Our Top Prospects

[WhiteSoxfan1986]

No...it would be great if someone from our minors actually overachieved based on their expectations. The last person to do that has to be Buehrle. I've just always thought of Gio as more of a #4 or 5 guys. There's nothing about his numbers, while repeating AA in a pitcher's park, that makes me think he's going to be a standout starter. If Danks can be a 2/3 and Gio can be a 4/5 though, we have the makings of a competitive staff.

 

You also have to remember that last year he was young for AA. The main thing I worry about with Gio is his ability to stay healthy.

[Guest]

QUOTE(WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Jun 8, 2007 -> 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You also have to remember that last year he was young for AA. The main thing I worry about with Gio is his ability to stay healthy.

 

I think Owens will be an average CF in the big leagues. i think Fields will be more consistent than Crede and will do quite well one day at 3B. it's unfair to them now because they were called up to a group of veterans struggling at the plate. that rubs off, especially on the young guys just called up to the big leagues.

[Harry Chappas]

You also have to remember that last year he was young for AA. The main thing I worry about with Gio is his ability to stay healthy.

 

I believe that Gio is at AA to inflate his stats and make him tradeable. As this season goes down the drain the guy that they need to sign is Buerhle, if not, a crappy season and the lose of Buerhle negates all of the success they have had.

 

You see it already with the fact there have been no sell-outs this year and poor crowds for the Yankee series.

[kwolf68]

My question on Fields is the same one I had last year: can he hit a major-league fastball? He seems to have trouble with good velocity. That's a little strange for a top-level prospect. It's usually dealing with the off-speed stuff that you wonder about.

 

 

I noticed this as well. Anderson, Fields, and Sweeney are three of our top prospects, but every day that I see them I am more and more concerned than none of them will be anything other than marginal major leaguers at best. If one or all of them are involved in any trades I wouldn't worry.

[quickman]

Do you believe all the hype that seems to come with a lot of our prospects ????

 

I thought it was a simple question.

 

 

actually I am shocked you believed the hype over the years. of course they are overrated. They are horrible.

 

I think Owens will be an average CF in the big leagues. i think Fields will be more consistent than Crede and will do quite well one day at 3B. it's unfair to them now because they were called up to a group of veterans struggling at the plate. that rubs off, especially on the young guys just called up to the big leagues.

 

 

Owens won't make it. He will soon be flipping burgers after spending some seasons pinch running for teams or filling there triple A roster. he is quite a horrible hitter and has a terrible arm.

 

Gio = #2 starter if he stays healthy

Brian = solid CF in the majors (not Sox though,) maybe .275, 20 homers, 15 SBs and great D

Ryan = will start to show true self in mid 20's when he physically matures, .300 hitter with 20+ homer potential, solid D and great arm in RF

Josh = all-star level third baseman or solid corner outfielder, possibly a .290 hitter with 30 homer power and 15 steals as well. No Gold gloves, but adequate D and will walk and strike out a lot.

Broadway = 4-5 starter, capable of 200 innings, double digit wins, but poor WHIP and k's.

 

Granted Brian won't do this with the Sox, Ryan needs two more years of weight training, Fields need some major league time, Gio needs some as well, but these guys are very are very talented, not Broadway though. These are my projections for their 2-4 peak years.

 

 

I hope all these guys do what you predict, but what have they done to have you draw these conclusions. What have you seen to help you make these decisons? They have proven nothing and if anything some have shown very little promise. I am not saying i don't hope for them and I have no personal feeling one way or another but just because the whitesox say nice things about them doesn't mean it transitions. I am not picking on you nor picking a fight I am just trying to udnerstand how you come to these conclusions.

[GreenSox]

None of Sweeney, Fields or Owens was ready this year and the Sox knew they weren't ready. It's unfortunate that they had to be called up this year. Owens obviously has a fairly low ceiling, is a LF, but if he works hard (including learning how to take a walk for goodness sakes - I doubt he'll learn or develop that skill in this organization) he could be a Pods type. Sweeney could be a really good hitter - what is he now, 22?

 

Anderson had a decent 2nd half last year, a good spring and plays stellar defense. That wasn't good enough for Ozzie to stick in the 9 hole and leave alone. Regardless of whose fault it is, Anderson's value is significantly depressed, so his future better be with the Sox because we won't get much for him if we traded him.

Edited June 9, 2007 by GreenSox

[DBAHO]

actually I am shocked you believed the hype over the years. of course they are overrated. They are horrible.

Owens won't make it. He will soon be flipping burgers after spending some seasons pinch running for teams or filling there triple A roster. he is quite a horrible hitter and has a terrible arm.

I hope all these guys do what you predict, but what have they done to have you draw these conclusions. What have you seen to help you make these decisons? They have proven nothing and if anything some have shown very little promise. I am not saying i don't hope for them and I have no personal feeling one way or another but just because the whitesox say nice things about them doesn't mean it transitions. I am not picking on you nor picking a fight I am just trying to udnerstand how you come to these conclusions.

Well I'd sort of disagree with that bolded part there. I mean Gio's numbers this season show promise, Fields's numbers from last season and his improved plate discipline this season show promise, Sweeney's OPS has risen over the past few seasons (and he was always a prospect who was going to take time). Anderson and Broadway I will agree with you though, but BA still has the "potential" to post those numbers which maggsmaggs said (although right now it's iffy if he can actually do that in the future with his work ethic), while Broadway will be a bottom of the rotation starter at best.

[Cerbaho-WG]

No...it would be great if someone from our minors actually overachieved based on their expectations. The last person to do that has to be Buehrle. I've just always thought of Gio as more of a #4 or 5 guys. There's nothing about his numbers, while repeating AA in a pitcher's park, that makes me think he's going to be a standout starter. If Danks can be a 2/3 and Gio can be a 4/5 though, we have the makings of a competitive staff.

 

Your ignorance is astounding. It's almost as if you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

 

Gonzalez is indeed repeating AA, but is in a different division this year. He has absolutely no advantages when it comes to seeing hitters for a second time because he's not. He's also 21, but age doesn't matter because he's repeating a league. Right, great logic.

 

Furthermore, here are Gio's splits away from the Met:

 

27 IP 26 H 8 BB 41 SO .248 BAA .635 OOPS .67 HR/9

 

He's actually giving up more homers per 9 at the Met than on the road. Outside of one start in May, he's been hovering around his April numbers, which were fantastic.

 

If you want to spout off on someone who is overrated, please talk about Russel and not Gonzalez.

[fathom]

Your ignorance is astounding. It's almost as if you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

 

Gonzalez is indeed repeating AA, but is in a different division this year. He has absolutely no advantages when it comes to seeing hitters for a second time because he's not. He's also 21, but age doesn't matter because he's repeating a league. Right, great logic.

 

Furthermore, here are Gio's splits away from the Met:

 

27 IP 26 H 8 BB 41 SO .248 BAA .635 OOPS .67 HR/9

 

He's actually giving up more homers per 9 at the Met than on the road. Outside of one start in May, he's been hovering around his April numbers, which were fantastic.

 

If you want to spout off on someone who is overrated, please talk about Russel and not Gonzalez.

 

I like Gio....I just don't see him as a #2 pitcher in the majors as people are pencilling him in for around here. If he ends up being a #4 for the next 5 years, then I have no problem at all with that. And yes, Adam Russell is quite overrated by some also. His best opportunity to help this team is as a power righty set-up man. I do like saying my comments are ignorant though, as everything I said about Gio was relayed to me by about 5 minor league experts. We need to call him up to AAA, as pitching in a hitter's park will give him a better example of what it's like to pitch at the Cell. We need Gio to be our Rich Hill.

Edited June 9, 2007 by fathom

[caulfield12]

I like Gio....I just don't see him as a #2 pitcher in the majors as people are pencilling him in for around here. If he ends up being a #4 for the next 5 years, then I have no problem at all with that. And yes, Adam Russell is quite overrated by some also. His best opportunity to help this team is as a power righty set-up man. I do like saying my comments are ignorant though, as everything I said about Gio was relayed to me by about 5 minor league experts. We need to call him up to AAA, as pitching in a hitter's park will give him a better example of what it's like to pitch at the Cell.

 

 

If he's around Jon Garland's numbers for the first five years of his MLB career, stays healthy, and keeps improving like Jon has, then I think anyone would be happy with that...and his K/IP ratio will definitely be much better too, which helps offset some of the HR numbers in the Cell. Garland would be one year or so ahead of him in age and development because of how he tore through the minors so fast, but Gio isn't so far behind and could be inserted into the rotation with a Buehrle trade.

 

I'm not buying the Zito hype, but I don't see him as a 4/5 in the same way as Broadway, McCullough, Phillips, Haeger, etc. I think #3 is pretty realistic, but am also concerned with durability questions.

 

The other benefit of our bullpen problems is we can keep bringing the youngsters up to get their feet wet coming out of the pen. I wouldn't be opposed to trading Floyd out for any of Masset, Bukvich or Prinz (I'll give Day a couple more weeks to seal his fate)...and I think we need to send Masset down and begin his career as a starter ASAP.

 

That's where his most value is to this organization IMO.

[hitlesswonder]

I like Gio....I just don't see him as a #2 pitcher in the majors as people are pencilling him in for around here. If he ends up being a #4 for the next 5 years, then I have no problem at all with that. And yes, Adam Russell is quite overrated by some also. His best opportunity to help this team is as a power righty set-up man. I do like saying my comments are ignorant though, as everything I said about Gio was relayed to me by about 5 minor league experts. We need to call him up to AAA, as pitching in a hitter's park will give him a better example of what it's like to pitch at the Cell. We need Gio to be our Rich Hill.

Adam Russell is barely a prospect -- over a 4.00 ERA at the Met is not a sign of future success in baseball. As for Gio, I think you are dead right. You can look at BA, Sickels, whomever and he isn't rated above a B prospect. He is not a top-tier pitching prospect. Once again, Sox fans are failing to differentiate between being the Sox best prospect and actually being a good prospect. Odds are Gio never makes it to the bigs because of injury -- he simply doesn't have the frame to sustain the amount of pitches he throws. And if he does make it, the lack of movement on his fastball and his problem with homeruns probably make his ceiling as a #4. The minor league guys you talked to know more about Gio than the people that post here, so I'll go with their impression.

[quickman]

Well I'd sort of disagree with that bolded part there. I mean Gio's numbers this season show promise, Fields's numbers from last season and his improved plate discipline this season show promise, Sweeney's OPS has risen over the past few seasons (and he was always a prospect who was going to take time). Anderson and Broadway I will agree with you though, but BA still has the "potential" to post those numbers which maggsmaggs said (although right now it's iffy if he can actually do that in the future with his work ethic), while Broadway will be a bottom of the rotation starter at best.

 

DBAO your comments are well spoken and I agree with you most of the time. My assessment;

 

I actually think Anderson had enough at bats in the majors to determine if he will be any good. Quite frankly I will disagree with the whole Anderson potential. As far as Gio goes, I think its a good start to put up numbers in AA. I agree he has done well. Anderson did well too and so did many others. i know you didn't imply this but others have gone on to say he will be a number 2 starter. i think that is reaching until he proves he can get a batter out in the major leagues. As for Fields, I hope he is good. Right now he has not yet gotten a hit, Before I lose faith in him I think I will give him the same amount of at bats as Anderson. As for sweeney, he has a very long swing. So did Borchard whom everyone had on there list to replace Dye or whoever about three years ago. He played well in the minors too only to show he could not handle mlb pitching. Sweeney clearly was not ready to come up but 6 more months of AAA doesn't mean he will be ready next year either, as so many on this board predicted in the spring.

 

In my old and somewhat pessimistic eyes, I see very little in terms of real good prospects in this system. Its sad because young potential baseball players are truly the excitment of this game. We just don't have any.

 

I like Gio....I just don't see him as a #2 pitcher in the majors as people are pencilling him in for around here. If he ends up being a #4 for the next 5 years, then I have no problem at all with that. And yes, Adam Russell is quite overrated by some also. His best opportunity to help this team is as a power righty set-up man. I do like saying my comments are ignorant though, as everything I said about Gio was relayed to me by about 5 minor league experts. We need to call him up to AAA, as pitching in a hitter's park will give him a better example of what it's like to pitch at the Cell. We need Gio to be our Rich Hill.

 

Predicting whether these guys make is like shooting goldfish in a lake. The guy has not pitched in the majors yet and already he is a number 2. Personally I would trade him again if it means bringing in a young major league talent, like Crawford.

 

Adam Russell is barely a prospect -- over a 4.00 ERA at the Met is not a sign of future success in baseball. As for Gio, I think you are dead right. You can look at BA, Sickels, whomever and he isn't rated above a B prospect. He is not a top-tier pitching prospect. Once again, Sox fans are failing to differentiate between being the Sox best prospect and actually being a good prospect. Odds are Gio never makes it to the bigs because of injury -- he simply doesn't have the frame to sustain the amount of pitches he throws. And if he does make it, the lack of movement on his fastball and his problem with homeruns probably make his ceiling as a #4. The minor league guys you talked to know more about Gio than the people that post here, so I'll go with their impression.

 

 

amen.

[Friend of Nordhagen]

My question on Fields is the same one I had last year: can he hit a major-league fastball? He seems to have trouble with good velocity. That's a little strange for a top-level prospect. It's usually dealing with the off-speed stuff that you wonder about.

 

Bump. He struck out 3 times today. One was on an 89 MPH fastball from Wandy Rodriguez. Did anyone see the others?