South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 21

Congratulations, A.J. Puckett, you’re the 20th-best prospect in the SSS rankings!

The former Kansas City Royals prospect earned 39% (48 of 122 ballots).

A college closer-turned-farm starter now joins the voting.

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%) (-1 fall from consensus)
9. Blake Rutherford — 31% (Collins 26%, Adolfo 20%, Adams 19%, Sheets 4%)
10. Micker Adolfo — 39% (Collins 25%, Adams 22%, Clarkin 8%, Sheets 6%) (+2 jump from consensus)
11. Luis Alexander Basabe — 47% (Collins 26%, Adams 16%, Sheets 6%, Clarkin 5%) (+4 jump from consensus)
12. Zack Collins — 46% (Adams 22%, Clarkin 17%, Sheets 14%, Puckett 2%) (-4 fall from consensus)
13. Spencer Adams — 38% (Clarkin 29%, Sheets 19%, Gonzalez 8%, Puckett 6%) (+1 jump from consensus)
14. Ian Clarkin — 47% (Sheets 25%, Gonzalez 15%, Puckett 7%, Stephens 6%) (+1 jump from consensus)
15. Gavin Sheets — 45% (Gonzalez 21%, Cordell 14%, Stephens 11%, Puckett 9%) (-3 fall from consensus)
16. Seby Zavala — 55% (Gonzalez 16%, Cordell 13%, Stephens 10%, Puckett 6%) (+4 jump from consensus)
17. Luis González — 43% (Puckett/Stephens 18%, Cordell 13%, Gillaspie 7%)
18. Jordan Stephens — 28% (Puckett 26%, Cordell 25%, Vieira 15%, Gillaspie 6%) (+1 jump from consensus)
19. Ryan Cordell — 35% (Puckett 22%, Guerrero 21%, Vieira 17%, Gillaspie 6%) (-1 fall from consensus)
20. A.J. Puckett — 39% (Guerrero 25%, Vieira 16%, Gillaspie 13%, Skoug 7%) (-4 fall from consensus)

Here are your choices for the 21st round of voting:

Casey Gillaspie, 1B

2018 Age: 25

2017 High Level: Charlotte (AAA)

Overall 2017 stats: 125 games ▪️ 15 HR ▪️ 62 RBI ▪️ 50 BB ▪️ 100 K ▪️ .223/.297/.373

The White Sox struck at the right time in grabbing Casey Gillaspie (younger brother of steely-eyed former Sox, Conor), in a trade for Dan Jennings in 2017. The first baseman was a a quick track to Tampa’s major league roster before the trade, but flagged for Durham (AAA) in 2017, a performance that carried over to his play at Charlotte with the White Sox: .223/.297/.373 in 125 games. Adding to the challenge of adjusting to AAA pitching was an injury (broken toe). At the higher level, Gillaspie’s power has tailed off, and without plus-offensive ability, his value evaporates.

Jordan Guerrero, SP

2018 Age: 24

2017 High Level: Birmingham (AA)

Overall 2017 stats: 25 starts ▪️ 146 ¹⁄₃ IP ▪️ 4.18 ERA ▪️ 136 K ▪️ 43 BB ▪️ 1.32 WHIP

Guerrero is the definition of an under-the-radar prospect, so much so that he is still pretty much under the radar. (This past offseason the White Sox didn’t protect him in the Rule 5 draft, which incurred Twitter wrath from the lefthander.) He first made a mark in 2014, two years after being drafted, with 9.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in Kannapolis. In 2015, Guerrero had a 2.28 ERA for Kanny in nine starts and was sent up to Winston-Salem, where he posted a 3.94 ERA in 16 starts. Birmingham was the aggressive assignment for Guerrero in 2016, and it showed: 4.83 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 4.8 BB/9. In 2017, Guerrero repeated AA and improved all of his peripherals. Guerrero’s fastball can get to 93 mph and has sinking action, and he boasts an average-to-above-average change. Perhaps gun-shy after throwing Guerrero to the wolves in 2016, the White Sox are asking Guerrero to earn his way to Charlotte during the 2018 season, and early returns indicate he’ll do just that.

Lincoln Henzman, SP

2018 Age: 22

2017 High Level: Great Falls (Rookie)

Overall 2017 stats: 11 games (seven starts) ▪️ 28 IP ▪️ 3.86 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 9 BB ▪️ 1.29 WHIP

Henzman is a Fourth of July baby, go figure. After Tommy John surgery in high school, the eventual Louisville All-American followed in Zack Burdi’s footsteps as the Cardinals closer. From there, paths have diverged, as the White Sox used Henzman as a partial starter in 2017 and have him in the Kannapolis rotation so far in 2018. His fastball has reached 95 mph with sink, and he also boasts a changeup with splitter action.

Evan Skoug, C

2018 Age: 22

2017 High Level: Kannapolis (A)

Overall 2017 stats: 25 games ▪️ 3 HR ▪️ 10 RBI ▪️ 11 BB ▪️ 36 K ▪️ .232/.333/.427

OK, let’s get this right out of the way, because Brett won’t shut up about it, but apparently Skoug is the only player on Baseball-Reference with the same school affiliations as his: Libertyville High School, and Texas Christian University. Somehow, I believe our dear leader’s playing career fell somewhat short of young Evan’s. Something about eight walks in a single doubleheader is on the back of his baseball card, somewhere. Anyhow, Skoug was a seventh-round pick of the White Sox last year and led TCU to three consecutive College World Series appearances. In his final Horned Frogs season, Skoug hit .272/.378/.544, with 20 homers and 71 driven in. Skoug fits the profile that is running rampant through the White Sox system: hit-first, field-later backstops. He’s started his season at Kanny a bit slowly.

Thyago Vieira, RP

2018 Age: 24

2017 High Level: Seattle (MLB)

Overall 2017 stats (minors): 41 games ▪️ 54 IP ▪️ 4.00 ERA ▪️ 46 K ▪️ 22 BB ▪️ 1.30 WHIP

Signed by the Seattle Mariners out of Brazil in 2010 at age 16, Vieira pitched for two seasons in Venezuela before coming to the U.S. for rookie ball. A converted starter, his wildness steered him into the pen. In 2016, things started to click for the righthander, and by last season he’d gotten a cup of coffee in the bigs. The White Sox, tapped out after the Luis Robert signing, sent half a million of international pool bonus space to Seattle (which was scrambling to lure Shohei Ohtani) to get Vieira — not a bad swap at all. He has touched 100 mph on the gun with his fastball, and boasts a power curve to boot. Here nor there, but he’s fun to watch.