South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 46

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.

Here’s how last year’s prospect vote wrangled out — all 42 picks, with an archive of every article in the 2018 series.

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 45

José Ruiz won handily in his first crack on the ballot, taking 28 of 54 (51.9%) votes. He was unranked 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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Jacob Lindgren

Left-handed relief pitcher
Age 26
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2016 High Level Tampa (A+)
Overall 2016 stats 1-0 ▪️ 6 games ▪️ 1 save ▪️ 7 IP ▪️ 2.57 ERA ▪️ 8 K ▪️ 9 BB ▪️ 1.286 WHIP

After Lindgren was taken in the second round of the 2014 draft by the New York Yankees, he started his meteoric rise to the majors, making it all the way to AA in his draft year. In 2015, Lindgren started the year in AAA, and even made seven appearances in the majors. Unfortunately, his rise was cut short after his first Tommy John surgery in the 2016 season, and the southpaw missed all of 2017. Before the start of the 2018 season, Lindgren signed with the Braves, earning a spot on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. However, he got hurt again, and had his second Tommy John surgery, missing his second straight season.

According to FanGraphs, Lindgren has good 1-2 punch with his fastball and slider. He is supposed to have an above-average fastball (rated at 55) and what could be an elite slider, with a grade at 60. In his limited time in the majors with the Yankees in 2015, Lindgren’s fastball was in the low 90s, and the slider was in the mid-to-low 80s. In terms of value, for what the extremely small sample size was worth almost four years ago, Lindgren’s fastball was one of the worst pitches in MLB at -4.86, but his slider was all what it was supposed to be at 4.03 (per 100 pitches).

In all levels of professional baseball, Lindgren has pitched 61 innings and had 93 strikeouts, thanks to that slider. That type of success made Lindgren a calculated gamble by GM Rick Hahn this offseason, one with little risk and a lot of reward.

However, Lindgren does have a walk problem, free-passing 36 batters in those 61 innings. Again, these stats probably do not mean much because he’s essentially missed the past three seasons, but he’s just 26 — which leaves a lot of room for a breakout year.

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Andrew Perez

Left-handed relief pitcher
Age 21
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Kannapolis (A)
Overall 2018 stats 7-3 ▪️ 44 games ▪️ 13 saves ▪️ 73 IP ▪️ 2.47 ERA ▪️ 81 K ▪️ 25 BB ▪️ 1.178 WHIP

Perez, a native of Orlando, dominated his senior season with Timber Creek H.S., to the tune of a 1.95 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 51 2⁄3 innings. Staying in-state to pitch for the University of South Florida, he struggled to adjust to a bullpen role for the Bulls, as he posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.89 ERA — allowing 26 walks and 32 hits in his 30 2⁄3 innings of work. However, Perez rebounded well in his sophomore and junior seasons, throwing more strikes. Over his final two years, Perez improved his ERA to 2.53 and WHIP 1.13 by allowing just 62 hits and 30 walks over his 81 2⁄3 innings, striking out 102 hitters and saving 18.

Due in part to these improvements, in addition to a spike in velocity, the White Sox selected him in the eighth round of the 2018 MLB draft. Perez made quick work of Pioneer League hitters in his four-game stint with Great Falls by posting a 1.42 ERA and 0.47 WHIP in 6 1⁄3 innings of work, allowing just three hits (.136 OBA) and no walks while striking out seven (31.8%).

Perez was promoted to Kannapolis on June 29, where he was 1.9 years younger than league average. In 16 games totaling 25 innings for the Intimidators, the lefty posted a respectable 2.88 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in allowing 21 hits (.233 OBA) and walking 13 hitters (11.7%) while striking out 24 (21.6%). Perez may have been battling fatigue with Kannapolis — his 2018 innings between college and professional surpassed his two previous years combined — causing him to lose a bit of control as a result.

Perez’s fastball, which was up to 90 mph during his prep days, spiked to the mid-90s by the time he was a college junior. His repertoire also includes a nifty 11-5 curveball and a fringy changeup that can improve if he improves his arm speed. Perez has a low-effort, three-quarter delivery that makes him difficult for lefties to pick up. He hasn’t been treated as a LOOGY to date, as he pitched 31 1⁄3 innings during his combined 20 games with Great Falls and Kannapolis. Lefties batted just .184 against his offerings, while righties fared a bit better at .230, which still isn’t too shabby.

If Perez can improve upon his changeup, he could have high-leverage potential. While Perez’s quick burn through the system in 2018 would have justified placement at Winston-Salem to begin 2019, the White Sox have decided to take things slowly with Perez due to his age; he’s starting the season in Kannapolis.

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A.J. Puckett

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 23
2018 SSS poll ranking 20
2017 High Level Winston-Salem (A+)
Overall 2017 stats 10-7 ▪️ 25 starts ▪️ 135 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 4.44 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 51 BB ▪️ 1.423 WHIP

Puckett is an interesting story. He was a promising two-sport athlete in high school before a car accident left him in a medically-induced coma for two weeks to slow his blood loss. After that accident, he made a a full recovery and went to Pepperdine, where he was the West Coast Conference pitcher of the year in 2016 after fashioning the third-longest scoreless streak (45 2⁄3 innings) in NCAA Division I history. All Puckett did in his junior season was pitch 99 innings over 14 starts, posting an incredible 1.27 ERA and 0.92 WHIP; he allowed just 65 hits and 26 walks (2.36 BB/9) while fanning 95 batters (8.61 K/9). As a result of his efforts, the Kansas City Royals selected him in the second round of the 2016 MLB draft, signing him to a $1.2 million bonus.

For the AZL Royals and Lexington (Royals A-affiliate) immediately after the draft, Puckett held his own in 13 starts, with a combined 3.68 ERA and 1.11 WHIP and respectable .231 OBA and 2.30 BB/9, but his strikeouts were down (6.90 K/9). For the Royals A+ team (Wilmington) in 2017, he posted a 3.90 ERA and 1.41 WHIP through July 30 before being traded to the White Sox for outfielder Melky Cabrera. Puckett struggled a bit at hitter-friendly Winston-Salem in his five starts, as he posted a 4.28 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 27 1⁄3 innings. In those innings, Puckett surrendered 35 hits (.327 OBA) and five walks (1.65 BB/9) while striking out 21 (6.91 K/9).

Puckett began 2018 season as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the White Sox system according to MLB Pipeline, and was slated to move up to Double-A Birmingham. However, due to an ailing elbow, Puckett missed the entire season (just like Andre Davis, the other player acquired in the Cabrera deal).

Puckett, like fellow prospect Spencer Adams, is more about pitchability than power. His best assets are his tumbling changeup, a legitimate plus pitch, and his advanced command. His fastball usually ranges from 90-94 mph with some run and sink, and his curveball can be an average third offering at times, but lacks consistency.

It is believed that Puckett had elbow surgery last month and will miss the 2019 season.

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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.

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