Top 20 PRE-SEASON White Sox Prospects in Review
This is the PRE-SEASON list. That means it was generated BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED and that the grades were PRE-SEASON. Anyone complaining about the grades based on 2006 performance will be smacked up the side of the head with an Aaron Myette autographed baseball.
1) Ray Liotta, LHP, Grade B+
5.45 ERA in 19 starts combined between Double-A Birmingham and Class A Winston-Salem, 55/48 K/BB in 99 innings, 116 hits allowed. Only positive is just 3 homers given up. Is this bad luck, a simple slippage in skill, or a hidden injury?
2) Bobby Jenks, RHP, B
3.19 ERA with 26 saves in 27 chances, 50/14 K/BB in 42 innings. I thought there was a good chance he would fade, but he's done well. Improving control is an excellent sign.
3) Brian Anderson, OF, B
Hitting .200/.282/.332 for the White Sox. I thought he would have some offensive problems but I thought he'd do better than this.
4) Lance Broadway, RHP, B
6-6, 2.75 in 19 starts for Birmingham, 79/29 K/BB in 118 innings. Throwing strikes, K/IP is mediocre but he might be able to get away with it at higher levels.
5) Ryan Sweeney, OF, B
Hitting .288/.335/.387 for Triple-A Charlotte. Best attribute remains youth but I am starting to doubt his power development. Could be an outfield version of Sean Burroughs.
6) Francisco Hernandez, C, B
Hitting .262/.318/.371 for Class A Kannapolis. Not as good as expected but he is still just 20.
7) Jerry Owens, OF, C+
Hitting .256/.317/.327 with 29 steals for Charlotte. Good speed, but lack of power is holding him back.
8) Josh D. Fields, 3B, C+
Breakout guy, hitting .329/.407/.558 with 14 homers, 23 doubles, 17 steals for Charlotte. I think this is for real. Raise his grade to B+.
9) Robert Valido, SS, C+
Hitting combined .211/.271/.328 for Birmingham and Charlotte. Very serious doubts about his bat.
10) Sean Tracey, RHP, C+
3.58 ERA in 88 innings for Charlotte, 73/47 K/BB. Control problems remain an issue but he has a good arm.
11) Ricky Brooks, RHP, C+
8-6, 4.62 in 17 starts for Kannapolis, 62/30 K/BB in 88 innings, 98 hits allowed. Doing OK but component ratios are not that great.
12) Aaron Cunningham, OF, C+
Hitting .286/.370/.492 with 12 steals for Kannapolis, showing power and speed. An intriguing player to watch closely.
13) Clayton Richard, LHP, C+
4-4, 3.88 in 12 starts for Kannapolis, 38/17 K/BB in 65 innings, 81 hits allowed. ERA looks OK but I do not like his component ratios. Good control but weak strikeout rate and too hittable.
14) Chris Getz, 2B, C+
Hitting .273/.340/.349 with 12 steals for Birmingham. Speed and contact ability look good but serious lack of power will be an issue.
15) Casey Rogowski, 1B, C
Hitting .275/.369/.411 for Charlotte with 22 steals. Unusual speed for a first baseman, has good on-base ability as well. But can he get a job without much power?
16) Tyler Lumsden, LHP, C
9-3, 2.75 in 19 starts for Birmingham, 69/36 K/BB in 117 innings. I'd like to see more strikeouts, but he is doing very well overall. Best of all he is healthy after having problems in '05.
17) Jeff Bajenaru, RHP, C
Now in Arizona system, 4.78 ERA in 39 games for Triple-A Tucson, 51/29 K/BB in 49 innings. Might contribute in middle relief.
18) Dan Cortes, RHP, C
4.07 ERA in 18 starts for Kannapolis, 90/34 K/BB in 102 innings. I still think he is a sleeper.
19) Brandon Allen, OF, C
Hitting .211/.255/.324 for Kannapolis. All numbers are weak, with an ugly 16/88 BB/K ratio in 275 at-bats.
20) Chris Carter, 3B, C
Hitting .351/.431/.748 with 10 homers in 25 games for Great Falls in the Pioneer League. Hit just .130 in 13 games for Kannapolis. Obviously we need to get more data here but you have to love the Great Falls numbers.
Comment:
I'm concerned about Liotta....this might be a Dan Meyer or Mike Hinckley type case. I think Anderson will be OK in the long run but will need more time. Jenks has surprised me, as I really thought there was a good chance his control would go backwards on him. The emergence of Josh Fields looks legitimate to me, and I also like the fact that Lumsden appears to be past his arm troubles.
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