White Sox top 10 prospects:

1) Dayan Viciedo OF- Viciedo made tremendous strides at the plate and in the field in 2011. He improved his strikeout/walk ratio (83/45) and sustained his power (20 HR/28 doubles). He has also transitioned well to the outfield. He has limited range but takes good routes to the ball and has a plus throwing arm. Viciedo is major league ready and should be a solid everyday player and middle of the order hitter.

2) Addison Reed RHP- The 2010 3rd round pick dominated the minors and pitched at 5 levels in 2011. His overall numbers were truly staggering (1.26 ERA 78.1 IP 43 H 14 BB 111 K's). Reed has closer stuff as his fastball sits in the mid to high 90's and his plus slider is a true wipe out pitch. Reed is major league ready and should be a prominent member of the 2012 bullpen.

3) Keenyn Walker OF- A supplement 1st round pick in 2011 the speedy Walker dominated rookie ball and earned a quick promotion to low A where he struggled to get on track. Walker did show his tremendous speed by stealing 21 bases in 54 games. He has outstanding range in centerfield and has an average throwing arm. Strikeouts were a problem (81) for the switch hitter and he needs to cut down on his swing and make more consistent contact. Walker should start next season in low A and projects as a leadoff hitter and everyday centerfielder.

4) Jacob Petricka RHP- A 2nd round pick in 2010 and a closer in college Petricka is now a power armed starter whose fastball sits in the mid 90's. His slider is a plus pitch and he has developed a nice feel for his changeup. Petricka pitched well in low A (3-1 2.81 ERA) and earned a promotion to high A where back spasms limited his effectiveness. Petricka needs to stay healthy and gain experience as his stuff could make him a fast mover through the system. Petricka should start next season at double A and projects as a middle of the rotation starter.

5) Jhan Marinez RHP- The power armed Marinez was acquired in the Ozzie Guillen trade and features a plus fastball that sits in the mid 90's and a slider that has wipeout potential. Consistent command of his slider has been a problem as evidenced by his 78 K's and 42 walks in 58 innings of work. Marinez will probably start 2012 in double A and projects as a back of the bullpen reliever with closer caliber stuff.

6) Tyler Saladino SS- A 7th round pick in 2010 Saladino burst on the scene in 2011 by smacking 16 HR's and 26 doubles in 102 games in high A. Strikeouts are a concern (90) but he also draws a good amount of walks (51). Saladino has limited range at SS but makes up for it with great hands, good instincts and a plus throwing arm. A move to a corner position is still a possibly but his bat will play at any position. Saladino should start 2012 in double A

7) Trayce Thompson OF- The uber-athletic Thompson (son of former NBA Mychal Thompson) has the highest ceiling of any player in the organization. A raw 2009 2nd round pick Thompson has 5 tool potential. Thompson's power developed this year in low A (24 HR 36 doubles) and he showed plus defensive skills in centerfield and a plus arm. His contact rate is a concern (.241 BA 172 K's) though he did up his walk total from 21 in '10 to 60 in '11. Thompson is still raw and has a lot of work to do but at 20 years old he still has plenty of time. Thompson should start 2012 in high A and projects as an everyday centerfielder and middle of the order hitter.

8 ) Andy Wilkins 1B- Wilkins was a 5th round pick out of Arkansas in 2010 and many wondered if his power would carry with a wood bat. 23 HR's and 33 doubles in high A ball this season answered those questions. The left handed hitting Wilkins has an advanced approach and makes consistent hard contact with good plate discipline. He has average range and very soft hands at first base. Wilkins should begin 2012 in double A and projects as a first baseman and middle of the order hitter.

9) Gregory Infante RHP- Infante is a converted starter and has a fastball that sits in the high 90's and touches 100 MPH. His curveball is average at best due to a lack of consistent command. Infante does a good job at keeping the ball down and induces a lot of groundballs. With a good showing in spring training Infante could open 2012 in the major league bullpen. He projects as a back of the bullpen reliever and possible closer.

10) Andre Rienzo RHP- A starting pitcher Rienzo's mechanics have been called Tim Lincecum-esqe. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's with good late movement and his slider is average with plus potential. Rienzo's changeup is still developing and has flashed as a plus pitch. Rienzo has good command and decent control. He should start 2012 in double A and projects as a back of the rotation starter.

200 MLB AB's, called up 2 years in a row, I think he is off the Prospect list at this point?

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

"white sox top prospect" is an oxymoron at this juncture.

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I like Castro as the Cubs SS next year too!

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"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Kenny will probably trade them all for established Major League STIFFS for ALL IN-WIN NOW 2012.

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There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

Fanboy Keyser will be first in line for a "Robin Plan"!!!!!!!

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There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

not holding my breath waiting for anyone but Reed to develop

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I thought you liked Viciedo?

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I like him enough and I guess he is on that list. I don't consider him a prospect as he has seen significant AB at the MLB level. I'm not super high on him but I think he can replace Quentin's 3/4 of a season numbers.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I like Petricka quite a bit. He has 2 above average pitches and his changeup has a chance to be an average pitch. Saladino has a very intriguing bat. He probably won't be able to stay at SS but his bat will play. Thompson is the wildcard. He could develop into a Toriiiiiiii Hunter type player or he could flame out in double A. Walker is probably the safest bet because he will make to the bigs based on his speed alone.

No Mitchell or Jordan Danks?

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Mitchell had an atrocious year. He's not cooked yet but he has a lot of holes in his game (and more in his swing) and it's unrealistic to think he'll turn things around at this stage of his career. If Danks were anything he'd already be in the majors.

As far as Mitchell goes, Maybe Kenny should draft baseball players on the 1st Round instead of football players.

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There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

This list sounds absolutely abysmal.

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Going over this list is like doing a restaurant review of the Top 10 items on The White Castle menu.

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So you think their prospects are awesome

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The thread title is an oxymoron.

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That works well for Jerry. Ten extra games!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Why is this list so heavily weighted towards prospects drafted in 2010 and 2011? Is it because draftees from 2008 and 2009 have been exposed as failures whereas we still have to wait awhile to declare this newer group a bunch of flops?

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I wouldn't say it's so heavily leaned toward '10 and '11. Infante and Reinzo were signed in '06, Viciedo in '08 and Thompson was '09. And if you look at the '08 draft the top guys are already in the majors in Beckham (1st), Morel (3rd) and Hudson (5th).

But yeah most top prospects lists will have the fresh meat up top because there is still that possibilty of hope.

Good points, Keyser. I guess I'm like Dolphin in that I consider Viciedo more of a major league player than a prospect at this point. Those guys from the 06 draft don't give me much hope for the future.

I know you've said in the past that you're optimistic about the recent White Sox drafts. I hope you're right. It's been awhile since the minor league system has produced an everyday impact player.

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I heard that Beckham kid might be able to play major league caliber ball some day. I'm not sold on it though.

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He can already, sort of. Great with the glove, just can't hit.


SHARK- marry, f, kill; Lindsay Lohan, Gordon Beckham's hair, Lou Piniella.

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...which is curious since he came into the draft with the reputation of being a "pure" line drive hitter who was limited defensively. It will be interesting to see how Beckham develops under Kenny's--err, I mean Ventura's--guidance.

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The Sox minor league system has sucked for a while but the team has not been and is not old. It's a strange paradox.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Because Kenny is good at getting value for busts like Jeremy Reed and Joe Borchard?

He's always been good with trading prospects before others know they suck.

It's true. He's had some nice reclamations and they have rushed some pitchers through the minors in the last couple of years.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Yeah, but those other teams think they are launching suspects rather than prospects. So why are the Sox unable to draft with the same level of acumen they display in making trades?

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Getting Thornton for Borchard really was a huge move.

You spend a high draft pick and get nothing but you turn it into a dominant set up guy. The expectations of a first rd pick are to contribute heavily to a winning team. You can argue Thornton made that a good pick.


Whats funny Midget is that people say Kenny has balls with his win now strategy but in a way he's usually going the safe route, trading the possible 4-5 star player for the establsihed 3-4 star player. I like that style.

Despite Bryan's insistance otherwise, Cooper has done a great job of rehabbing both broken down players and never weres.

I have seen some criticisms of how they develop position players. They push guys up too quickly based on selective statistics. This has resulted in players who have no patience at the plate and are not comfortable at fielding when they get to the MLB level. I have read that a player should get 400 AB at a level before he is even considered for a move. That's rare with the Sox.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.