2022 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 2

If you’re unsure of what this is, read our Top Prospect Vote primer.

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Although voting was a bit down compared with last year (we had about a two-thirds the turnout), it was a fun fight for the top spot as we kick off our fifth year of prospect voting, but it looks like we have some real tight battles shaping up.

The race for the top spot actually wasn’t very close; whether a product of just two pitchers being on the ballot and all those shortstops and third basemen splitting votes, Norge Vera laughed in the face of Colson Montgomery and José Rodríguez hype, easily outdistancing the pack to wrap up our 2022 top prospect vote with 29% support (68 of 239 votes).

In 2018, Eloy Jiménez was also named our top prospect, with 70% of the vote. The next year, he won with 86% of the vote. For the 2020 poll, Luis Robert won with 86% of the vote. In 2021, we had our closest top-spot battle yet, with Andrew Vaughn edging out Garrett Crochet, landing at 45%.

Last year, Vera finished ninth in Top Prospect voting and was the SSS No. 9 overall prospect.

While Jake Burger seems in good shape to secure the No. 2 spot, we have quite the melee from there, based on this first ballot.

South Side Sox Top White Sox Prospects for 2022

1. Norge Vera — 29% (Burger 18%, Rodríguez 14%, Céspedes 13%, Colás 12%, Montgomery 8%, Kath/Kelley 2.1%, Ramos 1.7%, Hernández 0.8%)

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Jake Burger

Third Baseman
Age 25
2018 SSS poll ranking 8
2019 SSS poll ranking 9
2020 SSS poll ranking 25
2021 SSS poll ranking 17
2021 High Level Chicago (MLB)
Overall 20121 Triple-A stats 82 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 54 RBI ▪️ .274/.332/.513 ▪️ 24 BB ▪️ 91 BB

Burger played 15 games in the majors with the White Sox, two doubles, a triple, a homer, and an .807 OPS.

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Yoelqui Céspedes

Center Fielder
Age 24
2021 SSS poll ranking 7
2021 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Overall 2021 stats 72 games ▪️ 8 HR ▪️ 27 RBI ▪️ .285/.350/.463 ▪️ 16 BB ▪️ 83 BB ▪️ 18-of-24 SB
Céspedes saw his season delayed by visa issues, and his first two weeks or so were spend at DH. He also had an underwhelming showing in the Arizona Fall League (22 strikeouts in 19 games, .466 OPS).

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Oscar Colás

Right Fielder
Age 23
2019 High Level Japan Western League
Overall 2019-20 (Japan, Cuba) stats 87 games ▪️ 16 HR ▪️ 66 RBI ▪️ .290/.351/.497 ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 82 BB

While not officially a member of the White Sox organization until January 2022, it is widely assumed that Colás will join his multiple Cuban countrymen in the White Sox organization. For all the talk of Colás as the “next Ohtani,” he has not pitched professionally since 2018-19 in Cuba, and for just three games there at that.

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Erick Hernández

Left Fielder
Age 17
2021 High Level N/A

While not officially a member of the White Sox organization until January 2022, it is widely assumed that Hernández will join the White Sox organization. He bats left, and has been comped — for what comping is worth — to Juan Soto. He is still just 16 years old, not turning 17 until January.

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Wes Kath

Third Baseman
Age 19
2021 High Level ACL White Sox (Rookie)
Overall 2021 stats 28 games ▪️ 3 HR ▪️ 15 RBI ▪️ .212/.287/.337 ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 42 BB

Kath was the second round draft choice of the White Sox in 2021, out of Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.

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Jared Kelley

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 20
2021 SSS poll ranking 5
2021 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Overall 2021 stats 0-7 ▪️ 12 starts ▪️ 23 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 7.61 ERA ▪️ 26 BB ▪️ 27 K ▪️ 2.113 WHIP

Kelley sat with shoulder issues for almost two months in the middle of the season.

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Colson Montgomery
Shortstop

Age 20
2021 High Level ACL White Sox (Rookie)
Overall 2021 stats 26 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 7 RBI ▪️ .287/.396/.362 ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 22 K

Montgomery was the first round draft choice of the White Sox in 2021, out of Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind.

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Bryan Ramos

Third Baseman
Age 20
2020 SSS poll ranking 33
2021 SSS poll ranking 21
2021 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Overall 2021 stats 115 games ▪️ 13 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .244/.345/.415 ▪️ 13-of-17 SB ▪️ 51 BB ▪️ 110 K

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José Rodríguez

Shortstop
Age 20
2020 SSS poll ranking 32
2021 SSS poll ranking 18
2021 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Overall 2021 stats 111 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 51 RBI ▪️ .301/.338/.469 ▪️ 30-of-41 SB ▪️ 26 BB ▪️ 72 K

Popeye’s meteoric rise through the system was rewarded with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League, where he largely ran out of gas (.226/.273/.323 in 16 games)

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Matthew Thompson

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 21
2020 SSS poll ranking 12
2021 SSS poll ranking 10
2021 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Overall 2021 stats 2-9 ▪️ 20 starts ▪️ 73 ⅔ IP ▪️ 5.99 ERA ▪️ 78 K ▪️ 38 BB ▪️ 1.683 WHIP

Thompson battled some injury issues in his first full pro season, sitting out for a month in June-July.

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