Chicago White Sox: What to do with their surplus of young pitching?

With Jose Quintana on his way to the North Side, it is time to start wondering which Chicago White Sox pitching prospects get called up first and who is in their long-term rotation plans.

The news of an inter-city deal between Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs took Major League Baseball by storm on Thursday. Although most have heard several times, let’s start by taking a look at the deal.

Cubs Acquire: Jose Quintana

White Sox Acquire: Eloy Jimenez (elite outfield prospect), Dylan Cease (high-upside pitching prospect) and low-level infield prospects Matt Rose Bryant Flete.

At first glance, this is an even deal (for now). The Cubs get an ace-quality pitcher under control until 2020, while the White Sox get the Cubs top two prospects (Jimenez is ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the game by MLB.com, while Cease is ranked as the 63rd-best). This deal arguably puts gives the White Sox the top farm system in all of the MLB, with nine top 100 prospects in the MLB.com rankings.

There’s no doubt that the White Sox have a deep farm system. Among the nine top-100 prospects are one infielder, two outfielders, a catcher and six pitchers. However, the Chicago White Sox now have a good problem: What to do with the surplus of pitching prospects?

Of the White Sox’ top 30 prospects, Fifteen are pitchers. With Carlos Rodon likely the only starter at the MLB level in the White Sox plans, this leaves four spots. To sort through the confusion, here are all fifteen pitching prospects (plus Carlos Rodon) sorted into categories of where they fit in the White Sox future.

The No-Doubters

1. Carlos Rodon

2. Michael Kopech (#3)

3. Lucas Giolito (#5)

4. Reynaldo Lopez (#6)

5. Dylan Cease (#8)

While Rodon opened up his MLB career out of the pen, he has established himself as a mainstay in the rotation since the second half of the 2015 season. Kopech, Giolito, Lopez and Cease have all been starting pitchers for most-to-all of their careers, and would not be considered as otherwise for the time being.

Potential Bullpen Arms

1. Carson Fulmer (#7)

2. Zack Burdi* (#10)

3. Alec Hansen (#12)

4. Dane Dunning (#13)

5. Jordan Stephens (#16)

6. Victor Diaz* (#25)

7. Aaron Bummer* (#28)

8. Matt Cooper* (#30)

*= Burdi, Diaz, Bummer and Cooper have all been used out of the bullpen for the entire 2017 season.

Three of the remaining four pitchers have been used out of the bullpen at some point. Carson Fulmer appeared out of the pen for the White Sox last season, while Dunning and Hansen had relief stints in college. Scouts believe that Stephens is better suited for the ‘pen due to his knockout stuff but lack of consistency. While the bullpen is a possibility for these four, it would be unfair to assume that the White Sox are on board with a move.

Starters Without a Spot

1. Spencer Adams (#14)

2. Bernardo Flores (#21)

3. Luis Martinez (#24)

These three pitchers have never been used out of the bullpen in their pro careers and likely won’t. While none of them are top-100 prospects, all three have incredibly high upside. Whether their stock soars or they are used are trade chips, this presents the bulk of the problem.

Next: Breaking down the Quintana trade for the White Sox

The best news for the Chicago White Sox is that there’s time. Good seasons happen as do bad, and only time will tell what direction the White Sox go in. There’s no urgency here as this is nothing but a good problem, but it’s certainly intriguing.

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What are the Chicago White Sox going to do with their surplus of pitching prospects?

By Jason Kinander | Jul 14, 2017