Note: catchers not included

1. Jared Mitchell, OF

-5 runs for Jared Mitchell in a small sample size (34 games) doesn’t sound great, but you have to remember that he didn’t play centre field in college and so the adjustment may take some time. The scouting reports are very positive as Mitchell’s speed allows him to cover a lot of ground and get to balls that other centre fielders could only dream of reaching. Kannapolis manager Ernie Young was quoted as saying “He takes control in center field like he’s been playing professionally for a while.”

2. Dayan Viciedo, 3B/1B

Much has been made of Dayan Viciedo’s poor defensive ability, but as you can see, TotalZone likes him and had him pegged as a +4 run fielder over 130 games. It is expected that Viciedo will make the transition to first base this year, likely starting at Charlotte, and he certainly made his fair share of errors last year, but TZ indicates he may have had a future at 3B. The scouts disagree citing his lack of range and concentration as his main flaws.

3. Jordan Danks, OF

Jordan Danks’ defensive performances have been something of a mixed bag going by TotalZone. For the year he was a -2 run defender in centre field and a -1 run defender in left field. Last year he was a +2 run defender in CF, which would make him a fairly neutral defender (+0 runs) career in CF (107 games). The scouting reports are more positive however with Baseball America saying “he the range and instincts to play center field.” He may never be the gold glover that some people seem to expect, but he should prove a very capable defensive outfielder.

4. Brent Morel, 3B

Brent Morel is a case of stats and scouting coming together perfectly to form the same conclusion on a player. Morel’s TotalZone at 3B this year was an impressive +9 runs (128 games). The scouting reports indicate that Morel has good agility and quickness at the position with a plus arm. I’m still not convinced that Morel has the power that you would typically want from your third baseman but his defensive ability should make up for any shortcoming that he may have with the bat.

5. Trayce Thompson, OF

As with Jared Mitchell, there isn’t anywhere near enough data to draw any real conclusions on Trayce Thompson’s defensive ability but to stop people from asking about him, I decided to just include him. Thompson’s TotalZone in 31 games playing centre was +2 (+9.7 per 150). The scouting reports state that Thompson has the range to play centre with the arm to play right. As he fills out I’d expect Trayce to make the gradual shift to RF, but for now he should be a very adequate CF.

6. C.J. Retherford, 2B

Retherford moved from third base to second base last year and he held his own considering it was a new position to him, however, the -2 TZ that Retherford posted at 2B was a lot worse than what he managed at 3B over the previous two years, where he ranked as a +13 run defender. I don’t mind the shift in position though as I see him as a future utility man meaning that defensive flexibility is a must for him, there is even talk that he will see time at catcher during spring training. The scouting reports indicate that Retherford is an average defensive 2B, who doesn’t have the range to play SS, which sounds pretty accurate to me.

7. John Shelby, OF

John Shelby fell out of favour with most message boarders this past year due to his lack of offense, but his defense in the outfield has gotten progressively better since he made the transition in ’07 according to TotalZone. In ’07 Shelby was a -10 run defender, in ’08 a +4 run defender and in ’09 a +15 run defender. The scouting reports aren’t quite as complimentary, however, as they indicate that Shelby is more of a league average defender.

8. Christian Marrero, 1B/OF

Christian, the lesser-hyped Marrero brother, has steadily produced since being drafted in 2005 and is starting to force himself onto the prospect radar. Marrero hasn’t yet found a defensive home as he has split his time between RF, LF and 1B, but if this year is anything to go by, the outfield looks like his better position. In 84 games playing the outfield his TotalZone was an impressive +10 runs as compared to his -7 runs playing 36 games at 1B. There don’t seem to be many scouting reports floating around on Marrero’s defensive ability, but I have heard that he has the arm to play RF and Buddy Bell reportedly likes him a lot.

9. Stefan Gartrell, OF

Prior to this year Gartrell’s TotalZone numbers were pretty good, with him coming in at +17 runs between 06 and 08. This year, however, his TotalZone was a terrible -15 runs in right field (107 games). This poor performance last year is likely due to random fluctuation caused by a small sample size and deferring to his career average should give us a better idea of his defensive ability. The scouting reports paint him as an average defender at best.

10. Eduardo Escobar, SS

Eduardo Escobar has drawn rave reviews for his defensive ability from scouts and it’s just as well because he doesn’t project to be much more than a contact hitter with the bat. Scouts cite Escobar’s good range, excellent hands and a solid arm as his main strengths. TotalZone agrees with the scouts as Escobar scores well by this metric. Last year he was a +7 run defender at short and for his career he is +17 runs above average at SS (194 games). Escobar has drawn comparisons to both Omar Vizquel and Ozzie Guillen. While I wouldn’t expect him to be anywhere near as good defensively as Vizquel, he is that type of player (all glove, no bat).

Players put time in the Winter Leagues for various reasons – getting in reps after an injury-shortened season, face time for the home crowd, getting the attention of other major league teams, or trying out some new pitches or tweaks to the swing are just a few possible motives. The Sox have over 20 players in the organization that are on rosters for teams among the four winter baseball venues – Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic – that started play in October, and are finishing up this week. We will focus our update on players who are likely or definite for the major league roster in 2010, and prospects who are getting in significant time down south.

Liga De Beisbol Dominicano

There are a number of Sox minor leaguers playing in the DR this winter. Reliever Jhonny Nunez, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Swisher deal last off-season, is among the crowd likely to vie for the final bullpen slot in Spring Training. He has struck out 11 batters and allowed a .235 average against him in 9.1 innings, to go with a nice 1.29 WHIP but a disappointing 4.82 ERA. The lack of innings makes those numbers fuzzy, but the strikeout total is nice. Another relief pitching prospect, 25-year-old Santo Luis (High-A Winston-Salem last season), has put up solid core numbers (1.15 WHIP, .159 AvgA, 3.46 ERA), but his peripherals (8 BB vs 4 K in 13 IP) leave something to be desired.

The Sox were high enough on the potential of outfielder Stefan Gartrell that they recently added him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule V draft. But so far, his numbers aren’t looking like those of a top-flight prospect: in limited action, he’s hitting .208 with a .240 OBP and just one walk against nine strikeouts, though two of his five hits are home runs. Another member of the 40-man roster playing on the island is catcher Cole Armstrong, who remains a potential candidate for backup catching duties behind AJ Pierzynski (unless the Sox sign a veteran, or decide to promote uber-prospect Tyler Flowers despite the lack of playing time). Cole is hitting .278 with a .339 OBP in 54 AB, but without any power numbers, as shown by a .319 slugging percentage. Recent signee, outfielder Alejandro De Aza, who the Sox see competing for the final bench spot in spring training, has been less than impressive, posting a .123/.219/.228/.447 line and 15 strikeouts in 57 at bats.

Liga Besibol Venezuela Profesional

Venezuela is another popular destination for Sox players this offseason. Probable fifth starter Freddy Garcia made a show-the-flag appearance, pitching just three innings of 1-run baseball, walking none and striking out three. Clevelan Santeliz (AA Birmingham this past season), a hard-throwing right-hander who the Sox seem to like, has struck out 27 batters in 24.1 innings of work, to go with a 2.92 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a scant .193 average against him. He’s also managed to keep his walk rate under control, issing 10 free passes in those 24+ innings, which is an improvement for him. Miguel Socolovich (23 years old, finished at AA Birmingham in 2009) has been just as impressive, posting a 2.87 ERA, .193 AvgA, and a skinny 0.96 WHIP, striking out 17 batters in 15.2 IP.

Looking at position players, 20-year-old prospect Eduardo Escobar, considered highly for his glove at shortstop, has posted a respectable .269 average in limited action (26 at bats), and 3 of his 7 hits have been for extra bases. Outfielder Josh Kroeger (minor league free agent, can sign anywhere), who impressed manager Ozzie Guillen in Spring Training last year and spent 2009 in Charlotte, has been piling on the offense: a .289/.386/.478/.864 line including 4 homeruns among his 19 extra-base hits in 159 at bats, and adding in a 9-for-10 rate in stolen base attempts for good measure.

Liga Mexicana del Pacifico

The Sox have just a couple players in the organization who are seeing time in the Mexican League this winter. Jesus Avila, a 21 year old middle infielder who repeated with Great Falls (Rookie league) last year, is playing for his home town Caneros de los Mochis, but not having much success – his .095 average, .130 OBP and .190 OPS in 21 at bats are worst on his team, and he’s made three errors in just 13 games.

The other name is more familiar to Sox fans – Ehren Wassermann. After a solid 2007 rookie campaign, this side-arming right-hander struggled in 2008 while bouncing between AAA and the majors, and spent all of 2009 in Charlotte. Given the crowd of arms the Sox are looking at for the 2010 bullpen, Ehren’s chances of breaking in for 2010 are slim, so he’s probably looking to catch another team’s eye (he is a minor league free agent and can sign anywhere). He’s put up some decent numbers so far – a 3.12 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, with 24 strike outs in 34 innings, and he’s started four games.

Liga de Beisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico also has just a couple Sox representatives seeing playing time. One, left-handed pitching prospect Hector Santiago (a reliever with High A Winston-Salem last year), hasn’t looked too good – in 8 games, pitching 6.1 innings, he’s sporting a 7.11 ERA, 2.37 WHIP, and 8 walks against 4 strikeouts. But Miguel Negron, a minor league free agent outfielder who spent last year at AAA Charlotte, is among the league’s offensive leaders, sporting a .337/.461/.458/.919 line, with more walks (18) than strikeouts (15) in 83 at bats. The 27-year-old Negron is a long shot at best for Chicago’s bench in 2010 (barring injuries ahead of him), so he’s auditioning for the rest of the league as much as he is the Sox.

For a small disclaimer, we chose the outfield spots regardless of position so they were voted on as the best three outfielders. As for pitchers, we chose three starters because that was the mostly random number decided upon as well as a closer and a set-up man. Tell us what you think, a lot of the spots were not easy selections. Without further ado, here’s the 2009 All-FutureSox Team in a somewhat fancy Flash presentation (be sure to click on the players).

Note: You will need an updated version of Adobe Flash Player to view the file below. If it’s not working, you may need to download it. You can download the latest Flash Player here.

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)

What does the future hold for the current members of the Barons roster? As we all know, in minor league baseball there’s no telling where everybody will be the following year. I’ll go through the roster and see if I can show some clairvoyance.

Is Donny Lucy done? Myself as well as my astute wife, a self professed “people watcher,” think he has the body language that screams “I’m done.” It would be a shame though, he is tough as nails and is a great game caller. Although, it would be wise of the organization to keep the Stanford educated Lucy around in a coaching capacity. Jared Price could likely return as a Triple-A backup. His knowledge of the pitchers in the system would help with catching continuity, which is vital because you can’t just sign a catcher off the street mid-year. He’s only 27, and although he’s a feast or famine hitter, he is solid behind the plate and in the community visiting sick children in the hospital and doing loads of charity work.

I expect Jordan Danks, Christian Marrero, John Shelby III and Jim Gallagher to spend at least part of 2010 with the Barons. I’d say that only Gallagher will be here the whole year, although he could move up late. Danks, Shelby III and Marrero should hit their way to Charlotte by the middle of the season.

David Cook, Javier Colina, Robbie Hudson and Lee Cruz may likely be in other organizations in 2010. If Cook’s contract with the White Sox is up, then I’d imagine he’s had his fill with this organization. There may be better opportunities for him elsewhere. He will be missed in Birmingham, although I think there is an outside chance he’ll play in Charlotte. Cruz, Hudson and Colina could all play in Charlotte as well, but I think at least two of them will be gone. Colina is a 30 year old minor league journeyman. Hudson, 26, is versatile defensively and clutch with the bat, although a light hitter overall. And Cruz is 26 and hasn’t done all that well since being drafted in 2006, but he’s shown some flashes of big time power.

C.J. Retherford, Dayan Viciedo, John Ely and Clevelan Santeliz all are primed and ready for a full season at Charlotte in 2010. All of them had impressive years and would benefit from the challenge of Triple-A competition.

The rest of the pitching staff is a mixed bag. Justin Cassel peaked in 2008, Kyle McCulloch has not progressed at all after 2 full seasons with Birmingham. In fact, he hasn’t had an extended run of success since the summer of 2007, prior to his promotion to Birmingham. Johnnie Lowe’s initial tour of Double-A reminded me of McCulloch’s first starts with the Barons. Johnny Lujan can’t seem to harness his stuff to be successful and may end up being released. Other “meh” pitchers Matt Long, Matt Zaleski, Ricky Brooks, Henry Mabee and Jacob Marceaux could return, could move on or could be in Charlotte. Mabee’s the only one who could still turn out to be a prospect in my mind. Meanwhile, Charlie Shirek had a good season overall and will likely return for at least half the season to anchor the Barons rotation.

I’m guessing that the Barons 2010 opening day roster will include catchers Logan Johnson, John Curtis and Adam Ricks. Infielders Jim Gallagher, Greg Paiml, Dale Mollenhauer, Brent Morel, Seth Loman, Joe Persichina and C.J. Lang. Outfielders Christian Marrero, Jordan Danks, John Shelby III and Salvador Sanchez. Pitchers Charlie Shirek, Henry Mabee, Ricky Brooks, Miguel Socolovich, Hector Santiago, Jacob Rasner, Nathan Jones, Anthony Carter, Wander Perez, Levi Maxwell, Santo Luis, Kyle Bellamy and Dan Remenowsky. Of course, with trades, releases, Rule V drafts and free agents, things could change dramatically. If the White Sox do not retain Jermaine Dye and Scott Podsednik, I could see former Barons outfielder Stefan Gartrell getting a shot in spring training next year.

With the Barons season ending, I’ll be putting the weekly JPNese on hiatus until next spring. Although, if anyone has a specific request, I would be happy to write one from time to time. Somebody wake me up when spring training begins…it’s been real, guys.

Cheers,
JPN

The Barons went 48-21 to win the first-half division title and are currently 86-46 overall so it’s no surprise to see a handful of players honored as well as Magallanes being named Manager of the Year. Catcher Tyler Flowers, infielder C.J. Retherford, outfielders David Cook and Stefan Gartrell and pitcher John Ely joined their skipper on the roster.

Flowers killed SL pitching to earn a promotion in mid July. His OPS of .993 with the Barons is over 100 points higher than the current qualified league leaders, Cook and Gartrell. Cook is currently tied with Gartrell for the OPS lead and the duo are 1-2, respectively, in slugging percentage. Cook, in his third straight year spending time with the Barons, is having his least productive of three stints with the Barons this season. In his two previous Barons’ campaigns, Cook had an OPS over 1. He was promoted to Charlotte, but struggled for 7 games (don’t the Sox know about sample size?) and was sent back down. Gartrell is currently a teammate of Flowers on the Knights after receiving a promotion in early August.

Retherford and Ely have spent all season on the Barons. Earlier this year SL managers voted Retherford the best defensive 2B in the league, a very encouraging thing to note for his prospect status, and the recognition continued as he was the only unanimous selection. Ely has been a work horse for the Barons and picked up his 13th win of the season earlier today.

The South Atlantic League also announced their posteason all-stars, but no Intimidators made the list. In fairness to the I’s, the SAL has 16 teams to the SL’s 10.

Updated: Carlos Torres was named to the International League post-season all-stars and Brady Shoemaker made the Appalachian League list.

I think a much debated topic this season has been the performance of John Shelby III. Many have been disappointed, which is understandable. I have been a fan of his since he was at Kentucky, so I was looking forward to seeing him play this year. His numbers this year have taken an obvious dip, but the two most significant factors that have caused that are the vastness of Regions Park and his batting average. Although he did hit a 408 foot home run to dead center the other day to lead off the game. My only concern is his average.

The good news is he’s been very productive with the hits he has gotten. He has been on a role in August and with a good finish should manage to get to 110 hits for the year. He’s still on pace to match his stolen base numbers from last year. He’s always has a chance to swipe two bags when he gets on base. Shelby has also lowered his strikeouts significantly, he struck out 98 times last year, but only 74 times this year.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I think that the White Sox have altered his approach offensively. In the past, he was a middle of the order, aggressive RBI guy. C.J. Retherford and Shelby carried the 2008 Winston-Salem club for most of the year. Especially after Brandon Allen’s promotion, they played their way into the Carolina League playoffs. For most of this year though, Shelby has spent significant time as the Barons leadoff hitter. The arrival of Jordan Danks from Winston-Salem put that on hold. So, a change of approach, plus inconsistent playing time and the fact that he’s hit just about everywhere in the lineup has slowed his progress.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Treybone return to Birmingham next year with a more focused approach offensively. He is only recently turned 24. He can be more of a leader, and the team won’t be as crowded as it has been this year. Stefan Gartrell certainly wasn’t hurt by repeating AA. In fact I expect him, Jim Gallagher, Christian Marrero, Brent Morel, Tyler Kuhn and possibly others to bring Birmingham another first half title in 2010.

I know I haven’t mentioned his defense, but there’s nothing to say. It’s flawless. He has been solid in either LF or CF in 2009. His arm strength is decidedly underrated. His adjustment to the outfield isn’t an issue whatsoever.

He definitely has a future as a major leaguer, but if I had to be honest, I’d say it’s as a National League player. His skill set to me just screams senior circuit. But, with the state of the game changing, he could be a valuable asset to a team in either league. He could be a younger Dewayne Wise as well as bring more offensive production to the table.

As usual, I will take requests for next week’s edition of JPNese at Soxtalk.

Cheers,
JPN

I’ve been getting a lot of requests about various players so I’ll try to cover as many as possible. I’ll start off talking about some of the relief prospects in the system. 40-man roster member Clevelan Santeliz is an intriguing talent. He’s your typical Latin American pitcher with a herky-jerky delivery, think K-Rod, who I would classify as being effectively wild. I’m not 100% sure about his pitches, but if I had to guess I’d say he throws a 4-seam fastball, slider and a splitter or sinker. His fastball ranges from 93 to 102, according to the gun at Regions Park. The slider is 80 to 85 and the splitter/sinker is 89 to 92. He definitely has the talent to be a Major Leaguer, justifying the 40-man roster placement. In addition to all that, he has a hot head, class clown personality, being only a few weeks shy of turning 23. He’s generally the lead prankster. He also serves as the gateway guy if you want a broken bat. When I got him to sign his 2009 Barons card, he told me “I hate this f***ing picture.” He much preferred his 2008 Barons card that was an action shot instead of a head shot like the 2009 card.

Lucas Harrell and Brian Omogrosso are also talented pitching prospects. Although Harrell is a starter, I believe his future is in relief. Both pitchers seem to have fragile arms, Harrell already having his shoulder rebuilt and Omogrosso suffering from a torn labrum, tumors in his pitching hand and Tommy John surgery. So, relief work would suit them well to limit the wear on their arms. Omogrosso has a hard fastball and a wicked slider, a good combo for a late innings reliever. His delivery is almost exactly the same as Bronson Arroyo’s. Harrell has the repertoire to be a starter, but he tends to not attack hitters enough and not trust his stuff and his defense. I believe that changing his role to a reliever would force him to focus on getting outs and help his confidence. He could still be valuable as a swing man a la D.J. Carrasco.

I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Henry Mabee. Although already 24, he throws a hard fastball 95 to 97, a high 70’s curveball and a high 80’s splitter. As long as he keeps the fastball down, hitters are frozen. He has a large frame and I’m eager to see what he can do next season possibly splitting time between Birmingham and Charlotte.

I was probably the one person to have Christian Marrero ranked highly in my midseason top 25 or at all. Marrero was a draft and follow that signed in 2006 who has exceeded expectations. He’s an impressive hitter, able to hit to all fields. There is really nothing negative to say about him. He plays solid defense in RF, LF or 1B. He has good speed, capable of getting a triple on a hit deep into the corners. He hits for a high average and has solid power. His home runs are high, majestic shots to right or right center that carry. I can’t really think of a player to compare him to but I definitely think he’s a player that should be on everybody’s radar.

Although he’s struggled in his short time in AAA, Stefan Gartrell is also a highly talented player. He’s been criticized for striking out a lot, but that alone doesn’t tell the story. He is an extremely patient and selective hitter, always looking at 4-5 pitches at least, if not more. He has tremendous power to all fields. He can bomb it to dead center, find a jet stream and hit one that carries over the right field wall, or square one up perfectly that’s like a cannon shot over the left center wall. He certainly takes what he’s doing seriously as he’s not happy when he strikes out. He’s also another guy who works hard to hone his skills by spending extra time in the batting cage. Defensively, his only issue is routes to fly balls. It’s not that glaring of a problem, just more of an adventure. By the way, pronounce his name correctly, it’s STEF-UN.

I know a lot of people have been concerned with Jordan Danks’ progress lately. He has definitely struggled recently to just make consistent contact. If his wrist is still bothering him, that would explain the problem. We all know how important the wrist is for a hitter. He could also be hitting a wall as this is his first full year as a pro and he’s spent most of the season here in Birmingham. That’s no easy task for a young player to succeed at such a tough, tough level. He may need some more time in AA next year, but that’s no reason to panic. He has always been solid defensively, he has a lot of range and speed to cover plenty of ground. He still is an impressive hitter. He strikes the ball hard and can hit to all fields. He sees a lot of pitches, so patience isn’t a problem for him. So, once he’s back to 100% health next season, he should have a breakout year.

Daniel Hudson is the real deal. Ed Collari of the Winston-Salem Dash and the numbers agree with me. Even though he wasn’t as dominant in the Carolina League as he had been in the Southern League. He’s a stud and an ace in the making. He keeps hitters completely off balance by throwing all of his pitches at any time in the count. They just never know what’s coming. I can imagine years from now people talking about Hudson and wondering why so many teams passed on him in the 2008 draft. He has a large frame, he’s all of the 6′4″ and 220 pounds he’s listed at. That may benefit him to stay healthy. My only concern with him is his throwing motion. I worry about his elbow because he seems to put a lot of stress on it when he throws. Watch the Charlotte game on Wednesday on MiLB.tv to see what I mean. Hopefully I’m just digging too deep, but I’d keep that in mind for the future.

As usual, I’ll be taking requests on Soxtalk for next week’s edition of JPNese.

Cheers,
JPN

In 9 starts with the Barons, Hudson was 7-0 with a 1.60 ERA. He struck out 63 and walked just 10 in 56.1 innings. He currently has a 28 inning scoreless streak. It’s astonishing what he has done this season. Between Kannapolis (who he only made 4 starts for), Winston-Salem (only 8 starts there) and Birmingham he has a 12-5 record with a 2.19 ERA with 142 strikeouts and 25 walks in 123.1 innings. It’s hard not to love a strikeout to walk ratio of almost 6:1.

This promotion might be a sign that Hudson is getting strong consideration for spot starts with the White Sox until Jake Peavy gets healthy. With Bartolo Colon on the disabled list, it seems Carlos Torres and Hudson are the favorites to start for the Sox when a 5th starter is needed.

In other news, outfielder Stefan Gartrell was promoted to Charlotte as well. Gartrell had 19 HR and 70 RBI for the Barons. He is a big power bat that likely has a future as a Major League bench player. He is 25 and repeated Birmingham this season, but has impressed with the bat this year, especially at spacious Regions Park.

We included the player’s rank from our preseason rankings and his range in our ballots. The ranges show how consistent or inconsistent we were. Some of our voters love one guy for one reason or another and the rest of us may think he is nuts. The parentheses after the highest and lowest votes show how many people had that player ranked in that position.

An exciting thing at FutureSox that we have been working on, and teased during the Brandon Allen trade, is our prospect profiles. They include biographical information, previous FutureSox rankings, scouting reports and other information. The profiles that we have already created are linked below the player’s name on this list. You can also view them by clicking the “Prospect Profiles” link at the top of any FutureSox.com page. We will add more profiles as we go and a few more will be coming soon so check them out!

Leave us some comments and tell us what you think about our rankings or join in the discussion at Soxtalk. If you think we are out of our minds, let us know where we screwed up!

1. Tyler Flowers, C, AAA Charlotte
Age: 23
Range: 1st (5) to 2nd (4)
Previous rank: 5th
Player Profile

2. Dayan Viciedo, 3B, AA Birmingham
Age: 20
Range: 1st (3) to 3rd (3)
Previous: T-2nd
Player Profile

3. Jordan Danks, CF, AA Birmingham
Age: 22
Range: 1st to 4th
Previous: 6th
Player Profile

4. Dan Hudson, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 22
Range: 4th (7) to 5th (2)
Previous: 12th
Player Profile

5. Jared Mitchell, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 20
Range: 3rd to 8th
Previous: Not yet in system
Player Profile

6. Dexter Carter, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 5th (2) to 14th
Previous: 8th
Player Profile

7. John Shelby III, OF, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 8th to 18th
Previous: 7th
Player Profile

8. Josh Phegley, C, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 21
Range: 7th to 16th
Previous: Not yet in system
Player Profile

9. Brian Omogrosso, RH SP/RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 25
Range: 6th to 21st (2)
Previous: 19th

10. Charlie Shirek, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 6th to unranked
Previous: 24th

11. C.J. Retherford, 3B/2B, AA Birmingham
Age: 24
Range: 5th to unranked
Previous: T-25th
Player Profile

12. Nathan Jones, RH RP, High-A Winston-Salem
Age: 23
Range: 6th to 21st
Previous: 23rd
Player Profile

13. Jon Link, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 25
Range: 4th to unranked
Previous: 17th

14. Carlos Torres, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 26
Range: 7th to unranked
Previous: UR

15. Lucas Harrell, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 24
Range: 8th to unranked
Previous: 14th

16. Steven Upchurch, RH SP, Rookie Bristol
Age: 19
Range: 10th to unranked
Previous: 18th
Player Profile

17. Brent Morel, 3B, High-A Winston-Salem
Age: 22
Range: 9th to unranked
Previous: 11th

18. Justin Greene, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 23
Range: 17th to unranked (2)
Previous: UR

19. John Ely, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 10th to unranked (3)
Previous: 20th

20. Charlie Leesman, LH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 9th to unranked (5)
Previous: UR

21. Jon Gilmore, 3B, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 20
Range: 14th (2) to unranked (2)
Previous: 22nd

22. Stephen Sauer, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 13th to uranked (3)
Previous: UR

23. Stefan Gartrell, OF, AA Birmingham
Age: 25
Range: 9th to unranked (4)
Previous: UR

24. Jack Egbert, RH SP/RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 26
Range: 11th to unranked (4)
Previous: 9th
Player Profile

25. Jhonny Nunez, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 23
Range: 12th to unranked (3)
Previous: UR

Trayce Thompson, OF*
Age: 18
Range: 7th to unranked
*We included Trayce Thompson in our ballots because we believe he will sign, but since he hasn’t yet, we won’t include him in the final rankings. If we were to include him, he would have slid in at 13th, ahead of Jon Link.