John Sickels on Addison Reed and Trayce Thompson

From his 4/14 Q&A:

Q: Addison Reed

Why would the White Sox NOT try him as a starter? He’s been relieving so far this season at Low-A Kannapolis. Why set his ceiling so low? Yes, he probably has a better chance of making an impact in the majors as a reliever, but why not try him as a starter first and shift him to the pen if things don’t work out? Especially in a system so devoid of pitching talent.

A: well actually I agree with you totally, but they didn’t ask me.

and

Q: Trayce Thompson

Will he ever be more than a Ryan Harvey clone.

A: probably not

I’m not a big Thompson guy.

Baseball America on Trayce Thompson

Shonerd @ BA:

White Sox center fielder Trayce Thompson [B-R] was off to a fairly quiet start, hitting just .200/.308/.422 through his first 45 at-bats for low Class A Kannapolis, though he did have three home runs. That changed last night, as the athletic 20-year-old homered twice and went 4-for-5 against West Virginia, raising his line to .260/.351/.580 in the process. His five homers moves him into a tie for the South Atlantic League lead.

Thompson went 0-4 in today’s game and now he’s hitting .241/.328/.537/.865.

Jeff Marquez clears waivers

Gonzales @ CT:

Pitcher Jeff Marquez was expected to accept an assignment to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday after clearing waivers.

Good. We’ll see how his Spring Training K & BB ratios hold up.

Gonzales also reports the minor league teams where some of the Sox prospects will be assigned to. Jared Mitchell will go to A+ Winston-Salem; Josh Phegley and Andy Wilkins to AA Birmingham; Mike Blanke, Trayce Thompson, Jacob Petricka, and Addison Reed to A Kannapolis.

FutureSox looks at the White Sox outfield prospects

The OF prospects looked at were Jared Mitchell, Trayce Thompson, Brandon Short, Jordan Danks:

Thompson joined Kannapolis as an injury replacement after the start of the season and showed some of his upside. Right out of the gate he showed some massive power numbers and a decent walk rate. Naturally, an injury cost him a lot of the season and he slumped later on. Today is his 20th birthday so he has plenty of time, but it’s awful to lose development time like he did last year. He’s already well-regarded by scouts and publications alike, but 2011 could be a big breakout year since it will be his first full pro season if he stays healthy.

Jonathan Mayo’s 2011 Top 10 White Sox prospects (video)

Mayo @ MLB:

Rank	Player	ETA
1.	Chris Sale, LHP	2011
2.	Brent Morel, 3B	2011
3.	Dayan Viciedo, 3B/OF	2011
4.	Eduardo Escobar, SS	2012
5.	Jared Mitchell, OF	2013
6.	Greg Infante, RHP	2011
7.	Brandon Short, OF	2013
8.	Trayce Thompson, OF	2014
9.	Tyler Flowers, C	2011
10.	Josh Phegley, C	2013

And here’s Mayo’s White Sox OMG (One More Guy): Jacob Petricka, RHP.

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13144373&c_id=cws

Here’s Brent Morel’s description:

More of a right-handed Wade Boggs type than a power hitter at the hot corner, Morel is ready to take over at third for the White Sox. He’ll hit for average, as his .305 career mark shows, and he’s an outstanding defender, one who could even play shortstop if needed.

Wade Boggs? Did Kenny Williams made a deal with the devil?

Baseball-Intellect’s 2011 Top 15 White Sox prospects (1-5)

Chris Sale gets an A-/B+ and is #1. From his scouting report:

I know some are worried about his arm action. I think those worries are overblown. If you are worried about his elbow going above his shoulder, the first thing I’d say is that the inverted arm action theory is just that: a theory, and it doesn’t mean a pitcher is guaranteed for an injury-plagued career. The second thing I’d point out is that the height of Sale’s elbow is exaggerated since his torso is hunched over, distorting the elbow’s position as it relates to the shoulder.

Also, Sale’s arm slot requires the elbow to drop back down to below shoulder’s level. The elbow comes down before the period of maximum stress on one’s shoulder. Remember, even those who completely buy into the inverted arm action theory will tell you it’s not that the elbow goes higher than shoulder’s height, it’s if the elbow is above shoulder’s height as it begins external rotation. You also have look at the front shoulder. Those who subscribe to the inverted arm action theory are concerned with a pitcher’s timing. If the arm is not vertical and the front shoulder has begun opening, then you have a timing problem — I tend to agree with this.

If you look at Sale’s mechanics, you’ll notice he does a good job of keeping that front shoulder closed. In fact, Sale’s front side mechanics are extremely sound. He firms up the glove out in front of his chest and brings his chest into the glove. As a result, he’s able to keep his front shoulder from flying open and achieve excellent finish and extension on his pitches as well.

Brent Morel (B-), Jared Mitchell (B-), Jacob Petricka (B-), and Trayce Thompson (C+) round up the Top 5. Hit the link for the full report on Sale.

Kevin Goldstein’s 2011 Top 11 White Sox prospects [UPDATE]

Goldstein @ BP:

Five-Star Prospects
1. Chris Sale, LHP
Four-Star Prospects
2. Eduardo Escobar, SS
3. Brent Morel, 3B
Three-Star Prospects
4. Dayan Viciedo, 1B/3B
5. Jared Mitchell, CF
6. Jacob Petricka, RHP
7. Greg Infante, RHP
8. Trayce Thompson, OF
Two-Star Prospects
9. Addison Reed, RHP
10. Thomas Royse, RHP
11. Andre Rienzo, RHP

9 more and Goldstein’s scouting report on Chris Sale at the link.

UPDATE: Goldstein discusses the White Sox Top 11/20 on Episode 25 of his podcast (mp3). The White Sox discussion is at the 72:30 mark and runs for about 12 minutes.

John Sickels’ White Sox Top 20 Prospects for 2011

Sickels:

1) Chris Sale, LHP, Grade A: I don’t see how I can give him anything but a Grade A considering how his debut went. Starter or closer, either way he looks great to me.

2) Brent Morel, 3B, Grade B: Should be a solid regular, very good glove, bat will be enough, Joe Randa comps are common and accurate, in my view.

… 9) Andre Rienzo, RHP, Grade C+: This guy is a huge sleeper. You won’t see him on many other lists, but he has good stuff and good numbers. From Brazil.

The rest at the link.

Diamond Futures’ 2011 White Sox Top 12 prospects

Baseball Numbers @ Diamond Futures:

Grade A

1) Chris Sale, LHP (2010 Performance Scores– Dominance 80; Control 60; HRrate 29; Stamina 27)

We believed Chris Sale was the best college arm available in the 2010 draft. His 2010 College Performance score trailed only Texas A&M’s Barrett Loux. So we were as shocked as the White Sox likely were when he was still available at #13. The Sox fast-tracked Sale to the Big Leagues in a relief role, and he only continued to make favorable impressions once arriving—ending the season as the team’s best option at closer. Coming out of the bullpen allowed Sale to consistently throw his fastball in the mid-90s—a few ticks higher than he had worked as a starter. The relief work also allowed him to focus on his slider—the pitch that offered greatest concerns coming into the draft. What the bullpen did not allow him to do was showcase his plus-plus change—the pitch that is the main reason why we believe that he is ideally suited for a starting role.

At a slight 6’6”, we believe Sale could ‘beef-up’ and work in the mid-90s as a front of the rotation starter with a solid three-pitch repertoire. Unfortunately, word out of Chicago is that Sale is likely to once again find himself in the bullpen in 2011. This isn’t a two-pitch Neftali Feliz, that we advocated a bullpen role for. Therein lies the paradox with the White Sox decision to make a run at the Central division in 2011—as it likely means that Sale is the de facto closer vs. working on being a difference maker at the top of the rotation. Still just 21yo, the White Sox are unlikely to harm his development in any significant way, but this is a special arm that should be developed as such.

Hit the link for the other 11 reports.

FutureSox’ White Sox Top 25 post-season prospects list [UPDATE]

FutureSox:

1. Chris Sale
2. Dayan Viciedo
3. Brent Morel
4. Jared Mitchell
5. Tyler Flowers
6. Trayce Thompson
7. Eduardo Escobar
8. Jacob Petricka
9. Jordan Danks
10. Addison Reed
…

UPDATE: Jim covers the White Sox Top 10 prospect list by Phil Rogers for Baseball America.

Fangraphs’ White Sox 2011 Top 10 prospects

Hulet @ FG:

1. Chris Sale, LHP

Sale not only reached the Majors in his draft year – he dominated. The lefty pitched just 10.1 innings in the minors before posting a 2.74 FIP in 23.1 innings. He missed a lot of bats (12.34 K/9) while showing respectable control (3.86 BB/9). A starter in college, Sale pitched out of the bullpen in pro ball and saw his fastball velocity climb from the low 90′s and sit around 96 mph. He also displayed a sharp slider, at times, and a promising changeup (which he’ll need to combat right-handed batters). …

More at the link.

Baseball-Intellect reviews its White Sox prospects list

Eisenberg:

7. Trayce Thompson | OF | Age – 19 | Grade – C+

Numbers don’t completely reflect it, but he’s made a lot of progress since last year. Upside remains huge, but as big as his upside is, he’s just as raw.

Kevin Goldstein on Trayce Thompson

Goldstein @ BP:

Trayce Thompson, OF, White Sox (Low-A Kannapolis): 2-for-4, RBI. Toolsy-but-raw prospect has 11 total bases in last three games; .244/.306/.476 line is actually a very pleasant surprise.

Here are Trayce’s stats.

ScoutingTheSally scouts the Kannapolis Intimidators

Newman @ STS:

Tyler Saladino, SS – A pleasant surprise, Saladino was the most complete prospect on the field in my eyes.  Having just turned 21, he’s not young for the level, but plays the game the right way and makes the most out of the tools he does have.  And while the tools may only be average across-the-board, very few players even have that to offer.  Call me a fan.

Saladino’s splits.

More reports at the link.

FutureSox’ Midseason Top 25 Prospects

Cassidy:

Rank	Player	Points	Previous	Change
1	Dan Hudson	179	1	unch
2	Dayan Viciedo	172	4	+2
3	Chris Sale	168	n/a	NEW
4	Tyler Flowers	161	2	-2
5	Jared Mitchell	156	5	unch

…

I’d rank them in this order: Hudson, Sale, Flowers, Mitchell, Viciedo.