Basabe though, is a potentially solid center fielder at the major league level with 20-20 potential, though there is still some development needed before he gets there. The first couple of seasons in the new organization have been shortened and riddled by injury from a torn meniscus, to a broken hamate bone, to a quad issue with him breaking 110 games played only twice in his career since 2013. The swing plane is getting better, and thus starting to produce more power and better averages but he still does tend to take longer routes to the ball than he should. Basabe does have a good eye at the plate though, and isn’t afraid to take a fair share of walks which allows his speed to play up with 116 steals in 598 career games and a .248 average and an OBP that’s nearly 100 points higher than that. If he can make more solid contact more frequently, the average should rise to the .260-.270 mark more frequently and the power will make more appearances. Being an average hitting, 20-20 center fielder who is also a switch-hitter is a solid profile for him, so long as he can stay healthy long enough to make the progress towards that and there’s a spot for him in the outfield.