FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #25 – 2009 Postseason

Accolades

• 2009 Southern League All-Star Game

Scouting report
Santeliz is a solid relief prospect featuring a solid fastball/slider combination. His fastball usually sits in the low 90s and he has a plus slider. However, the fiery right-hander will have to improve his control to stick in the Majors. He has a good strike out rate in his minor league career (8.1 K/9) and that didn’t drop off in Birmingham, which is a good sign going forward. The Sox have given him a couple stints as a starter, but he seems more effective as a reliever long term due to his lack of a consistent changeup. He could be effective against righties in the Majors, but he will have to improve both his consistency and his control in 2010 to make an impact for the Sox in the next year or two.

Major League Outlook: Average middle reliever
ETA: Late 2010 or 2011

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #14 – 2009 Postseason

Accolades

• 2007 White Sox Best Outfield Arm (Baseball America)

• 2009 Carolina League All-Star Game

• 2009 All-FutureSox Team 1st Base

Scouting report
Marrero is a solid athlete that put himself on the prospect radar with his 2009 season. He has moved back and forth between the corner outfield spots and 1st base throughout his career and it’s still unclear where he projects to play in the Majors. In the outfield, he is a good defender with a very good arm. First base doesn’t play to his strength (his arm), but he is adequate there. As a hitter he is able to hit the ball to all fields though his home run power is mostly to rightfield. He has hit lefties decently for a left-hander, but naturally most of his power comes against righties. Statistically, he has hit for a good average at almost every level of his minor league career, but his walk rate dropped off in 2009. He had a good walk rate in rookie ball for two years and in 2008 at Kannapolis, but there was a significant drop off in ‘09. If he hits for a high average it won’t be a huge factor in his success, but he likely won’t hit for enough power to overcome a mediocre on-base percentage. Since his stats are inconsistent and his scouting reports aren’t much different, he’s a very tough player to project. His younger brother, Christopher, was a first round pick of the Nationals in 2006.

Major League Outlook: Anywhere from utility player to solid LH bat.
ETA: Mid 2011

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #25 – 2009 Midseason

• #12 – 2009 Postseason

Accolades

• 2006 Gulf Coast League Post-Season All-Star

• 2009 Southern League All-Star Game

Scouting report
Nunez’ trade to the White Sox was the third trade he had been involved in. Jeff Marquez got the publicity in the Nick Swisher trade with the Yankees, but Nunez has a better arm. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range and he has a slider that isn’t consistent, but can be dominant. In 2009, Nunez was death on righties in AA and AAA, but his lack of a solid offspeed pitch has allowed lefties to pound him. He has the stuff to make the White Sox bullpen in 2010, but his use will be limited until he can show an ability to get lefties out at least occasionally. He will likely enter spring training on the roster bubble, fighting for one of the last bullpen spots.

Major League Outlook: Average middle reliever
ETA: MLB ready

The previous rank is in reference to our Midseason Top 25. Player profiles are linked in the player’s name if the player has one. Tell us what you love and hate about the rankings in the comments section or join the discussion at Soxtalk!

1. Tyler Flowers, C, White Sox
Previous: 1st

2. Dan Hudson, RH SP, White Sox
Previous: 4th

3. Dayan Viciedo, 3B, AA Birmingham
Previous: 2nd

4. Jordan Danks, CF, AA Birmingham
Previous: 3rd

5. C.J. Retherford, 2B/3B, AA Birmingham
Previous: 11th

6. Jared Mitchell, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 5th

7. Brent Morel, 3B, High-A Winston-Salem
Previous: 17th

8. Charlie Shirek, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Previous: 10th

9. Trayce Thompson, OF, Rookie Great Falls
Previous: Not yet signed (He would have been 13th if he had)

10. Josh Phegley, C, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 8th

11. Carlos Torres, RH SP, White Sox
Previous: 14th

12. Jhonny Nunez, RH RP, White Sox
Previous: 25th

13. John Ely, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Previous: 19th

14. Christian Marrero, OF/1B, AA Birmingham
Previous: UR

15. John Shelby III, OF, AA Birmingham
Previous: 7th

16. Stefan Gartrell, OF, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 23rd

17. Nathan Jones, RH RP, High-A Winston-Salem
Previous: 12th

18. Charlie Leesman, LH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 20th

19. Kyle Bellamy, RH RP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: UR

20. Lucas Harrell, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 15th

21. Stephen Sauer, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 23rd

22. Jon Link, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 13th

23. Steven Upchurch, RH SP, Rookie Bristol
Previous: 16th

24. Brandon Hynick, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: Not yet in system

25. Clevelan Santeliz, RH RP, AA Birmingham
Previous: UR

Others receiving votes, in order of points/votes received: David Holmberg, Jon Gilmore, Miguel Gonzalez, Dan Remenowsky, Santos Rodriguez, Nevin Griffith, Eduardo Escobar, Brady Shoemaker, Nick Ciolli, Joe Serafin, Ryan Buch, Matt Heidenreich, Kyle Colligan, Gregory Infante, Jim Gallagher, Fernando Hernandez, Brandon Short, Seth Loman

Prospects previously ranked, still in the system from but received no votes this time: Brian Omogrosso (formerly #9, torn labrum), Justin Greene (#19)

Prospects previously ranked, no longer in the system: Dexter Carter (#7, traded to SD), Jack Egbert (#25, now with NYM)

Position: RH RP
Born: 3/23/84
Ht: 6′1″ Wt: 175
Acquired: Received from San Diego for Rob Mackowiak on July 31, 2007
Career Stats
FutureSox’s Jon Link content

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #17 – 2009 Preseason

• #13 – 2009 Midseason

• #22 – 2009 Postseason

Accolades

• 2009 White Sox Best Slider (Baseball America)

Scouting report
Link has struck out a lot of batters in the minors because he has a very good slider, but his fastball and change are solid offerings as well. His fastball usually sits 93-94 m.p.h. and has some sink on it. His changeup has gotten better, helping him get lefties out, but he walked almost a batter an inning against lefties in 2009 for Charlotte. He has the stuff to pitch in the bigs, but he needs to make strides with his control. Link should contend for a spot in the 2010 bullpen if he proves he can throw more strikes.

Major League Outlook: Average middle reliever
ETA: 2010

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

Accolades

Scouting report
Holmberg, like almost all pitchers drafted out of high school, is a project. He currently throws in the high 80s, but projects to fill out and add velocity. His secondary stuff is currently ahead of his fastball. He throws an above-average 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup that looks like a plus pitch at times. He also throws a slider. Considering he has good secondary stuff and the ability to change speeds well he projects as a starter long-term even though the White Sox started him out of the pen and limited his innings in 2009. Holmberg is important to the White Sox system because after the Jake Peavy deal, lefties are in short supply in the minors.

Major League Outlook: #3 starter
ETA: 2013/2014

Position: RH RP
Born: 10/25/87
Ht: 6′5″ Wt: 215
Acquired: Drafted 5th Round in 2009 from Miami (Fl.)
Career Stats
FutureSox’s Kyle Bellamy content

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #19 – 2009 Postseason

Accolades

• 2009 All-FutureSox Team Setup Man

Scouting report
Bellamy gets good movement on his pitches, but the first thing you notice about him is his deceptive delivery. He developed his sidearm delivery after almost getting cut after his freshman year at Miami. His fastball can get up to 90 m.p.h., but sits more in the 88-89 range, and has a lot of sink. Lefties have struggled with his frisbee slider, but it will likely need improvement if he is going to project as more than a righty specialist. So far as a pro, lefties are hitting worse against him than righties so that’s a good sign for him down the road. His drop in control his last year in college was a concern, but as a pro in 2009 his control was impeccable. Bellamy dominated at Bristol and Kannapolis with a 38:2 strikeout to walk ratio. Bellamy has the ability to be a really quick riser because of his deception and sink on his pitches. The stats have backed that up so far and he has a great chance to be the first member of the White Sox 2009 draft class to make it to the Majors.

Major League Outlook: Righty specialist/set-up man
ETA: 2011

Position: 3B
Born: 8/23/88
Ht: 6′3″ Wt: 195 B-T: R-R
Acquired: Received from Atlanta in Javier Vazquez trade on Dec. 4, 2008
Career Stats
FutureSox’s Jon Gilmore content

FutureSox Prospect Rankings

• #22 – 2009 Preseason

• #21 – 2009 Midseason

Accolades

• 2008 Appalachian League Post-Season All-Star

Scouting report
Gilmore was taken 33rd overall in 2007 by the Braves and has big time tools, but hasn’t come close to that potential yet. He spent two years in rookie ball with the Braves after struggling in Low-A to start 2008. He supposedly has power to all fields, but only has 10 home runs in over 1000 professional at-bats. His strikeout rate isn’t a major concern, but like many raw hitters, he doesn’t draw enough walks. As raw as he is at the plate, he might be rougher defensively, racking up a whopping 40 errors with Kannapolis in 2009. He has the arm strength for third, but has a few fundamental things to fix in his footwork and throwing motion. He was disappointing with the Intimidators until starting a hot streak in August. Finishing the season on a strong note keeps him at least on the radar as a prospect and means he will likely start 2010 in Winston-Salem instead of starting in the South Atlantic League for the third straight year.

Major League Outlook: Average starting 3B offensively with 25 HR potential
ETA: 2013

Favorite Pick

SC: Ryan Buch
I think the Sox got great value with Buch in the 8th round. He’s got the potential to become a mid-rotation starter due to his solid three pitch mix of a low to mid 90’s fastball, excellent curve and improving change. The command of his fastball can be erratic which is what could prevent him from reaching his potential but he’s definitely the prime candidate to be next year’s Dexter Carter or Dan Hudson. I think Buch had value even in the second round so to draft him in the 8th and sign him for slot money looks like a great job by the Sox. Lot’s of projectability here.

DS: Kyle Bellamy
In terms of best value at the round the player was taken, I really like Bellamy. He dominated at Miami in the tough ACC for 2 years and has the stuff and deception with his sidearm delivery to fly through the minors (he is already doing very well in Kannapolis). His high 80s fastball has good sink and his slider is effective. His strikeout to walk ratio is spectacular so far, which is somewhat expected because he was a very advanced reliever out of college. It might be generous to say his upside is as a setup man, but chances are good he will be the first member of this White Sox draft class to make it to the Majors.

Least Favorite Pick

SC: Justin Collop
There are definitely things to like about Collop; he’s athletic, has a fast arm and three workable pitches when he’s on but he’s been very inconsistent, his command isn’t good and his secondary pitches fell off during the second half of the season resulting in Collop getting hit hard. There’s too much uncertainty and not enough upside in Collop for me to call this pick anything other than a reach. I think Collop is the type of prospect that you take a flier on in the 10-14 round range, not the 6th.

DS: Matt Hopps
I’ll put Hopps in the never to interview with us category. He signed for well under slot and has only been pitching for a few years so there is projectability for his age (23), but I think the odds are against him more than the rest of the top 10 picks. The term least favorite fits best because I don’t dislike the pick, it was the 9th round after all, but I feel that there is the least to like about Hopps relative to other somewhat high picks.

Biggest Sleeper

SC: Dan Black
The 14th rounder Black hasn’t had the best of results in the early going, but I really like his combination of plus power and fantastic plate discipline. He doesn’t have a position and has been playing a lot of first base, it’s unfortunate that he couldn’t stick at the position he played a lot in college, that being catcher, because then he really would be a prospect. But as it is I believe in the bat, even at first, so hopefully Dan Black doesn’t prove me wrong.

DS: Kyle Colligan
Colligan is an athletic outfielder, something the Sox seemed to grab a lot of this draft, and has done well at Great Falls this year. He did well in the Big 12 at Texas A&M and can play a solid centerfield while hitting for some pop. He’s been getting on base at a great clip with the Voyagers this season, living up to my own expectations of him. He is an advanced hitter that shouldn’t have too much trouble with A ball pitching in 2010. I’m not expecting him to set the world on fire, but he should do well. For a 12th rounder, I think he has the ability to be an under the radar prospect that does well without much notice.

Most Likely to Bust

SC: Trayce Thompson
Thompson was probably my second favourite pick of the whole draft behind Buch, but there is a huge amount of bust potential with Trayce. He’s very raw and has a long swing leading to a lot of strikeouts. Those are two big red flags for a prospect, but there is also an awful lot to like about Trayce. If he puts it all together Thompson could become a prototypical right fielder with great power, arm strength and solid defense, however it will almost certainly take him a long time to get there.

DS: Trayce Thompson
He is the highest high schooler the Sox selected and he is widely considered a raw prospect. I love the pick and the upside, but by definition a raw player is more likely to bust than most. He’s a ways away from the Majors if he gets there so fans will need to be patient with his development. It will be interesting to see if Thompson starts next year in Kannapolis or if the Sox are going to take it slowly with him and have him in extended spring training before rookie ball.

First to the Majors

SC: Kyle Bellamy
Bellamy was a dominant reliever for the Hurricanes. He’s very polished and gets lots of ground balls with a good amount of strikeouts from his two-seam fastball and sweeping slider, both of which he has great command of. He was described by one prospect evaluator as “Death on right handers” and ultimately may have to settle for a job as a ROOGY, although he could potentially become a late inning reliever, possibly even a closer. Unlike last years supposed fast riser Drew O’Neil, Bellamy made light work of rookie ball and I don’t think an assignment to Birmingham for the start of next year would be too aggressive, although Winston-Salem is his more likely destination.

DS: Kyle Bellamy
My reasoning for this is mostly why I said he was my favorite pick. He was a first-team All-American in college and has the stuff to dominate A ball hitters. Great sink on his pitches leads to a great groundball rate and he has been striking guys out so far in the minors. Sidearm guys seem to move quickly in general and I don’t think Bellamy will be an exception to that.

The One That Got Away

SC: Bryan Morgado
There were better prospects that the Sox failed to sign but Morgado would have filled the biggest need, that need being left-handed pitching prospects which aren’t still 4 years away. Morgado struggled a lot with his command while at Tennessee which stopped him pitching up to his stuff (he has a first round arm). The White Sox don’t exactly have the best reputation for developing prospects but they’ve done well just recently and it would have been interesting to see what they could have done with Morgado.

DS: Justin Jones
Morgado is the easier pick here because he was drafted in the 3rd round, but I really started to like Jones based on the things I was reading about him after the draft. Word was his velocity was improving and he supposedly had a very good curveball. He seemed like a high upside pick for the 7th round, but he probably realized that too and decided college would improve his draft stock 3 years from now. It’s hard to argue with that and the White Sox have been known to redraft players (Chris Getz, Jordan Danks, Ricky Brooks) so maybe we will see the same with Jones down the road. It seems like the Sox weren’t going to go over slot on any of their draftees, which is acceptable as long as the talent they did sign makes up for it.

Overall Thoughts

SC: I liked a lot of picks that were made but I wonder if there’s enough impact talent here because outside of Jared Mitchell, Thompson, Josh Phegley and Buch I don’t see anyone who could become a significantly above average starter. The Sox really could have done with signing one or more of the Justin Jones, Bryan Morgado and Dane Williams trio after dealing a lot of their pitching depth in the Peavy trade, but unfortunately they were not able to, so they will have to wait for either off-season trades or next year’s draft to plug this hole in the system. I do like the direction that the organisation seems to be taking with their draft mentality, moving away from the “safer” picks such as Broadway and McCulloch a few years ago and moving towards higher risk, higher reward picks such as Mitchell and Thompson.

DS: The Sox clearly went after athletes in this draft. Mitchell, Thompson, Colligan and Nick Ciolli all played center field with their teams this year. The Sox could use some infield depth in the minors now, but it’s good to see outfield athleticism as a priority. I like David Holmberg and Matt Heidenreich as projectable arms, but there weren’t any good polished starting pitchers signed by the Sox. Morgado would have been helped that, but I’m worried about his control. It’s way too early to say much of anything about this draft in terms of quality yet, but on paper it’s easier to like the hitters (even in the lower rounds) more than the pitching. Though it will be interesting to see how the top high school picks develop.