Buddy Bell’s conference call

FutureSox notes from Buddy Bell’s conference call:

• On Dayan Viciedo: “He has such great hands. He can sit back and drive the ball the other way.” However, he said Dayan gets opposite field happy and gets anxious. They are trying to get him to stay behind the ball more because he is so quick.
• David Holmberg looks real good. He has great instincts for his age, but they will be slower with him this year because there are older guys they need to see at a higher level. He has big upside. The coaches don’t have to tell him twice what to do.

Buddy Bell mentions correcting Tyler Flowers’ swing like Kenny Williams.

He also touches on Gregory Infante, Dan Remenowsky, C.J. Retherford, Jordan Danks, John Shelby, Kyle Bellamy.

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FutureSox has a podcast with Doug Laumann

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/future-sox/2010/03/futuresox-podcast-with-doug-laumann.html (25:53)

Laumann likes very much what he sees from David Holmberg this spring, and thinks Trayce Thompson will probably eventually move to a corner outfield position. Not this year though. Laumann also touches on Jared Mitchell, Bryce Harper, Charlie Leesman, Leroy Hunt, Stefan Gartrell, C.J. Retherford.

FutureSox reviews Sox Left-Hander pitching prospects

Here’s what they have to say on David Holmberg:

What he needs to improve: Without having a solid stat base yet, I’m going to say fastball velocity.  Of course this is difficult to predict and harder to do, but at 6’4″ he should be able to throw harder than the high 80s.  Diamond Futures said “Had Holmberg had a fastball that was a few ticks higher than the Hi-80s that he typically throws, he would have been a top half of the first round talent.”  He has the ability to become a top tier prospect, let’s see it.

THT ranks Sox farm system 29th out of 30

Hagen:

29. Chicago White Sox

With the question marks surrounding Flowers’ ability to stay at catcher, the lack of top-of-the-rotation arms beyond Hudson, and dearth of overall depth, White Sox fans don’t have much to look forward to.

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

John Ely was traded to the Dodgers. No. 4 seems a bit high…

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.

Baseball America’s Sox Top 10 prospects

Phil Rogers:

1.      Jared Mitchell, of
2.     Tyler Flowers, c
3.     Dan Hudson, rhp
4.     Brent Morel, 3b
5.     Jordan Danks, of
6.     Trayce Thompson, of
7.     Dayan Viciedo, 3b
8.     David Holmberg, lhp
9.     Clevelan Santeliz, rhp
10.     Miguel Gonzalez, c

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.

Buddy Bell on the 2009 Draft

Buddy explains things:

“That’s something we hadn’t done much in the past,” player development director Buddy Bell noted. “Before I got here, most of the players we took were more from the college level. But by design we wanted to get higher-ceiling guys out of high school who we could project.”

BTW, here’s the article’s secondary title: “Mitchell, Phegley, Thompson on fast track to Major Leagues”

Trayce Thompson is on the fast track?

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. …

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.

Sox Top 15 prospects by Kevin Goldstein [UPDATE]

Kevin Goldstein:

Four-Star Prospects
1. Daniel Hudson, RHP
2. Jared Mitchell, OF
3. Tyler Flowers, C
Three-Star Prospects
4. Jordan Danks, CF
5. Dayan Viciedo, 3B
6. Brent Morel, 3B
7. Clevelan Santeliz, RHP
8. Trayce Thompson, OF
Two-Star Prospects
9. Santos Rodriguez, LHP
10. David Holmberg, LHP
11. C.J. Retherford, 2B
Four More:
12. Jhonny Nunez, RHP
13. Josh Phegley, C
14. John Ely, RHP
15. Nathan Jones, RHP

from the Daniel Hudson section:

The Good: Hudson combines plus stuff with well above-average command. His 92-94 mph fastball can touch 96 and features good tailing action, and he throws strikes to both sides of the plate with it. His best secondary offering is a plus changeup that is a true swing-and-miss pitch, which lessens the concerns about his slingy, low three-quarters arm action.
The Bad: Hudson’s slider flashed average, but it is inconsistent. He’ll need to establish it more as a starter in the big leagues. He tends to work up in the zone and gives up fly balls. Despite the enormous leap forward, many scouts think he’s maxed out projection-wise.
Perfect World Projection: Even with Hudson’s tremendous growth in 2009, some scouts don’t see room for much more, seeing him as a good third starter at best. Others think he’d be even better as a late-inning reliever.

UPDATE: Here’s Goldstein chat. He believes in the improvement of Tyler Flowers’ defense at catcher.

David Holmberg scouting report

FutureSox:

He currently throws in the high 80s, but projects to fill out and add velocity. His secondary stuff is currently ahead of his fastball. He throws an above-average 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup that looks like a plus pitch at times. He also throws a slider. …

Baseball America’s Top 20 Appalachian League Prospects

Matt Eddy:

6. David Holmberg, lhp, Bristol (White Sox)

Six-foot-4 and a bit soft-bodied, Holmberg has room to grow stronger and improve upon his present high-80s velocity. He sits at 86-88 mph and touches 90 from a straight overhand delivery, which aids him in getting good plane to the plate.  Quick hand speed enables Holmberg to spin quality 12-to-6 curveballs with above-average break and depth. He mixes in a plus changeup and throws an occasional slider. His secondary stuff and precocious feel for locating his pitches and for changing speeds marks him as a future mid-rotation candidate, particularly if he adds a few ticks to his fastball.

11. Trayce Thompson, of, Bristol (White Sox)

15. Santos Rodriguez, lhp, Bristol (White Sox)

Rodriguez features a plus-plus fastball during most outings, topping out at 97 mph and sitting at 95 with late movement. The pitch features incredible plane by virtue of his 6-foot-5 height, and Appy Leaguers struggled to lift the pitch, going homerless during his 27 innings. He throws a changeup with above-average arm speed that neutralizes righthanders. Despite his arm strength, Rodriguez still walks too many batters to rank as a surefire relief prospect, though his control improved as the season progressed. He also doesn’t have a usable breaking ball at this point, as his slider doesn’t consistently show enough tilt to be graded even as fringe-average.

For the full reports on all 20 prospects go to the link.

FutureSox looks on the Sox 2009 draft

from one writer’s favorite pick, Ryan Buch:

He’s got the potential to become a mid-rotation starter due to his solid three pitch mix of a low to mid 90’s fastball, excellent curve and improving change. The command of his fastball can be erratic which is what could prevent him from reaching his potential but he’s definitely the prime candidate to be next year’s Dexter Carter or Dan Hudson. …

Lots more at the link.

The aggressive David Holmberg

Tim Hayes:

“It felt good,” Holmberg said. “Me and [Bristol pitching coach Curt Hasler] worked in the bullpen throughout the week on what we needed to do to get better. I just took that to good use and used it tonight.”In the opener, Holmberg (1-2, 4.63 ERA) carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and finished with five strikeouts to earn his first professional victory. The Florida native commanded both sides of the plateand had all of his pitches working. Hasler has been pleased with the progress of his 18-year-old protégé. “He might be the youngest guy in the league,” Hasler said. “He’s mature, and he’s willing to learn. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy and very aggressive in his approach. There’s no substitute for that aggressiveness.”

here’s Holmberg’s line from the boxscore:

Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Holmberg, D (W, 1-2)	5.0	1	0	0	1	5	0	4.63
Rodriguez, S (S, 4)	2.0	2	0	0	0	3	0	1.33