Chicago White Sox: Checking In with the Top Minor League Prospects
By Ian Blum
As the Chicago White Sox make their way through the 2017 season, it will be important to keep tabs on what is going on throughout the minor league system.
After the big sell-off trades this offseason, the Chicago White Sox have arguably the best collection of top prospects in Major League Baseball. With the minor league season underway, let’s look at how things have started on the farm.
Triple-A
The Charlotte Knights are off and running in the 2017 season. They currently have a record of 4-7 and find themselves three games back of first-place Durham in the International League South. Despite the four-game losing streak, all eyes are on the talented roster the Knights have.
Top prospect Yoan Moncada is currently hitting .317 with two home runs. His .404 OBP is one of the best on the roster. At this pace, Moncada could easily see himself in the big leagues extremely soon. Catcher Kevan Smith is currently on the big league club with Geovany Soto on the disabled list. Prior to his call-up, Smith got off to a hot start in Charlotte, hitting .438/.500/.563 with nine RBI.
On the mound, newly acquired Lucas Giolito is 0-1 with a 7.56 ERA in two starts. Reynaldo Lopez is also 0-1 with a 5.02 ERA and has shown flashes in his time on the mound. Carson Fulmer is also a little slow out of the gate this year, with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. These numbers are clearly inflated with only 10 games played and fans should expect the pitching staff to improve gradually as the season unfolds.
Double-A
The Birmingham Barons have maybe the favorite of all the White Sox pitching prospects in Micheal Kopech. In two starts, Kopech has a 3.38 ERA and 15 strikeouts. His 10 strikeout performance in his first start turned a lot of heads. Fans won’t see Kopech in Chicago for a long while yet, but it is certainly nice to see the great work he has put in at the start of a very young season.
The Barons are 3-8 and find themselves in last place in the Southern League North Division, five games back of first place Jackson.
Advanced-A
The Advanced-A Winston-Salem Dash have started their season with a 4-8 record. They are in last place in the Carolina League Southern Division. All eyes are last years first round draft pick, catcher Zack Collins. He currently is hitting .243 with one home run. Toby Thomas leads the club in batting average with a .313 mark.
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The Chicago White Sox have never had this much top-tier talent in the minor leagues. It is an exciting time for the organization, as they are clearly building something special. It will be fun to keep a close eye on these prospects all season long.