White Sox Top 40 Prospects by the Polar Bear

[Polar Bear]

2023 Chicago White Sox Prospect Rankings
Rank	Name	Position	Previous Rank	Level	Age
1	Oscar Colas	CF/RF	3	AAA	24
2	Colson Montgomery	SS	1	AA	20
3	Noah Schultz	SP	9	N/A	19
4	Lenyn Sosa	INF	4	Majors	23
5	Bryan Ramos	3B	13	AA	20
6	Norge Vera	SP	2	AA	22
7	Cristian Mena	SP	6	AA	20
8	Peyton Pallette	SP	14	N/A	21
9	Luis Mieses	OF	10	AA	22
10	Jose Rodriguez	INF	7	AA	21
11	Dario Borrero	1B	12	Rookie	19
12	Tanner McDougal	SP	15	Rookie	19
13	Wilfred Veras	1B/3B	17	AA	20
14	Jonathan Cannon	SP	18	A	22
15	Abraham Nunez Jr.	OF	NR	N/A	16
16	Jordan Sprinkle	SS	NR	A	21
17	Sean Burke	SP	19	AAA	23
18	Wes Kath	3B	5	AA	20
19	Kohl Simas	SP	20	AA	23
20	Carlos Perez	C	8	Majors	26
21	Yoelqui Cespedes	CF	16	AA	25
22	DJ Gladney	1B	21	AA	21
23	Loidel Chapelli	INF/OF	21	DSL	25
24	Luis Reyes	SP	NR	N/A	17
25	Yolbert Sanchez	INF	22	AAA	25
26	Victor Quezada	3B	23	Rookie	19
27	Erik Hernandez	OF	24	DSL	18
28	Leandro Alsinois	OF	26	DSL	18
29	Matthew Thompson	SP	27	AA	22
30	Jared Kelley	SP	28	AA	21
31	Andrew Dalquist	SP	30	AA	22
32	Carlos Jimenez	1B/OF	32	DSL	21
33	Arxy Hernandez	SS/3B	33	DSL	19
34	Godwin Bennett	OF	34	DSL	20
35	Arnold Prado	OF	35	DSL	18
36	Rafael Alvarez	OF	NR	N/A	17
37	Ryan Burrowes	INF/OF	NR	DSL	18
38	Chase Krogman	OF	NR	A	21
39	Randel Mondesi	OF	30	DSL	20
40	Gregory Santos	RP	NR	Majors	23

 

1. Oscar Colas, CF/RF

 

Colas made his stateside debut this past season at A+.  He was able to shake off the rust quite quickly after not playing for over 2 years.  Colas showed the Sox he was ready for a challenge after he hit 0.311 with 7 HR's and 42 RBI's in 59 games.  AA was not much a challenge either as he hit 0.306 with 14 HR's and 33 RBI's in 51 games.  At both levels Colas ended with a wRC+ of 129 and 139 respectively.  Colas has shown quick hands and hips.  The hole up and in for most lefty power hitters has not really shown itself yet which gives hope that he can get around on pitches up and in once he gets his shot in the bigs.  He does have a pretty wide strike zone and loves to swing the bat like most Latin American players.  What I love is he can barrel it up on the sweet spot a ton, it almost doesn't matter where it is pitched.  However, Colas does strikeout at a decent rate but manages to keep it down for the most part.  20% at A+ and 24% at AA (AAA was 36% but only 7 games and he did hit .390).  I believe he is destined to begin the season as the starting RF for the White Sox.  That all said, I would expect Colas to settle in around a .270 hitter, with good enough splits to avoid being a platoon bat and crushing 23-28 HR's per year.   

 

 

2. Colson Montgomery, SS

 

Montgomery came out on fire at A ball hitting 0.324 with nearly a 13% BB rate and a wRC+ of 152.  It is no wonder the White Sox got aggressive with Montgomery's assignments late in the season with a callup to A+ and then part of Project Birmingham at AA.  Montgomery held his own, albeit to a lesser skill level at A+ with a wRC+ of 125 but a BB rate of almost 16%.  At AA Montgomery was definitely overmatched but it was a great learning experience for him to be part of Project Birmingham.  Montgomery has shown a great eye at the plate which leads to getting pitching he can drive and also lead to an insane on base streak of 50 games this past season.  At AA, Montgomery got a blueprint of what he needs to do to succeed and move towards major league stardom, now it is on him to work at it.  

 

 

3. Noah Schultz, SP

 

A lot of us grew up with the most dominant pitcher in baseball standing 6'10" with a mean fastball and devastating back foot slider.  Well we can all dream that Schultz is going to be this generation's version of Randy Johnson.  Schultz has a mean fastball from a lower arm slot that the Sox have already tinkered with to improve it.  They switched Schultz from a four-seam fastball to a two-seam fastball, giving him a 4th pitch to his arsenal and making him a more dominant pitcher with the extra movement he gains by throwing the two seamer from the lower arm slot.  Schultz's out pitch looks to be a devastating slider, reminiscent of the Big Unit's.  The sky's the limit for Schultz and it begins in 2023 for him.  Schultz is definitely my favorite prospect for the Six heading into the 2023 season and someone that I believe will have the highest ceiling of anyone in the organization.  

 

 

4. Lenyn Sosa, INF

 

Sosa made it briefly to the bigs last year.  Unfortunately he was not given a chance to play much by TLR, only getting into 11 games.  However in the minors, Sosa blew up in the minors hitting .315 with 23 HR's over stints at AA and AAA.  One aspect that Sosa will need to keep as he gets the chance to compete for the 2B job in Spring Training is keeping the K% down like last season (15% in the minors).  Sosa has great bat skills and will definitely be looking to break camp with the team heading north, but could also use a little more time at AAA to solidify himself as a legit everyday player for the Sox.  

 

 

5. Bryan Ramos, 3B

 

Ramos had a real power surge in 2022 compared to his previous season (22 HR vs 13 HR).  If he can continue to improve as he progresses through the system, Ramos can easily see the power numbers grow even more.  Ramos is similar to Sosa in that he doesn't strike out much with a 16.6% K rate at A+ and AA last year.  If he can keep the K's in check and tap even more into the power, the Sox might have a viable 3B replacement for Moncada in a couple of years.  

 

 

6. Norge Vera, SP

 

Vera made his stateside debut at A where he made 8 starts, followed by a couple of starts each at A+ and AA.  At A, Vera was dominant despite his short outings (obvious monitoring by the Sox higher-ups).  Unfortunately things unraveled at A+ and AA, Vera went from a 1.88 ERA at A and 5.63 and 8.10 at the higher levels respectively.  Vera's issues stemmed mostly from control, even while at A ball (15.15% walk rate).  While at A+ and AA the walk rates were atrocious ~30%.  Vera has the skills to be a good SP, however he is going to have to really reign in the walks and pitch deeper than 3 innings in a game to start showing the Sox he can start and not be destined for the bullpen.  

 

 

7. Cristian Mena, SP

 

Mena broke through in a big way in 2022, he went from a relatively unknown prospect, to cracking the top 10 for the Sox in a rapid rise that has not been seen around here in a long time.  Mena made quick work of A ball, despite being only 19 years old. 5 games of 4+IP and 0 ER earned him a jump to A+ by mid June where he continued to flash his potential with some mediocre outings mixed in.  Late in the season Mena was aggressively challenged by the Sox player development with a promotion to AA as part of Project Birmingham.  Unless the Sox are continuing with Project Birmingham, I'd expect to see Mena back at A+ where with more seasons he could progress to AA later in the year.  If Mena can continue to improve his command and control, he could have SP3 upside for the Sox. 

 

 

8. Peyton Pallette, SP

 

Pallette missed his final season at Arkansas.  He possesses an upper 90s fastball and was looking like a first round draft pick before his injury.  If the Sox can dial him in he could be a sneaky good SP in the bigs.  Unfortunately given age, missed time, and makeup I see Pallette more as a back of the bullpen guy than a SP.  Look for him to start at A+ and move quicker if he is showing the stuff the Sox believe he can. 

 

 

9. Luis Mieses, OF

 

Mieses has been one of my under the radar guys for a season or two now.  He has a great swing that leads to doubles upon doubles.  In 2022 Mieses ended just 3 doubles shy from leading the minors in doubles.  With a little more seasoning and work on his swing Mieses could tap into some more power and turn those doubles into homeruns and get more national prospect attention. 

 

 

10. Jose Rodriguez, INF

 

Rodriguez had a great 2022 season playing entirely at AA.  His calling card appears to be his speed and his bat, stealing 40 bases and hitting .280.  There doesn't appear to be much more projection for him with regards to body or skills.  Time will tell if his bat is good enough to be a starter or prototypical utility guy.  If Rodriguez can get to some more power and be more patient at the plate, he can definitely become a starter in the bigs with SB's as his calling card.  

 

 

11.  Dario Borrero, 1B

 

Borrero has been in my top 15 for going on 2 years now I believe, after 2022 I even moved him up to 11.  This is definitely a leap and nowhere near where others will rank him but I see so much potential that I have to reward it.  Borrero missed almost all of his pro debut in the DSL in 2021.   He came stateside with missing a year of development and needing to show something to himself and the Sox organization and that he did.  At Rookie ball, Borrero hit .313 in 46 games with hits in 37 of 46.  He had 3 or more hits in 5 games.  I was very impressed with his showing, but this offseason and upcoming season is where Borrero needs to take that hit tool and start elevating the ball to tap into his projected power frame (6'5") and get more extra base hits and homeruns.  If he can do that while maintaining his average then he could be a breakout prospect for the Sox, only time and games will tell. 

 

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12. Tanner McDougal 

 

McDougal missed 2022 after having TJS at the end of 2021.  He has plus stuff that really plays well as he struck out 17 in 9 and ⅔ innings at Rookie ball in his pro debut after being drafted in 2021.  The fastball seems to be back to pre-injury levels (mid 90s) and his breaking ball is one of my favorite pitches in the Sox organization with wiffleball movement stemming from elite spin rates.  If the Sox have been able to get McDougal back on track, look for a big breakout from him.  

 

 

13. Wilfred Veras, 1B/3B

 

Veras is another young player for the Sox that had a big breakout last season.  He hit .267 with 20 HR and 22 doubles between A ball and AA (part of Project Birmingham).  Veras has an upright stance and uses quick hands and hips to produce some good looking exit velocities.  If he can get his lower half working some more he could potentially tap into the power more this upcoming season.  

 

 

14. Jonathan Cannon, SP

 

Cannon wasn't great in 2022 at Georgia but he was getting experience in the SEC so that is always a plus.  He is pretty raw for a college pitcher and could definitely use an uptick on the fastball and more break on the slider.  Time will tell if he is destined for the Pen or if the Sox can work their magic.  

 

 

15. Abraham Nunez Jr., SS/OF

 

Nunez Jr. is definitely someone you are not going to see on other lists.  He just signed with the Sox as a 16 year old out of the Dominican Republic.  Marco Paddy said they expect Nunez Jr. to get up to about 6'4" which gives him a ton of projectable power.  He has a smooth lefty swing and a great bat flip game already, the swag here is enough to jump him over some of the more questionable prospects in the organization.  Once the DSL starts up this summer, Nunez Jr. is definitely someone to keep an eye on and see if he can develop into a prospect worthy of this ranking.  

 

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[EloyJenkins]

Yoelqui already at bust status basically. ouch. 

[Chick Mercedes]

Quote

“It’s not only the swing (with Ramos), it’s defensively,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “The strides he’s made in a couple weeks has been really great to see. This kid has potential to be a really good major-league player. He has run-producing ability, and he’s going to be a pretty damn good fielder, too. He has above-average arm strength, he’s hungry, he’s focused. A lot like Oscar Colas. He doesn’t waste many days here, which is really good to see for a young kid. This kid comes out, puts a uniform on and it’s all business. I admire that, especially at a young age.”

https://theathletic.com/4284794/2023/03/08/white-sox-prospect-bryan-ramos/

[oldsox]

Thompson and Dalquist will be on someone's Top 40 list ten years from now.