2023 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 8

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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Norge Vera shook off the shock of being leapfrogged by Noah Schultz to claim the seventh spot in our poll, earning 41 votes (30%). In 2021, Vera was the No. 9-voted prospect in our poll, while in 2022 he topped the list, at No. 1.

A year ago, Yolbert Sánchez was our No. 7 pick; however, Sánchez has seen his prospect currency fall a bit, and he’s yet to even make our voting ballot.

In a rarity, there were no voting ties this past round, and the results were extremely close — just one vote separated the Nos. 1 and 2 picks, and Nos. 4-10 simply counted down from seven to one.

There were some big jumps, however, as Wes Kath came out of nowhere to nearly pull off an upset, jumping up four spots, as did Peyton Pallette.

Newcomer Jared Kelley hopped in at No. 7 overall, getting four votes.

Joining the ballot this round is our first prospect from the DSL, shortstop Ryan Burrowes.

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South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2023

1. Oscar Colás — 57% (Montgomery 35%, Ramos/Sosa 3%, Rodríguez 1%, Mena/Pallette/Schultz 0.5%, Burke/Vera 0%)
2. Colson Montgomery — 71% (Sosa 9%, Ramos 5%, Rodríguez 4.4%, Mena 3.7%, Vera 3%, Céspedes 2%, Pallette/Schultz 1%, Burke 0%)
3. Bryan Ramos — 29% (Sosa 25%, Vera 12.3%, Rodríguez 11.7%, Schultz 9%, Mena 8%, Burke/Pallette 2%, Céspedes 1%, Kath 0%)
4. Lenyn Sosa — 43% (Rodríguez 25%, Vera 16%, Mena/Schultz 6%, Céspedes 2%, Kath/Pallette 1%, Burke/Cannon 0%)
5. José Rodríguez — 40.5% (Vera 22.3%, Mena 14.0%, Schultz 9.1%, Céspedes 5.0%, Burke 3.3%, Kath/Pallette 2.5%,/Cannon 0.8%, Simas 0.0%)
6. Noah Schultz — 34% (Vera 26%, Mena 17%, Céspedes/Mieses 7%, Kath 5%, Burke 2.4%, Pallette 1.6%, Cannon/Simas 0.0%)
7. Norge Vera — 30% (Kath 29%, Mena 20%, Pallette 5%, Mieses 4.3%, Céspedes 3.7%, Kelley 2.9%, Burke 2.2%, Cannon 1.5%, Simas 0.7%)

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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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Ryan Burrowes

Shortstop
Age 18
2022 High Level DSL (Rookie)
Age relative to high level -0.8 years
Overall 2022 stats 47 games ⚾️ 3 HR ⚾️ 18 RBI ⚾️ .266/.393/.392 ⚾️ 12-of-12 SB ⚾️ 25 BB ⚾️ 34 K

It says a lot that this shortstop is more highly-ranked than Loidell Chapelli Jr., who absolutely tore up the DSL in 2022. Certainly Burrowes being age-appropriate for the DSL and exhibiting durability and smarts for the season played a big role in that. As all DSL seasons tend to be, there’s a small sample size here, but it will be exciting to see what Burrowes can do Stateside in 2023.

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Jonathan Cannon

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 22
2022 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -0.7 years
Overall 2022 pro stats 0-0 ⚾️ 4 games (3 starts) ⚾️ 7 1⁄3 IP ⚾️ 1.23 ERA ⚾️ 0.955 WHIP ⚾️ 4 K ⚾️ 3 BB

The big (6´6´´) Georgian was the club’s third-rounder in 2022, getting his feet wet as a pro but really getting down to business looking ahead to 2023. Anticipate a cup of coffee in Kanny, if not an outright straight assignment right to Winston-Salem. There is room to move fast as a starter in the White Sox system.

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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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Jared Kelley

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2021 SSS poll ranking 5
2022 SSS poll ranking 11
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -4.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 1-6 ⚾️ 21 starts ⚾️ 76 2⁄3 IP ⚾️ 3.52 ERA ⚾️ 71 K ⚾️ 47 BB ⚾️ 1.461 WHIP

Kelley, still young even for the Low-A Kannapolis where he started and pitched most of his season, got some of the first traction of his career in 2022, meriting (by the odd org standards) matriculation to Project Birmingham in August. A reasonable placement in 2023 would see him build momentum by beginning in Winston-Salem, but desperation drives organizations to do strange things.

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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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Luis Mieses

Right Fielder
Age 22
2020 SSS poll ranking 45
2021 SSS poll ranking 48
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 129 games ⚾️ 15 HR ⚾️ 88 RBI ⚾️ .281/.324/.448 ⚾️ 24 BB ⚾️ 72 K

In danger of falling out of prospect consideration as recently as a year ago, Mieses discovered his power stroke (doubles machine, but can put the ball over the fence, too) and forced a reward of Project Birmingham. One of the few hitters there to have held his own while much younger than age-level.

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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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Kohl Simas

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 2-2 ⚾️ 22 games (15 starts) ⚾️ 68 IP ⚾️ 4.24 ERA ⚾️ 1.324 WHIP ⚾️ 82 K ⚾️ 29 BB

Kohl, son of former White Sox reliever Bill Simas, was an undrafted free agent in 2021 who hit the ground running in the White Sox organization and hasn’t looked back. He is the only UDFA to have been part of Project Birmingham, called up as part of a later wave and seeing action in six games.

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