The White Sox overhauled their farm system with two trades this winter, netting six of their top eight prospects, with the other two coming from their 2016 draft class. Those two came out of the chute on fire, with second-round pick Alec Hansen already looking like a steal. The system still lacks depth, but they have a few major league assets left to trade and will likely have an even stronger system next winter.
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1. Michael Kopech, RHP (Ranked No. 7)
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP (Ranked No. 13)
3. Yoan Moncada, 3B (Ranked No. 17)
4. Zack Collins, C (Ranked No. 95)
5. Reynaldo Lopez, RHP
6. Dane Dunning, RHP
7. Alec Hansen, RHP
8. Luis Alexander Basabe, CF
9. Carson Fulmer, RHP
10. Zack Burdi, RHP
Non-top 100 guys
Reynaldo Lopez can hit 100 mph and hold 98 as a starter deep into games, with a power curveball that’s not as effective as it looks and feel for a changeup, but he’s a little guy whose arm action doesn’t use his lower half, and I think he’ll lack the command or durability to start -- but could be electric in a relief role.
Dane Dunning, on the other hand, was a reliever in college but has the three pitches to start and has at least fourth-starter upside, maybe more once we see what he looks like working in a rotation over a full season.
Alec Hansen was the team’s third selection in 2016, a second-rounder who could have been in the mix for first pick overall had he pitched well for Oklahoma, but he couldn’t throw strikes, and his velocity fluctuated to the point that he fell out of the first round completely. The White Sox made some very minor adjustments to his delivery, including getting him to separate his hands sooner, and suddenly he was throwing 93-96 mph, touching 98, and throwing a plus breaking ball, and at least showing control if not really command. His fastball has riding life up, and with that and the hard curveball, he can change eye levels. He needs to soften his changeup, and he’ll have to throw more and better strikes as he moves up the ladder, but I saw Hansen pitch in late August and that ain’t no second-rounder.
Luis Basabe was the third player coming to the White Sox in the Chris Sale trade, and while he lacks the name value or reputation of Kopech and Moncada, he’s a legitimate prospect, a 19-year-old who just hit .264/.328/.452 in his full-season debut. He’s a true center fielder and plus runner who already has surprising pop and projects as an everyday player in center with a floor as a good fourth outfielder.
Carson Fulmer was Chicago’s first-round pick in 2015 and No. 8 overall and had a disastrous season in 2016. He couldn’t repeat his max-effort delivery enough to command his plus fastball and breaking ball. Fulmer finished well enough as a starter in Triple-A (15 IP, 14 K’s, 3 BB, 1 R) after calming his delivery down that the White Sox might give him one more shot at starting, but I’d put the odds of him ending up a power two-pitch reliever at 90 percent.
Zack Burdi throws 98-100 mph and a slider that has touched 92 mph. While there was some pre-draft talk that he could start, it sounds like the White Sox are leaving him in relief. The slider is actually his best pitch because he tends to pitch up too much with his fastball and hitters can get a clear look at it, although Chicago is working on getting him on top of the ball more so he can work down in the zone.
Right-hander Spencer Adams (11) was a projection pick, but the projection has yet to come. He’s throwing 90-91 with a ton of strikes but producing some too-comfortable at-bats for hitters. He could be a three-pitch starter, but nothing is more than fringe-average right now, and it all depends on whether he adds strength or velocity.
Jordan Stephens (12) led the High-A Carolina League in strikeouts last season. The White Sox moved him to the middle of the rubber to give him better angle toward the plate and improve his curveball, which is probably a plus pitch now. He has average velocity for a right-handed starter and really needs a better changeup, but he could end up a fourth starter with a pretty good chance to be a fifth.
Infielder Luis Curbelo (13) was the White Sox’s sixth-round pick last year. He played shortstop and second base after signing and could end up at third, but it’s all about the bat -- he has a short swing and a good idea of the zone, with the ability to line the ball the other way or show a little pull power.
The White Sox have tried Jameson Fisher (14) in the outfield, although it’s probably 75/25 that he ends up back at first base. He put up ridiculous numbers last spring as an older senior at Southeastern Louisiana; it made sense in the fourth round to bet on the hit tool even with questions about the position and power.
Outfielder Charlie Tilson (15) finally reached the majors five years after the Cardinals drafted him, only to get hurt in his first game and miss the rest of 2016. He can hit and run, and he’s at least an average defender in center, probably a poor-man’s regular if he never adds power (it’s about 40 now), although at 23 he might get a tiny bit stronger.
Chicago gave outfielder Micker Adolfo (16) $1.6 million to sign in 2014, but it hasn’t gone well; he’s missed a lot of time with injuries, and his tools are way ahead of his feel for the game. He’s still here because his swing works well, he has big-time power and he has a howitzer of an arm. He has to work on his approach, and there’s a minor hitch in his swing that is going to be hard for him to get totally around.
Amado Nunez (17) missed all of 2015 with hamstring injuries, but between that year’s instructional league and last spring he filled out and now has good strength for his size. He’s not a shortstop and will need to work to be able to stay on the dirt, but there’s some hope for future average hit and power tools.
I couldn’t have seen outfielder Alex Call (18) do any worse -- he struck out in three straight at bats on fastballs up above the zone -- but coming out of the draft he profiled as a fourth outfielder, lacking the power for an everyday role in a corner.
2017 impact: Giolito could join the rotation at the first opening. Fulmer has already sniffed the majors, and while he’s likely to return to starting in Triple-A, I think his future is in the bullpen and he would fit right into a big league relief job now. I would say the same of Lopez -- he’s started, but it’s a reliever’s delivery. That could be your eighth and ninth inning combo on the South Side very soon. Moncada may get a lot of big league time, but all indications in 2016 were that he’ll need more time in Triple-A.
Sleeper: Can I call Hansen the sleeper here? He was a second-rounder but looked for all the world like a first-rounder at the end of August. The White Sox made some very minor adjustments to his delivery, including getting him to separate his hands sooner, and suddenly he was throwing 93 to 96 mph, touching 98. I saw Hansen pitch in late August, and that ain’t no second-rounder.
The fallen: Adams was a top 100 guy right out of the draft, and there was so much hope that he’d grow into 94-95 mph, but it hasn’t happened, and he’s almost past the point where you could still hope for that. Their 2012 draft class may not produce a single big leaguer above replacement level.