Minor League Prospect Note: Trayce Thompson, OF, Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox promoted outfield prospect Trayce Thompson from High-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham this week. He went 1-for-4 with a triple and two strikeouts in his debut for the Barons. Before his promotion, he was hitting .254/.325/.486 with 28 doubles, 22 homers, 18 steals in 21 attempts, and a 45/144 BB/K ratio in 449 at-bats in the Carolina League.
Thompson is a 6-4, 200 pound right-handed hitter and thrower, born March 15, 1991. The White Sox drafted him in the second round in 2009, from high school in Santa Margarita, California. A chiseled athlete, he has excellent raw power and has been a productive source of home runs (he hit 24 last year in Low-A), but his swing is long and he has significant problems with contact.
Although his pure running speed is average, he has developed into an effective defensive outfielder with enough range for center, currently anyway; he might lose range as he matures, though there's no sign of that yet. He has a right field arm, strong and accurate, and he's also shown a good knack for stealing bases this year.
Thompson has made progress refining his skills, particularly his defense, and is just 21 years old. We'll have to see how his contact ability holds up against better pitching but he is a player to watch down the stretch in Double-A.
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