Chicago White Sox Top-15 Prospects of 2010, No’s 6-15

Alex Eisenberg posts the 6-15 part of his Sox prospect list. Here’s a sample from Dayan Viciedo’s scouting report:

Viciedo struggled to consistently center the ball, swinging through fastballs or fouling them off, but when he did connect, the contact was usually of the hard variety. Part of the problem was Viciedo swinging for the fences more often than not. He swings extremely hard and doesn’t adjust for the situation at hand, making it more difficult for him to center the ball.

*Credit to TriB81

Viciedo has tremendous raw strength and plenty of bat speed. In addition, he’s able to keep his swing relatively short in the process though he does wrap his bat behind his head, which adds to the length.

Viciedo also has to work on keeping his weight back as he gets too far out in front on his front foot at times. This happens often when he’s thrown an off-speed pitch and usually you’ll see him ground out meekly as a result.

It’s easy to forget that Viciedo is just 20 y/o and we have to ask ourselves how many other 20 y/o prospects would fare in Double-A in their first season of pro ball? I think most would say not well. …

Part 1: Chicago White Sox Top-15 Prospects of 2010, No’s 1 – 5.

FutureSox examines TotalZone (defense) numbers for Sox prospects

Viciedo’s TZ number is interesting:

Much has been made of Dayan Viciedo’s poor defensive ability, but as you can see, TotalZone likes him and had him pegged as a +4 run fielder over 130 games. It is expected that Viciedo will make the transition to first base this year, likely starting at Charlotte, and he certainly made his fair share of errors last year, but TZ indicates he may have had a future at 3B. The scouts disagree citing his lack of range and concentration as his main flaws.

FutureSox compares Sox prospect rankings

Santaromita:

Today, Baseball America released their top ten prospect rankings for the White Sox. This means all of the major prospect publications have released their White Sox rankings. Let’s take a look at the differences from each and try to figure out what it all means.

We’ve gathered six White Sox top 10s from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Fan Graphs, John Sickels’ Minor League Ball, Diamond Futures and our own postseason rankings. Fan Graphs does things a little differently, they don’t include 2009 rookies in their rankings due to a lack of sample size, so you have to take that into account. …

I’d go Hudson-Flowers-Mitchell for my Top 3.

John Sickels 2010 Top 20 Sox prospects

Sickels:

1) Dan Hudson, RHP, Grade B [changed to B+]
2) Jared Mitchell, OF, Grade B
3) Tyler Flowers, C, Grade B
4) Brent Morel, 3B, Grade B-
5) Jordan Danks, OF, Grade C+
6) Dayan Viciedo, 3B, Grade C+ …

Go to the link for descriptions and the entire list.

Fangraphs reviews the last 4 Sox drafts

Hulet:

[Jared] Mitchell’s .417 on-base average was impressive in just 34 low-A ball games. However, his line of .296/.417/.435 was aided by a crazy-high .453 BABIP. His walk rate of 16.7% was offset by a nasty strikeout rate at 34.8%, which is obviously going to have to come down. With an ISO of .139, his power is undeveloped at this time, although he could develop into a 15-homer hitter. Despite good speed, Mitchell nabbed just five steals in eight attempts. …

SoxMachine’s AFL Review

Jim:

… Watching Danks from the center field cam instead of from the side, that’s who he reminded me of, which isn’t good. Especially since Erstad once had good bat speed, but lost it as age and injuries took their toll.  If Danks can be busted with fastballs in — just like Ryan Sweeney, and just like Jerry Owens if you want to keep it to age-relevant types — it’s going to be an uphill climb.

The good news is that Danks handled all chances in center with ease, even with the dreaded high sky causing problems for others.  He also can take a pitch, and when you package it all together, you get a guy who can be useful. He’s just not a bat anybody should be counting on.

Sox protect Gartrell/Hynick/Omogrosso/Santos/Luis

DH:

The White Sox have purchased the contracts of outfielder Stefan Gartrell and right-handed pitchers Brandon Hynick, Brian Omogrosso and Sergio Santos from Class AAA Charlotte and right-hander Santo Luis from Class A Winston-Salem. With the moves, the White Sox 40-man roster is at 37.

No Shelby?

UPDATE: whitesox.com:

Santos’ numbers might not stand out, but he’s touched 97 mph while pitching in the Arizona Fall League over the past month and has shown improvement

“Sergio has a plus arm, and he’s someone who is drawing attention out there,” said Kirk Champion, the White Sox Minor League pitching coordinator.

Champion also said Santos’ slider is around the plate more than when he first transitioned and he has an outstanding changeup.

Mayo has the Rule 5 Draft order. The Sox have the 13th pick.

Sox Top 10 prospects by THT Fantasy

Hagen:

1. Tyler Flowers
2. Dan Hudson
3. Brent Morel
4. John Ely
5. Jared Mitchell
6. Jordan Danks
7. Dayan Viciedo
8. David Holmberg
9. Josh Phegley
10. John Shelby

On David Holmberg:

Holmberg brings a great mix of pitches to the mound, including a curveball and change-up that have the makings of plus pitches. His fastball falls flat right now, but further velocity is expected as his frame fills out. He’s the most intriguing pitching project in Chicago’s system.

Rule 5 Draft 40-man roster deadline: Friday (Nov 20)

Rogers:

Stefan Gartrell, a 25-year-old right fielder who hit 23 home runs last season in the high minors, is expected to be added to the White Sox’s 40-man roster by Friday, which is the deadline to protect players from the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

Besides Stefan Gartrell, other Sox players that must be protected are 24-year-old CF John Shelby, and 25-year-old pitchers Brian Omogrosso, Matt Long, and Justin Cassel.

‘A Minor Review of ‘09′ Sox edition

Marc Hulet looks at some prospects that probably won’t make it on their organization’s Top 10 prospects’ list. Here’s one:

The Riser: Santos Rodriguez, LHP

Obtained from the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal, Rodriguez could turn out to be a steal. The hard-throwing reliever has a 90-95 mph fastball, as well as a slider and change-up. In ‘09, he allowed just 18 hits in 27 innings of work in rookie ball. The 21-year-old was old for the league but he got three games of experience in low-A ball before the year ended. He needs to improve his control after posting a walk rate of 5.67 BB/9 but his strikeout rate was excellent at 14.00 K/9.

More at the link.

FutureSox on John Shelby

Norris:

I think a much debated topic this season has been the performance of John Shelby III. Many have been disappointed, which is understandable. I have been a fan of his since he was at Kentucky, so I was looking forward to seeing him play this year. His numbers this year have taken an obvious dip, but the two most significant factors that have caused that are the vastness of Regions Park and his batting average. Although he did hit a 408 foot home run to dead center the other day to lead off the game. My only concern though is his average. …

FutureSox’s Midseason Top 25 Sox Prospects

Here’s FutureSox’s Midseason Top 25 Sox Prospects list. I’d put Viciedo lower and, of course, my guy Jack Egbert higher.

John Shelby scouting report

FutureSox:

His contact and walk rates are a concern, but he has big enough upside to make up for it.

Minor league updates

2009 Sox Draft picks signings update.

A look on the Sox catching prospects.

2006 Sox Draft picks review.

FutureSox interviews Kevin Goldstein

On Flowers defense:

KG: I think the catching future is still debatable, he’s just so huge a sluggish back there. That said, there has been some progress — they’ve shortened his release a bit, and the results are encouraging.

Nice interview. His reports on Viciedo are disappointing. No plate discipline at all. Goldstein also talks about Dexter Carter, John Shelby, Jon Gilmore, Jared Mitchell, Trayce Thompson, Josh Phegley, Brandon Allen, Tony Pena, and Jordan Danks. He even talks about Roy Halladay.