2011 Chicago White Sox Top 20 Prospects

01/11/2012

One would have a hard time saying that the system is really doing well. The somewhat recent additions of Castro and Molina make for a definite improvement to the system’s rating, but a lot of work still needs to be done. As with many of the less-stacked organizations out there, the 2011 Draft provided a big influx of talent, and it’s no different in Chicago. Outfielder Keenyn Walker has plenty of potential, and a number of quality pitching prospects from the 2011 Draft could make significant movement up the prospect rankings. The jury may still be out on Tyler Saladino’s overall ceiling, but he may be the most sure-fire bet to reach the majors of any position prospect down on the farm. While there may be a handful of interesting position prospects, I have much more faith in this system’s pitching at this point.

1. Nestor Molina, RHP: Not the usual ceiling you might expect from a number one prospect. Even still, his floor should be quite high, likely settling in as a quality back-of-the-rotation arm at the very least. Molina can spot up his fastball like few others can, and his splitter is incredibly hard for batters to touch. Not many can get by with just two pitches, but he just might. A more consistent curve will help him in the long run.
2. Simon Castro, RHP
3. Trayce Thompson, OF
4. Addison Reed, RHP
5. Tyler Saladino, SS/INF
6. Hector Santiago, LHP
7. Jake Petricka, RHP
8. Dylan Axelrod, RHP
9. Keenyn Walker, OF
10. Kevan Smith, C
11. Andre Rienzo, RHP
12. Erik Johnson, RHP
13. Eduardo Escobar, SS
14. Pedro Hernandez, LHP
15. Gregory Infante, RHP
16. Charles Leesman, LHP
17. Scott Snodgress, LHP
18. Jared Mitchell, OF
19. Jeff Soptic, RHP
20. Andy Wilkins, 1st