2023 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 3

It is the sixth year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!

Here’s how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here’s an archive of every article in the 2018 series. Here’s how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well. Here’s 2020, with the archive. Here’s the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive. And here’s the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.

Despite cutting short our Top 50 voting last year, some seasons we’ve gotten upwards of 15,000 votes. So thanks in advance for your participation!

Our No. 100 prospect was a late substitution, Luke Shilling, so he’s not yet up on site. But we do aim to run the Top 100 count-up on a daily basis, and have prospect votes every couple of days.

Unlike last year, our writers agree on a No. 1 prospect. Will you as well?

Just five of 10 players from last year’s initial prospect vote poll show up this time around, with only one (Jake Burger) dropping off after losing his rookie/prospect status. So there is some ballot churn here.

Also note something sort of miraculous, and a tribute to a steady climb through the system: Lenyn Sosa is spending his SIXTH year on our top prospect lists — and is still very young!

All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!

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Once Oscar Colás upset Colson Montgomery in the first round — in a rout, at that — it was the least suspenseful vote we’ll have this offseason, as Montgomery crushed the other nine players on the ballot to take the second spot with 96 votes (71%) for the easy win.

A year ago, Montgomery debuted in our vote as the No. 5 prospect. No. 2 in 2022 was Jake Burger, who took 43% of the vote.

Lenyn Sosa pushed ahead of Bryan Ramos in this round, but it appears that our first close battle of this year’s voting is upcoming in Round 3.

Yoelqui Céspedes debuted on the ballot at No. 7. Sean Burke still has yet to earn a single vote this year, and Noah Schultz and Peyton Pallette just two apiece.

Wes Kath, who has fallen a bit from his second round pick grace of a year ago, joins that ballot this round.

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South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2023

1. Oscar Colás — 57% (Sosa 9%, Ramos 5%, Rodríguez 4.4%, Mena 3.7%, Vera 3%, Céspedes 2%, Pallette/Schultz 1%, Burke 0%)
2. Colson Montgomery — 71% (Montgomery 35%, Ramos/Sosa 3%, Rodríguez 1%, Mena/Pallette/Schultz 0.5%, Burke/Vera 0%)

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Sean Burke

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2022 SSS poll ranking 13
2022 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 4-10 ⚾️ 27 games (26 starts) ⚾️ 108 IP ⚾️ 4.75 ERA ⚾️ 48 BB ⚾️ 137 K ⚾️ 1.444 WHIP

In line to be 2023’s Davis Martin, and given the White Sox high-minors starter depth, flip a coin as to whether Burke makes his MLB debut this summer. While very challenged at Birmingham and downright overmatched in two Charlotte starts, Burke mowed through his age-appropriate Winston-Salem opponents to start the year. He’ll start in the Charlotte rotation this April.

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Yoelqui Céspedes

Center Fielder
Age 25
2021 SSS poll ranking 6
2022 SSS poll ranking 6
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 119 games ⚾️ 17 HR ⚾️ 59 RBI ⚾️ .258/.332/.437 ⚾️ 33-of-45 SB ⚾️ 29 BB ⚾️ 154 K

Céspedes broke camp on a pretty high note, having impressed in Arizona, and it did not seem completely out of the question he could see the South Side in the summer. But while Oscar Colás just whipped past him and sprinted up to Charlotte, Céspedes languished in Birmingham. Particularly concerning is his ongoing contact issue; 154 Ks (with scant corresponding walks) and only decent power is not going to cut it. Yoelqui will need to either dump at least 100 points into his soft (.769) OPS or make those contact issues disappear. At this point, he’s in danger of being passed by Luis Mieses — and that’s just among outfielders.

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Wes Kath

Third Baseman
Age 20
2022 SSS poll ranking 9
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 112 games ⚾️ 13 HR ⚾️ 45 RBI ⚾️ .230/.333/.374 ⚾️ 64 BB ⚾️ 171 K

Unlike fellow top-round 2021 draftee Colson Montgomery, Wes Kath didn’t have a particularly strong regular season in Low-A (.740 OPS) and then was annihilated with his promotion to Project Birmingham. With the Barons, rather than just focusing on the group pregame drills and top-prospect bonding that was the underpinning of the concept, Kath was pressed into 13 games that generated a total of one extra-base hit and 23 Ks. While Montgomery surged ahead in 2022, Kath languished. He needs to solve some contact, power, and defense issues. The good news? Even at Kannapolis, Kath had advanced well ahead of his age, by nearly two years.

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Cristian Mena

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 20
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -5.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 2-6 ⚾️ 24 starts ⚾️ 104 1⁄3 IP ⚾️ 3.80 ERA ⚾️ 38 BB ⚾️ 126 K ⚾️ 1.323 WHIP

Mena has shot past more heralded young righties (Drew Dalquist, Jared Kelley, Matthew Thompson) and has his sights now set on Norge Vera. Every bit the pitching phenom that Colson Montgomery is on the hitting side.

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Peyton Pallette

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Arkansas (NCAA)
Age relative to high level -0.9 years
Overall 2022 college stats 1-2 ⚾️ 15 games (11 starts) ⚾️ 56 IP ⚾️ 4.02 ERA ⚾️ 67 K ⚾️ 20 BB ⚾️ 1.268 WHIP

Pallette was Chicago’s No. 2 pick in 2022 and was held out of any professional pitching. He’ll be ticketed for the Arizona Complex League this summer. although a quick move up to Kannapolis — or, possibly, starting there for some full-season play — is not out of the question.

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Bryan Ramos

Third Baseman
Age 21
2020 SSS poll ranking 38
2021 SSS poll ranking 22
2022 SSS poll ranking 12
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -4.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 120 games ⚾️ 22 HR ⚾️ 86 RBI ⚾️ .266/.338/.455 ⚾️ 13-of-17 SB ⚾️ 45 BB ⚾️ 86 K

A monster year from a white-hot prospect, and the rare one who didn’t falter too much in the face of outclassing opposition in Double-A. Long connected to José Rodríguez in terms of hitting prowess, he may have pulled ahead in 2022.

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José Rodríguez

Shortstop
Age 21
2020 SSS poll ranking 32
2021 SSS poll ranking 21
2022 SSS poll ranking 3
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -3.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 104 games ⚾️ 11 HR ⚾️ 68 RBI ⚾️ .280/.340/.430 ⚾️ 40-of-50 SB ⚾️ 38 BB ⚾️ 66 K

Terrible start to 2022 was completely reversed as the season wore on, including a stunner of a power surge right before a broken hand ended his season prematurely.

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Noah Schultz

Left-handed starting pitcher
Age 19
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Illinois Valley (Prospect League)
Age relative to high level -2.8 years
Overall 2022 prospect league stats 0-1 ⚾️ 6 starts ⚾️ 19 1⁄3 IP ⚾️ 0.93 ERA ⚾️ 37 K ⚾️ 7 BB ⚾️ 0.776 WHIP

Schultz was Chicago’s No. 1 pick in 2022 and was held out of any professional pitching. He’ll be ticketed for the Arizona Complex League this summer.

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Lenyn Sosa

Shortstop
Age 23
2018 SSS poll ranking 39
2019 SSS poll ranking 30
2020 SSS poll ranking 37
2021 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 SSS poll ranking 20
2022 High Level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -5.9 years
Overall 2022 minor league stats 119 games ⚾️ 23 HR ⚾️ 79 RBI ⚾️ .315/.369/.511 ⚾️ 39 BB ⚾️ 83 K

Sosa made a miracle run from Double-A to the majors last year, and while he was outclassed in two short, idle stints on the South Side, the White Sox second base job is very likely his to lose in 2023.

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Norge Vera

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 22
2021 SSS poll ranking 9
2022 SSS poll ranking 1
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 0-3 ⚾️ 13 starts ⚾️ 35 1⁄3 IP ⚾️ 3.31 ERA ⚾️ 52 K ⚾️ 31 BB ⚾️ 1.415 WHIP

It was a bit of a crash to earth for the top pitching prospect in the system, but then, nothing could match his perfection in his 2021 debut in the DSL. Nagging injuries might point to a move to late relief one day.