South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 12

Whoo boy, SSS has Basabe on the brain!

Luis Alexander (don’t call me Alejandro) Basabe made an unprecedented jump from his consensus No. 16 rating by winning the battle for 11th prospect on our list. Basabe took an impressive 47% of the vote (60 of 128 ballots).

Now it’s time for the prize in the Melky Cabrera sweepstakes of 2017.

South Side Sox Top White Sox Prospects for 2018

1. Eloy Jimenez — 70% (Kopech 16%, Robert 11%, Hansen 2%, Cease 1%)
2. Michael Kopech — 75% (Robert 18%, Hansen 4%, Cease 2%, Dunning 1%)
3. Luis Robert — 63% (Hansen 24%, Cease 8%, Dunning 4%, Collins 1%)
4. Alec Hansen — 64% (Cease 25%, Dunning 6%, Burger 2%, Collins 2%)
5. Dylan Cease — 70% (Dunning 21%, Rutherford 4%, Burger 3%, Collins 2%)
6. Dane Dunning — 68% (Burdi 14%, Collins 7%, Burger 6%, Rutherford 5%)
7. Zack Burdi — 39% (Collins 30%, Rutherford 17%, Burger 14%, Sheets 1%) (+3 jump from consensus)
8. Jake Burger — 29% (Rutherford 26%, Adams/Collins 21%, Sheets 3%)
9. Blake Rutherford — 31% (Collins 26%, Adolfo 20%, Adams 19%, Sheets 4%)
10. Micker Adolfo — 39% (Collins 25%, Adams 22%, Clarkin 8%, Sheets 6%) (+4 jump from consensus)
11. Luis Alexander Basabe — 47% (Collins 26%, Adams 16%, Sheets 6%, Clarkin 5%) (+5 jump from consensus)

Here are your choices for the 12th round of voting:

Spencer Adams, SP

2018 Age: 22

2017 High Level: Birmingham (AA)

Overall 2017 stats: 26 starts ▪️ 152 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 4.42 ERA ▪️ 113 K ▪️ 40 BB ▪️ 1.38 WHIP

Spencer Adams was a Christmas in June pick for the White Sox, falling out of the first round to No. 44 with the White Sox. Initially a Top 30 prospect on at least two surveys, the righty ran into some trouble in his first full season at Kannapolis in 2015, but was promoted for five late starts at Winston-Salem and kicked ass. He began 2016 in Winston-Salem, young for the league, and had similarly erratic results. He was promoted to Birmingham for nine end-of-season starts and ended up posting a 3.98 overall ERA for the year. In 2017, among other improvements, Adams filled out a bit and improved his endurance. The youngster has been fast-tracked through the system, but failed to jump in class this year, starting 2018 back in Birmingham. Adams may be bumped up to Charlotte as soon as Alec Hansen is released from extended spring training.

Ian Clarkin, SP

2018 Age: 23

2017 High Level: Winston-Salem (A+)

Overall 2017 stats: 17 starts ▪️ 86 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 2.60 ERA ▪️ 63 K ▪️ 33 BB ▪️ 1.28 WHIP

Like Adolfo, Ian Clarkin has struggled with injuries: In 2013 his season was shortened by an ankle injury, 2015 was plagued by elbow problems and his 2016 season was truncated by a torn knee meniscus. But the lefthander still has the stuff that could make him a viable major leaguer: fastball topping out at 95 mph with sink, a strong curveball, a changeup and a slider that he’s still taking for a test drive.

Zack Collins, C

2018 Age: 23

2017 High Level: Birmingham (AA)

Overall 2017 stats: 113 games ▪️ 19 HR ▪️ 53 RBI ▪️ 87 BB ▪️ 129 K ▪️ .224/.370/.445

Zack Collins his been a mixed bag as a pro. The White Sox picked him No. 10 overall in 2016 almost exclusively due to his massive bat at the University of Miami. At Winston-Salem after the draft, Collins hit .258/.418/.467 with six homers, but carried a high 25.5 K%. There were doubts about his ability to catch at the major league level going into the draft, and Collins did little to alleviate those with his first pro games. In 2017, acquitted himself better behind the plate but struggled offensively, spending much of the season hovering at the Mendoza Line. The White Sox still believe he will be a major league catcher, assigning him to Birmingham to begin his second full minor league season, but questions still linger on both the offensive and defensive sides.

A.J. Puckett, SP

2018 Age: 23

2017 High Level: Winston-Salem (A+)

Overall 2017 stats: 25 starts ▪️ 135 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 3.98 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 51 BB ▪️ 1.42 WHIP

A.J. Puckett has one hell of a crazy origin story. A blue-chip prep quarterback, he was in a car accident and suffered an epidural hematoma while in high school in 2011, and spent weeks in a coma. The righty quit football and eventually starred on the diamond at Pepperdine, becoming a Kansas City Royals second-rounder (67th overall) in 2016 and ranking as the No. 5 prospect in the Royals system entering 2017 (per Baseball America). That might say a bit about the weakness of the Royals system, but still, he was a Carolina League All-Star in 2017 with a 7.9 strikeout rate. Despite the All-Star honor, Puckett dropped to No. 13 on K.C.’s prospect list by midseason (MLB Pipeline), perhaps explaining how he was acquired by the White Sox for the relatively low price of Melky Cabrera. Puckett’s fastball can hit 94, and he has great control. His curve needs work. But cutting against the grain and avoiding, in the words of larry, prospect trope, Puckett actually has a great changeup — BA called it the best in the White Sox system. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

Gavin Sheets, 1B

2018 Age: 22

2017 High Level: Kannapolis (A)

Overall 2017 stats: 56 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 28 RBI ▪️ 23 BB ▪️ 34 K ▪️ .279/.365/.397

Gavin Sheets was the White Sox’s second round choice in 2017, and had been rated the No. 60 prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline. He is a product of Wake Forest University, where he earned plaudits for a pretty swing, plate discipline and overall strength. Sheets is a limited fielder and a lefthander, so he will live or die with his bat. The reports from his hitting work in Arizona this spring were positive, indicating he may be working on a loftier launch angle to drive the ball even better. He starts his first full White Sox season at Winston-Salem.