South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 49

As we count down the SSS Prospect Vote, we’ll be counting up the overall list of Top 100 Prospects, with the SSS poll vote counting as a voice in the order of our official SSS Top 100.

We’ve shuffled around the master list of eligible players, as we hold the last few votes up to No. 50, so there are two new names on the ballot for this vote.

A final note: All copy below the poll, unless otherwise noted, comes from wsm’s Deep Dive series. Credit due. YOTH is just running the numbers.

Sound cool? Now, get voting!

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Voting results for Round 48

There’s still a warm place in the hearts of the SSS electorate for Charlotte reliever Thyago Vieira, who advanced with 22 of 67 (34.3%) votes in his first try on the ballot. Again, there was a fierce fight for second place, where the remaining four contenders all finished within six votes of one another. Vieira finished No. 22 in last year’s poll.

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2019 South Side Sox Prospect Vote Winners

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2019 South Side Sox Prospect Vote Top Right-Handed Relief Pitchers

More information on our polling.

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Tyler Frost

Right Fielder
Age 23
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Kannapolis (A)
Overall 2018 stats 124 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 65 RBI ▪️ .241/.324/.445 ▪️ 7-of-11 SB ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 129 K

Frost hit fairly well, if unexceptionally, with the Gonzaga Bulldogs. His junior season largely paralleled his collegiate career, as he slashed .284/.372/.442 with five doubles, one triple, nine homers, 38 RBIs, two stolen bases, 25 walks (10.00%) and 39 strikeouts (15.60%) in 215 at-bats. While Frost was consistent at Gonzaga, he didn’t do anything especially well. As a result, he fell to the 15th round of the 2017 MLB draft. Frost reported to Great Falls after being drafted and slashed .261/.331/.465 in 142 at-bats, with seven doubles, five triples, four homers, 26 RBIs, 13 walks (8.13%) and 33 strikeouts (20.63%).

In 2018, Frost let things rip a bit with Kannapolis. In a tough place to hit, he provided decent power numbers by slashing .241/.324/.445 in 407 at-bats, with 21 doubles, four triples, 18 homers, 65 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 46 walks (9.91%) and 129 strikeouts (27.80%). It appears Frost sacrificed average and contact for power; that sacrifice may pay dividends in an hitting-friendly environment like Winston-Salem, but could come back to haunt him if he wins a promotion to Birmingham. Frost’s splits are fairly even (.244 vs. southpaws, .240 vs. righties), so a platoon doesn’t appear in his immediate future.

Frost has an above-average arm, as he threw out 13 baserunners this year. Expect a promotion to Winston-Salem for 2019.

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Codi Heuer

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 22
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Great Falls (Rookie+)
Overall 2018 stats 6-6 ▪️ 30 games ▪️ 2 CG ▪️ 117 IP ▪️ 4.46 ERA ▪️ 117 K ▪️ 51 BB ▪️ 1.462 WHIP

Heuer, whose surname is pronounced like former Chicago Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer, spent his first two years with the Wichita Shockers as a reliever. In 2018, he moved to the rotation and the peripherals indicated that he was more comfortable in that role.

While his college numbers weren’t anything to write home about (5.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, .272 OBA, 4.48 BB/9, 9.08 K/9), Heuer posted a credible sophomore season in 79 innings with a 4.31 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, .238 OBA, 4.20 BB/9, and 9.30 K/9. The Sox saw enough of him as a starter to draft him in the sixth round, where he signed for an under-slot $260,000 bonus.

Heuer had far exceeded his career high in innings, so he was held to a tight pitch count in his short pro season. In 14 starts, Stiever posted a 4.74 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. In his 38 innings, he allowed 49 hits (.310 OBA) and 14 walks (3.32 BB/9) while fanning 35 (8.29 K/9). The numbers weren’t fantastic, but he was likely battling some fatigue while pitching in a friendly hitting environment.

Heuer actually improved in his last five starts, however, as he ceded only five earned runs and 16 hits in 15 innings while striking out 16. He’s got terrific size, a fastball that peaks at 96 mph, an average-but-improving slider, and a changeup that needs refinement. Heuer made a big jump for 2019, skipping Kannapolis and landing in the bullpen at Winston-Salem to start the season.

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Yermin Mercedes

Cacher
Age 26
2018 SSS poll ranking 42
2018 High Level Winston-Salem (A+)
Overall 2018 stats 103 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 64 RBI ▪️ .289/.362/.478 ▪️ 4-for-4 SB ▪️ 40 BB ▪️ 67 K ▪️ 40-of-97 CS (41.2%)

First off, looking at videos of Mercedes, he’s far closer to 215 than his listed 175 pounds. Mercedes had a very solid season with Winston-Salem in 2018, hitting .289/.362/.478 in 360 at-bats with 14 homers, 64 RBIs, 40 walks and 67 strikeouts. He isn’t noted for his defense, as he committed 11 passed balls in just 79 games behind the plate; with that said, Mercedes does have a solid arm, thwarting 41.2% of stolen base attempts (40 of 97).

Given questions about his defense, where will Mercedes play in the White Sox organization? Mercedes is age-appropriate for Charlotte, but to begin 2019 the White Sox have taken the conservative route, placing him to Birmingham.

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Luis Mieses

Center Fielder
Age 18
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Arizona (Rookie)
Overall 2018 stats 48 games ▪️ 2 HR ▪️ 26 RBI ▪️ .226/.236/.328 ▪️ 3-of-3 SB ▪️ 4 BB ▪️ 35 K

A native of Santiago, D.R., Mieses received a signing bonus of $428,000 and was part of a vast international contingent that signed with the White Sox on July 2, 2016 — including fellow outfielders Josue Guerrero and Anderson Comas. Marco Paddy said at the time of his signing, “Luis is a very good, very athletic power outfielder who can really swing the bat. He is a natural hitter with a plus arm.”

In 2017 with the DSL Sox, Mieses slashed .263/.302/.320 with eight doubles, three triples, no homers, 25 RBIs, three stolen bases, 10 walks (3.80%) and 42 strikeouts (15.97%) in 247 at-bats.

In 2018, Mieses spent the entire season with the AZL White Sox, and his numbers declined a bit. Mieses slashed just .226/.236/.328, with 10 doubles, two triples, two homers, 26 RBIs, three stolen bases, four walks (1.96%) and 35 strikeouts (17.16%) in 195 at-bats.

Mieses has the build to develop more power. He doesn’t have much speed, and his plate discipline isn’t advanced — walking less than 2% of the time just doesn’t get the job done. With that said, Mieses is still extremely young and will be given every opportunity to succeed. A return to the AZL Sox should be expected for 2019.

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Camilo Quinteiro

Second Baseman
Age 21
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Great Falls (Rookie+)
Overall 2018 stats 48 games ▪️ 1 HR ▪️ 12 RBI ▪️ .280/.427/.313 ▪️ 11-of-13 SB ▪️ 36 BB ▪️ 42 K

Quinteiro, the latest of a long line of Cubans to sign with the White Sox, inked a minor league free agent contract in September 2018 for $300,000 — the max the White Sox could offer him. Prior to signing, Quintero played for Santiago de Cuba in Cuba’s 18U national league in 2015, where he batted .304/.439/.330 in 140 plate appearances. He skipped the DSL, instead producing similar stats for the AZL White Sox in 2018: .286/.426/.320 over 147 at-bats with one homer, 11 RBIs, 11-of-13 in stolen bases, 36 walks (18.95%) and 39 strikeouts (20.53%).

Quinteiro is said to be an above-average defender, and he committed only four errors in his 40 games (33 at second, six at shortstop, one at third). He has plus arm strength, so he could play more at short and third if/when needed. He has good speed coupled with solid instincts on the basepaths, as evidenced by his stolen base efficiency. Also, he’s got an excellent batter’s eye — an 18.95% walk rate is incredible for anyone, let alone a player in his first professional season in the States.

Quinteiro has got a line drive/ground ball approach, as he doesn’t hit too many balls in the air. In fact, his ground out/air out (GO/AO) rate is an incredibly high 3.18! Right now, Quinteiro seems to profile as a utility middle infielder, but it’s way too early to say; he could boost his standing by supplying more extra-base hits (Quinteiro had just three with the AZL Sox). He did have three at-bats with Great Falls at the end of the year, and that’s where he should play in 2019.