2021 DSL White Sox Season in Review

The DSL White Sox did not have very many eyes, and this team usually never does. But the White Sox organization has been active with top international free agent prospects lately, so the DSL Sox do get more play than other organizations, with usually have at least one top prospect there

This season, it was Norge Vera. Because it is just him and a very big gap between every other player, might as well save the best for last!

The Hitters

We will not go through many hitters, but some had some fun seasons.

Manuel Guariman had one of those fun seasons, with a .317/.378/.366 slash line. He mostly played catcher, but started a handful of games at first. Obviously, he did not show much power, but got a lot of balls in play — with just a 9.9% K-rate and without a stellar walk-rate.

Victor Quezada is another hitter that did fairly well, but in a different way than Guariman. Quezada showed pop (.186 ISO) and walked a lot more (14.1%). It was a good year, but a 28.3% K-rate in the DSL is concerning.

Both of these players are 17, so they have a long way to go before they are fully formed.

The Pitching

Beyond Vera, the DSL pitching really was not impressive overall. Most had ERAs of more than four, but a couple of bullpen arms did show something.

Emerson Talavera played what was basically a fireman role. He mostly went multiple innings, and started five games as well. With a 2.47 ERA, he was pretty good, but the underlying numbers are a bit concerning. The strikeouts were low, and the BABIP was well less than .300 as well.

Carlos Hinestroza was used as a more normal reliever going mostly one inning, but had several multi-inning appearances as well. He had six saves in 11 chances, so he was the de facto closer. Again, strikeouts were very low, so he relied more on balls in play, and it worked out enough to garner a 2.45 ERA.

Time for the main event, and he might be the top pitching prospect in the system now: Norge Vera. He is 21, so hopefully he moves on up to Winston-Salem come next season. But this year, Vera was pretty good: In 19 innings he never allowed a run. He had a 49.3% K-rate and just a 7.2% BB-rate, which are fantastic numbers, even in the DSL. He still has a lot to prove, but he has shown a mid-90s fastball with plus breaking pitches. He is by no means a Top 100 prospect, but he could become one with a good 2022 campaign.

Final MVP Votes

Norge Vera (36.9) 2021 South Side Sox DSL White Sox Pitcher of the Year
Godwin Bennett (30.6) 2021 South Side Sox DSL White Sox Player of the Year
Guillermo Cuevas (14.8)
Randel Mondesi (14.1)
Carlos Gomez (14.0)
Victor Quezada (11.3)
Manuel Guariman (11.2)
Gabriel Rodriguez (10.9)
Emerson Talavera (10.8)
Fernando Vargas (9.2)
Manuel Veloz (5.9, 71 votes)
DSL Intern (5.9, 20)
Alvaro Aguero (5.2)
Francisco Benitez (3.5)
Layant Tapia (3.4)
The Balk Rule (2.5)
Brian Carrion (2.3, 12 votes)
Juan Mercedes (2.3, 7)
Yohemy Nolasco (2.0)
Carlos Hinestroza (1.1)
Washington’s Shoddy Defense (0.9)
Dario Borrero (0.7)
Cesar Jiménez (0.4)
No One (0.0)

Final Cold Cat Votes

Miguel Toribio (-27.9)
Javier Mora (-24.7)
Ricardo Aguilar (-19.7)
Arxy Hernández (-18.9)
Alberto Bernal (-15.7)
Daniel González (-12.7)
Dionicio Jiménez (-11.2)
The Offense (-10.0)
Carlos Jiménez (-9.0)
Jorge Ferrer (-8.3)
Everyone (-5.3)
Roberth Gutierrez (-5.2)
Oriel Castro (-4.1)
Luis Pineda (-3.3)
Coaching Staff (-2.8)
Adrian Gill (-1.3)