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Sox Top 30 Prospects


Rex Hudler

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Jason Stumm, RHP

Born: April 13, 1981 Height: 6'2" Weight: 210 Bats: R Throws: R School: Centralia (Wash.) HS Career Transactions: Selected by White Sox in first round (15th overall) of 1999 draft; signed June 21, 1999

 

This is the year the White Sox hope to be rewarded for their patience with Stumm, who was compared to Roger Clemens when they made him a first-round pick in 1999. He had Tommy John surgery the next season, a shoulder operation in 2002 and has pitched just 2006 innings in five pro seasons. Stumm has regained the mid-90's velocity on his fastball and Chicago believes he has a high upside, probably as a reliever. But the odds are against him reaching his ceiling unless he can stay healthy. His slider, changeup and command all need a lot of work. The Sox liked how he finished 2003 and expect him to come into Spring Training ready to compete. If he doesn't perform well in the Cactus League, He could lose his spot on the 40-man roster. He'll probably open the year in AA.

 

CAREER PITCHING RECORD

YR CLUB LG Class W-L .PCT ERA G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H AB TBF R ER HR SH SF HB BB IB SO WP BK AVG AGAINST

99 White Sox ARIZ R 0-0 .000 3.27 3 2 0 0 0 0 11.0 13 42 47 8 4 2 0 1 1 3 0 9 1 0 .310

Burlington MID A 3-3 .500 5.32 10 10 0 0 0 0 44.0 47 170 199 31 26 4 0 1 1 27 1 33 4 2 .276

00 Burlington MID A 2-7 .222 4.61 13 13 2 0 0 0 66.1 66 252 289 46 34 6 4 1 2 30 2 62 3 1 .262

01 White Sox ARIZ R 0-2 .000 2.25 4 4 0 0 0 0 12.0 6 39 45 4 3 0 0 0 1 5 0 12 0 1 .154

02 Kannapolis SAL A 0-1 .000 2.25 22 0 0 0 8 5 40.0 37 151 165 10 10 1 1 1 0 12 0 45 4 2 .245

03 Winston-Sal CARO A 1-0 1.000 3.60 20 0 0 0 7 0 25.0 28 95 111 10 10 1 2 1 2 11 1 23 0 0 .295

Birmingham SOU AA 0-0 .000 4.50 7 0 0 0 2 0 8.0 8 30 38 4 4 1 0 2 0 6 0 8 0 0 .267

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MINOR LEAGUE TOTALS 6 .316 3.97 29 0 5 205 894 91 7 7 4 12

13 79 2 17 206.1 779 113 15 7 94 192 6

 

Rex' comments: - I wasn't overly impressed with him last year, but he was being brought along slowly. He did throw hard, but he was consistently in the low-90's, not mid-90's. I am looking forward to getting a better look this year and see how he handles himself. I don't recall any breaking stuff standing out, which seems to go with BA's comments. I'll watch for development in that area. The key is to think of Stumm as a guy in only his 2nd or 3rd year, rather than one that was drafted in 1999, due to his injuries.

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rex..why was strumm brought up to birmingham last year???...looks like in A ball he was strugling...less than a k per inning (he's a power pitcher right??) and he gave up more hits than IP...that doesnt warrant a promotion in my eyes...

 

since he was coming off surgery i dont about the numbers so much but it seems like he should have just been left down in A ball to build up his confidence and be able to work back to form...

 

just thought it was kinda wierd i guess to promote him based his performance

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Not sure, baggs...... I can't recall the circumstances. They may have had someone get injured or someone promoted and needed to fill a spot. My guess is that they wanted to challenge Stumm somewhat since he had been healthy all year. His K/IP numbers were 23/25 so that is basically one per. His ERA was 3.60, and if recall correctly, that was skewed by one or two really bad outings. I'll check further on that.

 

He wasn't tearing it up at W-S, but the Sox needed to find out better what they have in him. They had to decide whether to add him to their 40-man roster or expose him to the Rule V draft. Note: He is not on the Sox 40-man roster, as BA indicated.

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I was surprised that Nanita was rated low also. I saw him play in the Pioneer League and was very impressed with his bat control. Usually you see these rookie level guys always swinging hard at everything and they can be overmatched by a good fastball at times. However, I saw Nanita shorten his swing, go the otherway for hits and also he was not afraid to just advance the runner.

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I was surprised that Nanita was rated low also. I saw him play in the Pioneer League and was very impressed with his bat control. Usually you see these rookie level guys always swinging hard at everything and they can be overmatched by a good fastball at times. However, I saw Nanita shorten his swing, go the otherway for hits and also he was not afraid to just advance the runner.

I was surprised as well. Perhaps his age is what held him back. How he does in full season ball this year will determine where he really stands.

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My guess is a lot of the reason Reed is down at #25 is that his upside isn't likely as high as some of the others.  Reed is probably more of a sure thing, but he projects to be a solid #2 hitter.  If he develops further (power), he will drop into the three-hole and exceed expectations. 

 

The best comparison I can come up with is Grady Sizemore of Cleveland who comes in at #9.  I am not sure why he is that much higher, unless they think he will be in the Majors this year and factored that in. 

 

Creating a list like that is so difficult because there are so many great players who play different positions and are at different levels of development.  I'm sure if they put the list together a week later, there would be variances.

 

One of the guys that jumped out at me is JJ Hardy at 19.  Hardy is a great player and was very good at AA at a young age, but I don't really see his upside any higher than Reed's and Reed is more developed right now, IMO.  Hardy may be starting at SS for the Brewers this year and is two years younger than Reed so that may be the reason for the high ranking, but Reed was clearly the better player this year in AA.  Both should be in the Big Leagues for a long time, however.

I thought that was very suprising too seeing Hardy ranked so high. But the Brewers are going to hav a very nice middle infield combo with Hardy and Richie Weeks in the next 10 years. They've built a very nice farm system, and I think we got Dave Wilder from that organisation rite? :huh

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Antoin Gray, 2B/3B

Born: May 19, 1981  Height: 5'9"  Weight: 195  Bats: R  Throws: R  School: Southern University  Career Transactions: Selected by White Sox in the 25th round of the 2003 draft; signed June 6, 2003

 

Gray finished fourth in the NCAA Division I batting race with a .449 average in 2002, finishing behind future first-round picks Rickie Weeks and Khalil Greene, as well as Curtis Granderson, who has hit .304 since signing with the Tigers.  One of six players drafted off Southern's 44-7 team last year, Gray hit .407-26-133 in 108 games in his two years in the same lineup as Weeks.

 

Though he faced a huge jump in competition when he turned pro, there was a minimal learning curve for Gray.  He continued to hit, finishing third in the Pioneer League in runs and doubles.  He has promising power and a keen eye for walks, though he must improve his bunting and cut down on his strikeouts.  Beyond his bat, Gray doesn't have a plus tool.  He played third base at Southern while Weeks played second, the position Gray is better suited for.  His arm fits better at second base, though he'll need a lot of work defensively, especially on the double-play pivot.  If Gray can beocme adequate defensively, he could have a big league career as an offensive second baseman.  Unless the White Sox decide to hold Pedro Lopez back, Gray will report to low Class A to start 2004.

 

CAREER BATTING RECORD

YR Club        LG    CLASS POS    AVG G  AB R H  TB  2B  3B  HR RBI  GW SH SF HB  BB IB  SO SB  CS GDP      SLUG    OBP    TPA

03 Great Falls PIO      R  2B-3B .292  69 277  63  81 125  20 0 8  43 0  2  3  6  49  0  62  4 1 4      .451 .406    337

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINOR LEAGUE TOTALS        .292  277      81      20    8    0  3  49  62      1          .451        337

                                    69      63  125    0      43      2  6      0      4    4          .406

 

Rex' Comments: - Something just doesn't seem right here.  I can't figure out why a guy that can hit as well as Gray was selected so low.  Obviously his size doesn't appeal to what scouts look for, but I would think with a plus bat including power potential would go higher.  He could always move to a corner OF position.  Perhaps the Sox found something here.  I just wonder why the Sox passed on him 24 times and every other team did at least that many times.  What am I missing?

Gray really put up a good year and I think he could be a sleeper. His numbers are pretty impressive, although as a 22 year old college player he should be able to put up big numbers at advanced rookie ball. It will be interesting to watch him at A ball this year. I know that it is early and this comparison might be a little bit of a stretch, but based on his college/rookie ball numbers he reminds me a little of Marcus Giles. Both are smallish 2B, that slipped under the radar, and have a bunch of power for a small middle infielder. I really like those 49 BB in 277 AB's, which helped him post a .406 OBP.

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well he basically started in low A after just a handfull of at bats in rookie ball after getting drafted.

so...two years Low A and one high A.

Could be in AA just turning 22....

Power is nice to have but it isn't a guarantee to the bigs.

more then doubled his extra base hits.....

I have a feeling.........

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JimH, go to www.baseballamerica.com and click on the bookstore and order it. Will get it much faster than waiting for Borders I would think. Just got mine in mail this week. Do not think you need password to order a book, but not sure.

I used to get that book all the time when I had a fantasy league with minor league draft picks.

 

Yep, Helton, Berkman, Oswalt, Pujols, Morris... had em all.

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well he basically started in low A after just a handfull of at bats in rookie ball after getting drafted.

so...two years Low A and one high A.

Could be in AA just turning 22....

Power is nice to have but it isn't a guarantee to the bigs.

more then doubled his extra base hits.....

I have a feeling.........

I'm not saying he won't make the big leagues..... just that if he is to be considered a "prospect" this is a key year for him. He is at a point where he can become someone with legitimate potential or he could become Chad Durham, who can't hit AA pitching and has found his max level. Having Aaron Rowand, Jeremy Reed and even Joe Borchard ahead of him doesn't help his cause.

 

Like I said....... it's time to move.

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I was kinda suprised that Clint King was not on the Top 30 list. I think that he's a better prospect than some of the other guys on the list, but I guess that some guys have to be left off the list and he was one of them. Anyway, I think that he has a good chance to be a very good player, and just thought that his name should be mentioned. Oh, and does anyone know where he's gonna play this year? I would think that he'd go to Kannapolis, but I guess he could go to Winston-Salem.

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well he basically started in low A after just a handfull of at bats in rookie ball after getting drafted.

so...two years Low A and one high A.

Could be in AA just turning 22....

Power is nice to have but it isn't a guarantee to the bigs.

more then doubled his extra base hits.....

I have a feeling.........

Well he has speed going for him and he's a pretty good defensive outfielder.

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I was kinda suprised that Clint King was not on the Top 30 list.  I think that he's a better prospect than some of the other guys on the list, but I guess that some guys have to be left off the list and he was one of them.  Anyway, I think that he has a good chance to be a very good player, and just thought that his name should be mentioned.  Oh, and does anyone know where he's gonna play this year?  I would think that he'd go to Kannapolis, but I guess he could go to Winston-Salem.

I agree with you. King will probably be in Kanny this year and he really came on after struggling with the initial adjustment to wood bats. The kid crushed the ball in college and started to crush the ball late during the short season.

 

I still can't figure out how the heck Tim Tisch got on the list. We originally had him in our top 50, but recently dropped him out because we decided Wyatt Allen and Casey Rogowski were more deserving in our opinions.

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Oh ya for those that talk about Morse, I think he could be a big time sleeper prospect.

 

To me he's ranked too high soley for being a sleeper prospect, but he's got good size and as he puts on more muscle should develop even more pop. I think he's like 6'6 or so and is pretty impressive defensively.

 

I think he'll take longer to develop and he's definately got some work on his swing, but could be a project that works out.

 

I still don't know why everyone is in love with Gonzalez. I realize he has a lot of tools, but he's also a major prospect and he's had two poor years in a row now. But you never know when a light is just going to come on and he's definately got the tools.

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Morse has had great extra base hit numbers. I have seen him play 20 times and the ball pops off his bat more then alot of others. He is strong physically. Defensively he is solid and the stats don't show the spectacular plays he makes day in and day out. He may end up being a mid 200s hitter but his bat will win games with big hits.He hasnt reached his physical prime yet.

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Oh ya for those that talk about Morse, I think he could be a big time sleeper prospect. 

 

To me he's ranked too high soley for being a sleeper prospect, but he's got good size and as he puts on more muscle should develop even more pop.  I think he's like 6'6 or so and is pretty impressive defensively.

 

I think he'll take longer to develop and he's definately got some work on his swing, but could be a project that works out. 

 

I still don't know why everyone is in love with Gonzalez.  I realize he has a lot of tools, but he's also a major prospect and he's had two poor years in a row now.  But you never know when a light is just going to come on and he's definately got the tools.

Andy Gonzalez only had one bad year. His previous two seasons were very solid. From what I have heard, headcase is appropriate with him.

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Rex, were you surprised to see Brian Miller that high on the list?

 

Didn't seem like he had that good a year last year, but I know BA likes his arm and frame.

 

Did they have anything interesting to say about him, other than they feel he projects well and has a live fastball?

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Rex, were you surprised to see Brian Miller that high on the list?

 

Didn't seem like he had that good a year last year, but I know BA likes his arm and frame.

 

Did they have anything interesting to say about him, other than they feel he projects well and has a live fastball?

Personally I think they had Miller over-rated. He has pretty electric stuff but is still very raw and I thought there were other players that produced better numbers, while also having pretty high ability that could of went higher. For example, I personally like Deininger quite a bit more then Miller. I realize Deininger is less raw, but I think he's one of the more talented pitchers in the Sox system - just my opinion.

 

I also feel someone like Orionny Lopez could of been ranked higher then Miller. While I think Miller has the ability to be a top 15 guy, right now, I wouldn't have him that high.

 

But BA is very high on him, just like I am high on Deininger.

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Rex, were you surprised to see Brian Miller that high on the list?

 

Didn't seem like he had that good a year last year, but I know BA likes his arm and frame.

 

Did they have anything interesting to say about him, other than they feel he projects well and has a live fastball?

I was Jim. I saw him play one game on TV last year and was not impressed, but that was one game so I figured I should reserve judgement. His numbers were not impressive either. Without having a great deal of info or personal knowledge on him, my first thought is to compare him to Brian West.

 

Here is the BA write up on him....

 

Brian Miller

Born: Oct. 18, 1982 Height: 6-3 Weight: 200 Bats: R Throws: R School: Charlotte (Mich.) HS Career Transactions: Selected by White Sox in 20th round of 2001 draft; signed Aug. 15, 2001

 

Miller had been rated as the top prep pitcher in Michigan in 2001, but most organizations believed it would be impossible to get him to break his commitment to Michigan State. The White Sox waited until the 20th round to select him, negotiated hard and got him signed. They have taken it slowly with him as he seeks consistency. He has the best arm among the system's righthanders, and when it's on he can be spectacular, as he was in a seven-inning no hitter last year. At times he fights his mechanics, which causes him to have nights where finding the strike zone is a major task. His fastball qualifies as easy heat, climbing into the mid-90's without any effort to his delivery. He has a classic pitcher's body and should only get stronger. He came into the organization with a good changeup and has improved it. His breaking ball is another matter. Some scouts say Miller's arm action isn't conducive to throwing a good breaker, as he has yet to prove them wrong. Miller is on target to advance to high Class A in 2004. He has a ceiling of a middle-of-the-rotation starter.

 

 

CAREER PITCHING RECORD

YR CLUB LG Class W-L .PCT ERA G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H AB TBF R ER HR SH SF HB BB IB SO WP BK AVG AGAINST

02 Bristol APPY R 7-3 .700 4.30 13 13 0 0 0 0 60.2 57 227 262 32 29 3 2 1 2 30 0 63 3 6 .251

03 Kannapolis SAL A 8-12 .400 5.30 25 25 1 1 0 0 125.2 124 480 560 85 74 7 6 2 11 61 1 93 10 2 .258

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MINOR LEAGUE TOTALS 15 .500 4.97 38 1 0 181 822 103 8 13 1 13

15 38 1 0 186.1 707 117 10 3 91 156 8

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Rex thanks.

 

If the kid has trouble throwing a breaking ball, they should just teach him to change speeds on a slider.

 

There's really no reason to try and force a curveball into the arsenal. They ought to concentrate on having him repeat his delivery.

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