2021 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 35

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

After two straight days of soft voting, we may end this year’s vote a round or two early.

We were already on track to wind up earlier than a Top 50, with the Top 100 Prospect profiles already at No. 47. But the voting this year overall is a lot less than in the past, and this past round had just 35 ballots. Last year, the lowest vote total was 68, and even that was in a much later round. Last year, each of the 50 ballots averaged close to 300 votes; this year, just 34 ballots in, just 191.

All that said, Kodi Medeiros leapfrogged fellow pen mate Caleb Freeman to win with 23% (8 of 35 votes). Medeiros, moved up from 43rd in 2020 but still hasn’t reached his 2019 top mark at No. 23.

Last year, the No. 34 vote-getter was Alec Hansen.

Blake Battenfield made a strong debut in the poll, with four votes and a fifth-place finish.

South Side Sox Top White Sox Prospects for 2021

1. Andrew Vaughn — 45% (Crochet 26%, Kopech 19%, Madrigal 9%, Kelley 1.0%, Rutherford 0.6%, Adolfo/Sheets 0.2% Stiever/Thompson 0%)
2. Garrett Crochet — 42% (Kopech 19%, Madrigal 14%, Céspedes 4%, Kelley 0.7%, Rutherford 0.4%, Adolfo/Stiever 0.2%,Sheets/Thompson 0%)
3. Michael Kopech — 70% (Madrigal 22%, Kelley 4%, Céspedes 3%, Vera 1%, Adolfo/Rutherford/Sheets/Thompson 0.4%, Stiever 0%)
4. Nick Madrigal — 76% (Céspedes 10%, Kelley 9%, Rutherford/Vera 1.2%, Stiever/Thompson 0.6%, Adolfo/Dalquist/Sheets 0.3%)
5. Jared Kelley — 47% (Céspedes 32%, Stiever 8%, Rutherford 4%, Thompson 3%, Adolfo/Vera 2%, Sheets 1.4%, Bailey 1.2%, Dalquist/0.9%)
6. Yoelqui Céspedes — 59% (Stiever 17%, Thompson 9%, Rutherford 4%, Adolfo/Bailey 3%, Vera 2.2%, Sheets 1.9%, Dalquist 1.6%, González 0.3%)
7. Jonathan Stiever — 41% (Thompson 18%, Vera 11%, Bailey 8%, Burdi 7%, Rutherford 6%, Dalquist 3.2%, Adolfo/Sheets 2.9%, González 0.6%)
8. Gavin Sheets— 29% (Vera 24%, Thompson 21%, Burdi 9%, Bailey 6%, Rutherford 5%, Dalquist 4%, Adolfo 3%, Rodriguez 1%, González 0.2%)
9. Norge Vera— 31% (Thompson 27%, Rutherford 12%, Mercedes 9%, Burdi 8%, Bailey 7%, Adolfo 4%, Dalquist 2%, Rodriguez 1%, González 0%)
10. Matthew Thompson — 49% (Mercedes 10%, Bailey/Burdi/Rutherford 9%, Adolfo 5.3%, Dalquist 4.9%, Lambert 4.1%, González 1%, Rodriguez 0%)
11. Yermín Mercedes — 19% (Bailey 15%, Burger 13%, Burdi 12%, Dalquist 10.9%, Adolfo/Rutherford 10.5%, Lambert 8%, Rodriguez 1.3%, González 0.8%)
12. Jake Burger — 28% (Burdi 21%, Rutherford 18%, Bailey 14%, Dalquist 7%, Adolfo 5%, Lambert 3%, González 2%, Rodriguez 1.3%, Ramos 0.5%)
13. Zack Burdi — 30% (Rutherford 20%, Bailey 15%, Dalquist 14%, Adolfo 10%, Lambert 5%, González 2%, Rodriguez/Ramos 1.4%, Sánchez 0.9%)
14. Benyamin Bailey — 28% (Rutherford 24%, Dalquist 18%, Adolfo 13%, Lambert 6%, Johnson 5%, Rodriguez 3%, González 2.0%, Sánchez 1.5%, Ramos 1.0%)
15. Andrew Dalquist — 29% (Rutherford 26%, Adolfo 17%, Lambert 9%, Johnson 8%, González 5%, Gladney 3% Rodriguez 2%, Sánchez 1.0%, Ramos 0.5%)
16. Blake Rutherford — 29% (Adolfo 23%, Lambert 20%, Gladney 6%, Johnson/González/Rodriguez 6%, Zavala 2.3%, Sánchez/Ramos 1.6%)
17. Micker Adolfo — 30% (Lambert 25%, Johnson 13%, González/Rodriguez 8%, Gladney 6%, Ramos/Zavala 3.1%, Sánchez 2.5%, Sosa 1.9%)
18. Jimmy Lambert — 32% (Johnson 23%, Rodriguez 14%, González 12%, Gladney/Zavala 6%, Ramos/Sánchez 3%, Flores Jr./Sosa 1%)
19. Tyler Johnson — 46% (Rodriguez/González 16%, Gladney 11%, Sánchez 4%, Kincanon/Zavala/Flores Jr./Sosa 2% Ramos 0%)
20. Luis González — 23% (Rodriguez 21%, Ramos 15%, Bush/Sánchez 10%, Gladney 9%, Flores Jr. 6%, Zavala 5%, Kincanon/Sosa 1%)
21. José Rodriguez — 34% (Ramos 13%, Sánchez/Flores Jr. 10%, Gladney/Kincanon/Pilkington 8%, Bush 5%, Zavala 3%, Sosa 2%)
22. Bryan Ramos — 26% (Gladney/McClure 14%, Sánchez 12%, Flores Jr./Pilkington 9%, Kincanon 7%, Bush 5%, Zavala 4%, Sosa 0%)
23. Bernardo Flores Jr. — 36% (Gladney 25%, McClure 17%, Sánchez 9%, Pilkington 6%, Sosa 3%, Kincanon/Zavala 2%, Beard/Bush 0%)
24. DJ Gladney — 30% (McClure 19%, Sánchez/Pilkington 15%, Sosa/Kincanon 7%, Zavala 4%, Vargas/Bush 2%, Beard 0%)
25. Kade McClure — 24% (Pilkington/Bush 15%, Sánchez 11%, Vargas 9%, Beard 8%, Freeman 6%, Sosa/Zavala 5%, Kincanon 3%)
26. James Beard — 21% (Pilkington 20%, Bush/Sánchez 12%, Kincanon 9%, Perez 7%, Zavala 6%, Vargas/Sosa 5%, Freeman 4%)
27. Konnor Pilkington — 49% (Bush/Sánchez 15%, Perez 6%, Kincanon/Zavala 4%, Vargas/Sosa/Freeman 2%, Mieses 0%)
28. Bryce Bush — 28% (Sánchez 21%, Perez 13%, Zavala 12%, Kincanon 9%, Sosa 6%, Freeman 4%, Vargas/Mieses 3%, Delgado 2%)
29. Yolbert Sánchez — 31% (Sousa/Perez 14%, Kincanon 12%, Zavala 10%, Sosa 8%, Vargas/Mieses 4%, Freeman 2%, Delgado 0%)
30. Andrew Perez — 30% (Sousa 14%, Zavala 11%, Kincanon/Sosa 10%, Freeman 7%, Vargas/Medeiros 6%, Mieses/Delgado 3%)
31. Bennett Sousa — 30% (Kincanon 16%, Zavala/Freeman 14%, Sosa 7%, Vargas/Medeiros/Mieses 5%, Delgado 4%, Carranza 0%)
32. Will Kincanon — 43% (Zavala 14%, Medeiros 11%, Freeman 10%, Vargas 7%, Krogman/Sosa 6%, Mieses/Delgado/Carranza 1%)
33. Seby Zavala — 28% (Freeman 22%, Medeiros 14%, Sosa 12%, Vargas 10%, Delgado/Krogman 4%, Bilous/Mieses/Carranza 2%)
34. Kodi Medeiros — 23% (Freeman 17%, Sosa/Vargas 14%, Battenfield 11%, Delgado/Krogman/Mieses 6%, Carranza 3%, Bilous 0%)

Vince Arobio

Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 26
Age Difference (Top Level) -0.3
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2020 SSHP prospect ranking 68
2019 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Overall 2019 stats 5-4 ▪️ 36 games ▪️ 2 saves ▪️ 64 IP ▪️ 3.80 ERA ▪️ 84 K ▪️ 20 BB ▪️ 1.063 WHIP

Blake Battenfield

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 26
Age Difference (Top Level) -0.3
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 59
2020 SSHP prospect ranking 62
2019 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Overall 2019 stats 6-7 ▪️ 25 starts ▪️ 130 ⅔ IP ▪️ 4.06 ERA ▪️ 94 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.316 WHIP

Jason Bilous

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
Age Difference (Top Level) -0.8
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2020 SSS poll ranking 51
2019 High Level Kannapolis (A)
Overall 2019 stats 6-10 ▪️ 31 games ▪️ 17 starts ▪️ 2 GF ▪️ 104 ²⁄₃ IP ▪️ 3.70 ERA ▪️ 113 K ▪️ 61 BB ▪️ 1.395 WHIP

Isaiah Carranza

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 24
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2020 SSS poll ranking N/R
2018 High Level Azusa Pacific (NCAA Div. II)
Overall 2018 stats 9-1 ▪️ 13 starts ▪️ 2 CG ▪️ 74 IP ▪️ 3.89 ERA ▪️ 86 K ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 1.46 WHIP

Carranza missed his first one-and-a-half seasons due to injury, and 2020 due to the pandemic. He was drafted as a bargain, at No. 348 but ranked 166th per MLB Pipeline.

Lency Delgado

Shortstop
Age 22
Age Difference (Top Level) -0.6
2019 High Level Great Falls (Rookie+)
Overall 2019 stats 57 games ▪️ 2 HR ▪️ 32 RBI ▪️ .274/.325/.377 ▪️ 14 BB ▪️ 87 K

Caleb Freeman

Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 23
Age Difference (Top Level) -0.8
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 45
2019 High Level Kannapolis (A)
Overall 2019 stats 4-2 ▪️ 17 games ▪️ 24 ⅔ IP ▪️ 2.19 ERA ▪️ 38 K ▪️ 9 BB ▪️ 0.973 WHIP

Chase Krogman

Right Fielder
Age 20
Age Difference (Top Level) -1.6
2020 SSS poll ranking 52
2019 High Level Arizona (Rookie)
Overall 2019 stats 7 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 1 RBI ▪️ .190/.227/.190 ▪️ 1 BB ▪️ 6 K

Luis Mieses

Center Fielder
Age 21
Age Difference (Top Level) -1.6
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 45
2020 SSS poll ranking 48
2019 High Level Great Falls (Rookie+)
Overall 2019 stats 59 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 28 RBI ▪️ .241/.264/.359 ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 46 K

Lenyn Sosa
Shortstop

Age 21
Age Difference (Top Level) -2.5
2018 SSS poll ranking 39
2019 SSS poll ranking 30
2020 SSS poll ranking 37
2019 High Level Kannapolis (A+)
Overall 2019 stats 122 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 51 RBI ▪️ .251/.292/.371 ▪️ 6-of-12 SB ▪️ 27 BB ▪️ 102 K

Emilio Vargas

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 24
Age Difference (Top Level) -2.3
2018 SSS poll ranking N/A
2019 SSS poll ranking N/A
2020 SSS poll ranking N/A
2019 High Level Jackson Generals (Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A)
Overall 2019 stats 5-5 ▪️ 20 starts ▪️ 96 IP ▪️ 3.84 ERA ▪️ 82 K ▪️ 25 BB ▪️ 1.225 WHIP

Vargas was claimed off of waivers from Arizona last fall. At Double-A last season, he was pitching 2.3 years younger than league average.