South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 39

Congratulations, Danny Mendick, you are the 38th-best prospect in the SSS rankings!

The everyman earned 30% (25 of 83 ballots).

We have reached the end of the full consensus prospect list, so this is likely the final Prospect Vote. Initially, I figured on squeezing some overlooked prospects, who for whatever reason eluded the preseason prospect polls, into the vote. My research yielded names like Colton Turner, Matt Rose, Patrick Leonard, Trey Michalczewski, Jose Ruiz and Mike Morrison, but no one who was so thumping their respective minors level as to demand inclusion. Your mileage may vary.

So in all likelihood, this poll will give way to the finale, the Most Essential White Sox poll, likely beginning on Friday.

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)
21. Jordan Guerrero — 49% (Vieira 20%, Henzman 15%, Gillaspie 9%, Skoug 7%) (+2 jump from consensus)
22. Thyago Vieira — 34% (Henzman 21%, Skoug 17%, Yrizarri 16%, Gillaspie 11%)
23. Lincoln Henzman — 43% (Yrizarri 20%, Flores 15%, Gillaspie 12%, Skoug 9%) (+2 jump from consensus)
24. Charlie Tilson — 40% (Flores 24%, Yrizarri 22%, Skoug 12%, Gillaspie 3%) (+4 jump from consensus)
25. Ian Hamilton — 34% (Yrizarri 27%, Flores 17%, Skoug 14%, Gillaspie 8%) (+4 jump from consensus)
26. Yeyson Yrizarri — 30% (Curbelo/Flores 22%, Skoug 17%, Gillaspie 9%)
27. Tito Polo — 37% (Curbelo 27%, Flores 20%, Skoug 10%, Gillaspie 5%) (+4 jump from consensus)
28. Bernardo Flores — 43% (Curbelo 29%, Skoug 14%, Gillaspie/Mendick 7%)
29. Luis Curbelo — 52% (Skoug 19%, Fisher 13%, Mendick 9%, Gillaspie 7%) (+1 jump from consensus)
30. Kade McClure — 51% (Skoug 26%, Fisher 13%, Gillaspie 7%, Mendick 3%) (+4 jump from consensus)
31. Tyler Johnson — 34% (Fisher 24%, Skoug 21%, Mendick 14%, Gillaspie 7%) (+4 jump from consensus)
32. Justin Yurchak — 37% (Fisher 23%, Skoug 20%, Mendick 18%, Gillaspie 2%) (+4 jump from consensus)
33. Evan Skoug — 35% (Fisher 29%, Mendick 19%, Gillaspie 10%, Mercedes 8%) (-9 fall from consensus)
34. Jameson Fisher — 28% (Danish 26%, Mendick 22%, Mercedes 13%, Gillaspie 11%) (-2 fall from consensus)
35. Alex Call — 40% (Danish/Mendick 21%, Mercedes 11%, Gillaspie 8%) (+4 jump from consensus)
36. Tyler Danish — 38% (Mendick 30%, Mercedes/Nuñez 12%, Gillaspie 7%) (+2 jump from consensus)
37. Laz Rivera — 29% (Mendick 25%, Gillaspie 21%, Nuñez 16%, Mercedes 10%) (+5 jump from consensus)
38. Danny Mendick — 30% (Gillaspie 22%, Nuñez 17%, Mercedes/Sosa 16%) (-5 fall from consensus)

Here are your choices for the 39th 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.

Yermin Mercedes, C

2018 Age: 25

2017 High Level: Bowie (AA)

Overall 2017 stats: 110 games ▪️ 16 HR ▪️ 62 RBI ▪️ 35 BB ▪️ 67 K ▪️ .276/.340/.455 ▪️ 34% CS

With all the hand-wringing over possibly losing Jordan Guerrero in the Rule 5 draft last fall, the White Sox snagging this slugger got a bit lost. The White Sox picked the backstop up from the Baltimore Orioles. He got a cup off AA coffee last year in the Baltimore system, but starts this year at Winston-Salem. Mercedes carries a rep of big bat, small glove, but he did nail 34% of base stealers in 2017.

Amado Nuñez, 3B-SS

2018 Age: 20

2017 High Level: Great Falls (Rookie)

Overall 2017 stats: 36 games ▪️ 1 HR ▪️ 18 RBI ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 31 K ▪️ .193/.262/.253

Nuñez was signed for nearly a million dollars at age 16, in what was then the second-highest bonus ever paid by the White Sox to a Latin American amateur. The infielder skipped the DSL and went right to the AZL in 2015, as a 17-year-old, hitting just .145 with decent walk and K rates. Repeating the AZL in 2016, Nuñez took a nice step forward, hitting .287/.320/.370 with nine steals in 11 attempts. Last year, Nuñez was mostly injured, playing in just 34 Rookie League games and notching a .493 OPS. He doesn’t appear to have the range to stick at short, so going forward he will need to develop his hit and power tools to justify a spot at the hot corner. It appears that Nuñez will repeat Great Falls in 2018, but assuming he can get closer to his 2016 performance he’ll advance to Kannapolis at the end of the season.

Lenyn Sosa, 2B-SS

2018 Age: 18

2017 High Level: AZL White Sox (Rookie)

Overall 2017 stats: 42 games ▪️ 2 HR ▪️ 23 RB ▪️ 14 BB ▪️ 24 K ▪️ .270/.330/.358

To put our very last poll winner in perspective, Laz Rivera had comparable numbers to Sosa, in the same league, on the same team — and Rivera was five years older. Yes, Sosa has accomplished quite a bit, considering he played the 2017 AZL season at age 17 (yes, he was born in this century). I truly have very little information on Sosa, so I have included this scouting video from the AZL. From it, I can see Sosa wears his socks high, seems to make pretty good contact and has a pretty good eye, and tends to shank everything to the right side.