South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 48: Corey Zangari

Just stay healthy, Corey, please!

By whisoxman20051917 Apr 30, 2019, 1:40pm CDT

**Undeniable masher:** If Zangari can get through a season without a bad-luck injury, the future at first base on the South Side gets sunnier.

Corey Zangari
6´4´´
240 pounds
Bats: Right
Age: 21
SSS rank among all first basemen in the system: 2

Corey Zangari, built like a linebacker, was the White Sox’s sixth round pick of the 2015 draft, hailing from Midwest City, Okla. He breezed through the AZL and Great Falls, but struggled badly in a midseason promotion to Kannapolis in 2016. For Kannapolis that year, Zangari hit .166/.247/.314 in 223 at-bats, with eight homers, 24 RBIs, 20 walks and an incredible 106 strikeouts (42.7%) — a shocking number, even by White Sox standards.

Zangari missed the 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery. During his recovery, he dropped a lot of weight (he once was playing at 280 pounds) and changed his approach considerably. Due to Justin Yurchak and Anthony Villa manning first base for Kannapolis, Zangari began 2018 with Great Falls and hit .266/.329/.734 for the Voyagers in 17 games, with nine homers, 22 RBIs, six walks and 16 strikeouts (a much more manageable 21.9%) — he even hit three homers in a July 13 game. A week later, on July 20, Zangari was promoted to Kannapolis. Of course, in typical White Sox fashion, he was hit by a pitch in just his second at-bat and fractured his wrist.

Zangari is currently on the IL, at extended spring training. Once healthy, he should be the Intimidators starting first baseman.