It’s a lost season for the Chicago White Sox, who have fallen to a disappointing fourth place in a American League Central division that clearly belonged to the Kansas City Royals all season long. While the Royals have romped to an 82-55 record, the second-best record in baseball, the White Sox are sitting at 65-71, six games below .500 and wondering what went wrong.
Whatever went wrong, it’s clear that the White Sox aren’t ready to compete with the roster they have. That means it’s time to rebuild, and rebuilding means making wise use of talent in the farm system. Lets take a look at some of the best players that the White Sox minor league rosters have to offer.
RHP Spencer Adams, 19-years old
Adams looks like he has the talent to be apart of a major league rotation, though it’s still too early to say for sure because Adams is just 19-years old. As the saying goes, there’s “no such thing as a pitching prospect,” but if Adams is lucky enough to develop as planned, he’ll be something to see with the White Sox.
SS Tim Anderson, 22-years old
Tim Anderson is plying his trade at the Double-A level right now, but Triple-A ball is very much on the horizon. He’s incredibly athletic and should have a future as a great defensive shortstop and base stealer. Despite speed and defense being a strength, Anderson can swing the bat as well. Anderson is very important to the White Sox future, particularly because the rest of their farm system is pretty thin for a team that’s so far out of contention in the here and now.
RHP Tyler Danish, 20-years old
Danish has great movement on his pitches, which include a beautiful sinker and slider. He could be a starter in the big leagues if he continues to develop as planned. Like Adams, he’s extremely young and the future could hold a lot of things (good and bad) for him. Of the two, Adams has more upside.
Recently promoted: 2B Micah Johnson, 24-years old
Johnson is fast and is very consistent with the bat, making him one of the better offensive prospects in the White Sox organization. Where he’s weak is on defense, but if he can improve a bit there he’ll be on his way. Johnson will never be Ozzie Smith, but a less error-prone version of him would be enough. Clearly the White Sox agree that Johnson has talent, as they recently called him up as part of the September 1st expansion. In 83 plate appearances with the big league club, Johnson is slashing .270/.333/.297.
Recently promoted: LHP Carlos Rodon, 22-years old
Rodon was drafted in 2014, and his signing bonus of over $6.5 million set a franchise record. He’s shown himself to be well worth the money, and was promoted to the big league squad this season. We’re including him among the prospects despite his promotion, because Rodon still needs to be handled with kid gloves. He’s just 22 and has never pitched a full season in the majors, so the organization will have to watch his workload. The White Sox are insisting that Rodon is on no particular innings count this year, but there are other ways to protect him. If Rodon starts to look fatigued, expect him to get some rest or even sent back down to the minors for a bit, especially during this lost season.