Your Current Top 10

[Eminor3rd]

What is the deal with Michalczewski? He seems to be holding his own pretty well in A ball, but why are we so excited about him? I would think a guy like him would have to be raking to garner this kind of love.

[southsider2k5]

What is the deal with Michalczewski? He seems to be holding his own pretty well in A ball, but why are we so excited about him? I would think a guy like him would have to be raking to garner this kind of love.

 

He's 19 and a switch hitter at the hot corner.

[NorthSideSox72]

What is the deal with Michalczewski? He seems to be holding his own pretty well in A ball, but why are we so excited about him? I would think a guy like him would have to be raking to garner this kind of love.

 

He's 19 and a switch hitter at the hot corner.

 

First, ranking him 3rd is way too high for me. But even around 10, in a currently weak system, you have to have the full picture. He's 19, was drafted over-slot. Played SS in high school, considered to have a plus hit tool and plus power potential. The thought is he should be pretty good defensively at 3B, but he needs more time there. He's also got a little speed, though nothing to stand out there. He switch-hits, and shows a decent batter's eye. That's an impressive package for a third baseman at his age in full season ball.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Do we know why he fell?

[royoung]

Do we know why he fell?

 

If you are talking about Trey Michalczewski, he was supposedly a tough sign. We had to go overslot to get him.

[Eminor3rd]

If you are talking about Trey Michalczewski, he was supposedly a tough sign. We had to go overslot to get him.

 

Gotcha. Thanks

[witesoxfan]

Gotcha. Thanks

 

For exact numbers, he was signed for $500k as a 7th round pick. $500k was the slot amount for the 103rd pick, which is a late 3rd rounder.

[royoung]

My top 15, trying not to overreact to start of the 2014 season.

 

1. Anderson

2. Davidson

3. Johnson

4. Hawkins

5. Danish

6. Michalczewski

7. Sanchez

8. Ravelo

9. Beck

10. Thompson

11. Montas

12. Rondon

13. May

14. Barnum

15. Engel

 

I think Anderson has the highest ceiling in our system and his stats are very impressive considering how raw he was coming from juco. Not panicking on Davidson; panicking a bit on Hawkins. Love what Michalczewski is doing at age 19 in Kannapolis, also what Ravelo is doing in Birmingham at 22. Sanchez is having a resurgent year in Charlotte, remember he's only 21 and really had no business being in AAA last year. Thompson appears to be a 4th outfielder with some pop, don't think he can hit consistently enough to earn a starting spot. Big fan of Montas and his upside.

Edited May 22, 2014 by southside hitman

[LDF]

Goldberg at 7 and Vance being close to Top 10 are the two biggest surprises I've seen on a list so far.

 

 

all man, I love it. being called upon to Justify my comments. I love it when healthy discussion happen

with our sox prospects.

 

with regards to Danish, he is no hard thrower, but he kind of remind me of a pitcher who knows how to pitch and

get people out.

 

Trey Michalczewski is what 19, and he is putting up decent numbers. other prospect who were higher are not having

a good season. I am basing on his performance. he may not a lot of homers, so maybe a switch or something,

hey he is still only 19.

 

Tim Anderson - I was being nice here, I would have put him around Hawkins........ K's a lot, defense ???? but he is

hitting around 250+. I just don't know, yes I have to remind myself he is 20.

 

Francellis Montas and Brad Goldberg - as the old saying goes ...... you can not teach a pitcher to throw hard. both

pitcher are what .... 95+ mph. brad is 24, montas is what 22. I have a gut feeling that these 2 may be on the major

list faster than any prospects we have now.

 

Hawkins - based on last yr, he really need to do well this season to gain faith in him as a high prospect, I don't see

why we judge him as a high prospect. let wait this yr out and revisit his potential.

 

Davidson .... do I really need to say anything that hasn't been said?

 

Lastly, Kevin Vance - I always thought he would be a decent, knowledgeable starting pitcher with 3 very good pitches

to his resume. but I guess the sox want him as a reliever maybe a long reliever. his best pitch is the curve and I believe

his fast ball hits in the 90-92. now this is what I remember, I may be wrong, the other posters whol have a better memory

or resources could correct me.

 

I really like some of our prospects.... I am excited with this group.

 

 

thanks

 

peace

Edited May 23, 2014 by LDF

[Señor Ding-Dong]

Random question: Does anyone have any idea how "Cleuluis" is pronounced? Every time I say it in my head I just know I'm butchering it.

[NorthSideSox72]

Random question: Does anyone have any idea how "Cleuluis" is pronounced? Every time I say it in my head I just know I'm butchering it.

Not sure, but if you are on Twitter, ask @BigTexJosh (Josh Feldman, radio/PR guy for Kannapolis), he'd be happy to tell you. I've heard it pronounced at least two ways, and I am not sure what is correct.

 

 

[The Ultimate Champion]

Random question: Does anyone have any idea how "Cleuluis" is pronounced? Every time I say it in my head I just know I'm butchering it.

Clay

oo as in goo

(Sweet) Lou

eace like in peace

 

Clay oo lou eace

 

Ron Doan

[caulfield12]

Clay

oo as in goo

(Sweet) Lou

eace like in peace

 

Clay oo lou eace

 

Ron Doan

 

 

if it's Spanish, it should be clay-oo-lay-us

[witesoxfan]

My top 15, trying not to overreact to start of the 2014 season.

 

1. Anderson

2. Davidson

3. Johnson

4. Hawkins

5. Danish

6. Michalczewski

7. Sanchez

8. Ravelo

9. Beck

10. Thompson

11. Montas

12. Rondon

13. May

14. Barnum

15. Engel

 

I think Anderson has the highest ceiling in our system and his stats are very impressive considering how raw he was coming from juco. Not panicking on Davidson; panicking a bit on Hawkins. Love what Michalczewski is doing at age 19 in Kannapolis, also what Ravelo is doing in Birmingham at 22. Sanchez is having a resurgent year in Charlotte, remember he's only 21 and really had no business being in AAA last year. Thompson appears to be a 4th outfielder with some pop, don't think he can hit consistently enough to earn a starting spot. Big fan of Montas and his upside.

 

 

Michalczewski, 19, low-A - .275/.374/.379/.753, 26.2% K rate, 12% BB rate

Hawkins, 20, high-A - .257/.337/.514/.851, 28.4% K rate, 10.7 BB rate

 

I mean, I don't disagree with your rankings (though mine would be different), but I don't understand why you're panicking on Hawkins while loving what Michalczewski's doing.

[fathom]

1. T. Anderson

2. M. Johnson

3. C. Hawkins

4. T. Danish

5. M. Davidson

6. F. Montas

7. R. Ravelo

8. T. Michalczewski

9. C. Beck

10. T. Thompson

 

From that list, only Anderson has a chance to be ranked in the top 100 in all of baseball, and that's more due to preseason hype than his actual performance. As I'm sure you've seen me mention, this has been a disappointing first few months for a majority of the prospects. I'm really not sure how Buddy Bell has kept his job, especially with the awful performances by Semien and E. Johnson.

[NorthSideSox72]

1. T. Anderson

2. M. Johnson

3. C. Hawkins

4. T. Danish

5. M. Davidson

6. F. Montas

7. R. Ravelo

8. T. Michalczewski

9. C. Beck

10. T. Thompson

 

From that list, only Anderson has a chance to be ranked in the top 100 in all of baseball, and that's more due to preseason hype than his actual performance. As I'm sure you've seen me mention, this has been a disappointing first few months for a majority of the prospects. I'm really not sure how Buddy Bell has kept his job, especially with the awful performances by Semien and E. Johnson.

You went off the rails here. The system graduated around a third of it's top 25 prospects, without any new blood from the June draft, the July Int'l signings, or any trades. Of course it feels more empty - IT IS. Yeah, Beck and Thompson disappointing are also factors - but then there are guys like Micah, Danish and (to an extent) Hawkins doing well, and some pop-up guys like Montas and Ravelo.

 

Semien hasn't been much of a disappointment at all, he's done OK and barely had a chance yet - and he was never a T100 type guy, for most people. EJ is the biggest disappointment, and he's a puzzle to me. They are still very much developing though.

 

If this system was 30th (or 29th) in baseball a couple years ago, and got up to say 20-25 range going into this season, it should be no surprise it fell back now. Did it fall back to the very bottom? Hard to say, probably not though. But if you want to talk about Buddy Bell's job, you have to compare apples to apples. See where it stands in January this coming offseason. A lot of the new LatAm development in the past year or two will take another year or two to really come to fruition.

 

[fathom]

You went off the rails here. The system graduated around a third of it's top 25 prospects, without any new blood from the June draft, the July Int'l signings, or any trades. Of course it feels more empty - IT IS. Yeah, Beck and Thompson disappointing are also factors - but then there are guys like Micah, Danish and (to an extent) Hawkins doing well, and some pop-up guys like Montas and Ravelo.

 

Semien hasn't been much of a disappointment at all, he's done OK and barely had a chance yet - and he was never a T100 type guy, for most people. EJ is the biggest disappointment, and he's a puzzle to me. They are still very much developing though.

 

If this system was 30th (or 29th) in baseball a couple years ago, and got up to say 20-25 range going into this season, it should be no surprise it fell back now. Did it fall back to the very bottom? Hard to say, probably not though. But if you want to talk about Buddy Bell's job, you have to compare apples to apples. See where it stands in January this coming offseason. A lot of the new LatAm development in the past year or two will take another year or two to really come to fruition.

 

There was no bigger fan of Semien on this site than me last year, but his ridiculous contact issues seem to have come out of nowhere. You don't want to see him become another Josh Fields, where the player can't make the most out of their ability due to not being able to make contact. The strike out rates for far too many players in this system are ridiculous (Davidson, Anderson, Thompson, Hawkins, Trey M., Barnum). Buddy Bell has been with the Sox since 2009, and it doesn't seem like there has been any improvement in the system and the players don't seem prepared even when they do make the majors.

[Dick Allen]

There was no bigger fan of Semien on this site than me last year, but his ridiculous contact issues seem to have come out of nowhere. You don't want to see him become another Josh Fields, where the player can't make the most out of their ability due to not being able to make contact. The strike out rates for far too many players in this system are ridiculous (Davidson, Anderson, Thompson, Hawkins, Trey M., Barnum). Buddy Bell has been with the Sox since 2009, and it doesn't seem like there has been any improvement in the system and the players don't seem prepared even when they do make the majors.

Here is an article from Jan 2013. The guys Buddy was raving about haven't graduated the system. I agree with you, Buddy must have pictures of someone doing something. He said Mitchell, Thompson and Sanchez were the closest to the majors. They would see the real Molina in 2013 and Castro was "a horse".

 

The contact issues are a big concern to me as well. Guys with k rates that high in the minors are just going to get worse when they face pitchers who know what they are doing and more advanced scouting reports that will show their weaknesses.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01...ss-a-kannapolis

Edited May 23, 2014 by Dick Allen

[NorthSideSox72]

There was no bigger fan of Semien on this site than me last year, but his ridiculous contact issues seem to have come out of nowhere. You don't want to see him become another Josh Fields, where the player can't make the most out of their ability due to not being able to make contact. The strike out rates for far too many players in this system are ridiculous (Davidson, Anderson, Thompson, Hawkins, Trey M., Barnum). Buddy Bell has been with the Sox since 2009, and it doesn't seem like there has been any improvement in the system and the players don't seem prepared even when they do make the majors.

 

For one thing, I think your concerns about Semien are way overblown at this point. He had great plate discipline all the way up, then suddenly it reverses in the majors - that is NOT the Fields profile. It also tells me he's got a high likelihood of fixing it. My only concern with him is Ventura (and Hahn) letting him rot in the bench when he most needs the work - thus delaying his improvement.

 

As for the K rates, I definitely agree with that concern (though I think with Trey you are off base in his particular case - a high school draftee in his first year of pro ball, and he takes walks, I'm not too worried there). It is endemic and a serious issue. But Steverson just joined the club and is still likely trying to get the rest of the guys in line phiosophy-wise. I share your concerns here.

 

I'm no great fan of Bell, but I think we're at least a couple years from passing judgment on him under the new leadership in a complete way. Let's see how Semien works out a year from now, and how some of these prospects in a now hitter-heavy top 10 develop under a new GM, new development staff (in some positions), and new hitting coach.

 

Here is an article from Jan 2013. The guys Buddy was raving about haven't graduated the system. I agree with you, Buddy must have pictures of someone doing something. He said Mitchell, Thompson and Sanchez were the closest to the majors. They would see the real Molina in 2013 and Castro was "a horse".

 

The contact issues are a big concern to me as well. Guys with k rates that high in the minors are just going to get worse when they face pitchers who know what they are doing and more advanced scouting reports that will show their weaknesses.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-01...ss-a-kannapolis

 

I think you confuse Bell's promotional marketing ploys with actual development status. The contact issues worry me too. Molina and Castro don't - Molina was bad scouting anyway, and this system has actually been pretty good developing pitching, despite some misfires this year from Johnson and others. Hitting-wise, yeah, there is a real issue there with lack of plate discipline, though I think (as above) Semien will break through that.

 

[beautox]

You went off the rails here. The system graduated around a third of it's top 25 prospects, without any new blood from the June draft, the July Int'l signings, or any trades. Of course it feels more empty - IT IS. Yeah, Beck and Thompson disappointing are also factors - but then there are guys like Micah, Danish and (to an extent) Hawkins doing well, and some pop-up guys like Montas and Ravelo.

 

Semien hasn't been much of a disappointment at all, he's done OK and barely had a chance yet - and he was never a T100 type guy, for most people. EJ is the biggest disappointment, and he's a puzzle to me. They are still very much developing though.

 

If this system was 30th (or 29th) in baseball a couple years ago, and got up to say 20-25 range going into this season, it should be no surprise it fell back now. Did it fall back to the very bottom? Hard to say, probably not though. But if you want to talk about Buddy Bell's job, you have to compare apples to apples. See where it stands in January this coming offseason. A lot of the new LatAm development in the past year or two will take another year or two to really come to fruition.

I agree, the sox system coming into this season was some where between 19-23rd overall depending on who you read and what you value but regardless this system has graduated a ton of its top talent and the majority of the remaining top 100ish guys (Davidson and Anderson) haven't gotten off to great starts. On the flip side Hawkins appears to have taken last year in stride and could conceivably wind up around 50ish going into the 100 list next year if he keeps it up. In addition to that we have a few more positives in our system: Ravelo attempting to establish himself as a real prospect at 1B, the growth of Danish and Montas.

 

Fangraphs had a nice piece on why prospects like Semien don't usually get rated as top 100 'specs a while ago but i can't seem to find it: essentially saying that because their performance and ascension is cross level and are often looked at as major league ready, combined with good but not great tools they tend to be underrated and understated in top 100 lists. As for his performance its not a "easy fix" per se but his problem as discussed in the other forum is essentially just being a rookie hitter, his plate discipline is + he works himself into great counts but then he leaves the bat on his shoulder when he should (and can) make contact with pitches that are strikes.

 

After this draft and trade deadline it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see the sox system in the 10-15 range, possibly as high as 8.

[fathom]

I agree, the sox system coming into this season was some where between 19-23rd overall depending on who you read and what you value but regardless this system has graduated a ton of its top talent and the majority of the remaining top 100ish guys (Davidson and Anderson) haven't gotten off to great starts. On the flip side Hawkins appears to have taken last year in stride and could conceivably wind up around 50ish going into the 100 list next year if he keeps it up. In addition to that we have a few more positives in our system: Ravelo attempting to establish himself as a real prospect at 1B, the growth of Danish and Montas.

 

Fangraphs had a nice piece on why prospects like Semien don't usually get rated as top 100 'specs a while ago but i can't seem to find it: essentially saying that because their performance and ascension is cross level and are often looked at as major league ready, combined with good but not great tools they tend to be underrated and understated in top 100 lists. As for his performance its not a "easy fix" per se but his problem as discussed in the other forum is essentially just being a rookie hitter, his plate discipline is + he works himself into great counts but then he leaves the bat on his shoulder when he should (and can) make contact with pitches that are strikes.

 

After this draft and trade deadline it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see the sox system in the 10-15 range, possibly as high as 8.

 

Unless the Sox start trading guys like Sale or Quintana, it seems impossible to me that they'd rise that high in the rankings. Adding someone like Kolek or Nola would only give them 2 likely top 100 prospects (I don't think Hawkins will be a top 100 guy, as too many "experts" seem to think he has too many holes).

[maggsmaggs]

I agree, the sox system coming into this season was some where between 19-23rd overall depending on who you read and what you value but regardless this system has graduated a ton of its top talent and the majority of the remaining top 100ish guys (Davidson and Anderson) haven't gotten off to great starts. On the flip side Hawkins appears to have taken last year in stride and could conceivably wind up around 50ish going into the 100 list next year if he keeps it up. In addition to that we have a few more positives in our system: Ravelo attempting to establish himself as a real prospect at 1B, the growth of Danish and Montas.

 

Fangraphs had a nice piece on why prospects like Semien don't usually get rated as top 100 'specs a while ago but i can't seem to find it: essentially saying that because their performance and ascension is cross level and are often looked at as major league ready, combined with good but not great tools they tend to be underrated and understated in top 100 lists. As for his performance its not a "easy fix" per se but his problem as discussed in the other forum is essentially just being a rookie hitter, his plate discipline is + he works himself into great counts but then he leaves the bat on his shoulder when he should (and can) make contact with pitches that are strikes.

 

After this draft and trade deadline it wouldn't surprise me in the least to see the sox system in the 10-15 range, possibly as high as 8.

WHAT?

 

I think there is a strong likelihood we have only one top 100 prospect after both events: whomever we draft No. 3. Anderson is borderline and no one else in the system will likely make the cut.

 

As far as trade chips, it's really Alexei and Dunn. Alexei is still a good bargain and we don't exactly have a ready replacement, so I am not sure he goes. And Dunn will not be bringing back a top-100 prospect. His value is extremely limited as he really can only be traded to an AL team. And the teams in contention have guys capable of DHing save for maybe Oakland.

[harfman77]

WHAT?

 

I think there is a strong likelihood we have only one top 100 prospect after both events: whomever we draft No. 3. Anderson is borderline and no one else in the system will likely make the cut.

 

As far as trade chips, it's really Alexei and Dunn. Alexei is still a good bargain and we don't exactly have a ready replacement, so I am not sure he goes. And Dunn will not be bringing back a top-100 prospect. His value is extremely limited as he really can only be traded to an AL team. And the teams in contention have guys capable of DHing save for maybe Oakland.

 

The Fielder injury creates a market for Dunn now, as they will have insurance money from his contract to cover Dunns.

 

I think we could have as many as three top 100 prospects, #3, M Johnson, and Hawkins.

 

The pitching in the upper levels has taken a step back thus far, but there is plenty of time for it to rebound. I think the system will be in the 15-20 range by the end of the season which really is dramatic improvement from where it was two seasons ago. Two years from now it has the chance to be a top 10 system if the investments they are making in Latin America pan out.

[NorthSideSox72]

Yeah, when I said the system would look better after the June draft, July international period and July trade deadline, I certainly was not saying they'd be a top 10 system or even top half. More like, maybe, where they were in January - 20-ish.

 

[royoung]

Michalczewski, 19, low-A - .275/.374/.379/.753, 26.2% K rate, 12% BB rate

Hawkins, 20, high-A - .257/.337/.514/.851, 28.4% K rate, 10.7 BB rate

 

I mean, I don't disagree with your rankings (though mine would be different), but I don't understand why you're panicking on Hawkins while loving what Michalczewski's doing.

 

Hawkins is the better prospect now due his huge power, but the consistent lack of solid contact is really concerning me. I know Hawkins is a level in front of Michalczewski, but he's also a year older and Michalczewski is preforming better in every aspect aside from the power.