South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 54: Josue Guerrero

Josue Guerrero
6´2´´
190 pounds
Bats: Right
Age: 19
SSS rank among all left fielders in the system: 2

Guerrero, nephew of Hall-of-Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, was part of a large White Sox international signing class in 2016 which included Lenyn Sosa, Luis Mieses and six others. A native of the Dominican Republic, Guerrero signed for a whopping $1.4 million bonus. Scouts were mixed about the signing: The best assessments viewed Guerrero as possessing a natural knack for hitting, with big-time power but an overly-aggressive offensive approach. On the flip side, Ben Badler of Baseball America stated at the time, “He is a limited athlete and runner with a below-average arm that might restrict him to left field, though his arm could get stronger.”

Guerrero struggled with the DSL White Sox in 2017, slashing .222/.293/.348 in 207 at-bats, with three homers, 25 RBIs, five stolen bases, 16 walks (6.93%) and 54 strikeouts (23.38%). He moved up to the AZL White Sox in 2018 and struggled badly, in part due to inconsistent playing time. These numbers aren’t for the squeamish: .192/.231/.288 in just 73 at-bats with no homers, eight RBIs, no stolen bases, three walks (3.85%) and 27 strikeouts (34.62%). Though Guerrero played right field exclusively for the DSL Sox, he moved to left field exclusively once he got Stateside. Left field (unlike his uncle, who had a cannon of an arm) is the outfield position Josue is better suited for. The White Sox have a lot invested in Guerrero, so expect him to receive much more playing time in his expected return to Arizona for 2019.

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