South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 57: Craig Dedelow

Craig Dedelow

Right Fielder
6´4´´
205 pounds
Age: 28
2019 SSS Top Prospect Ranking: 86
2020 SSHP Top Prospect Ranking: 45
2022 White Sox Top Prospect Ranking 77
2022 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level +0.7 years
SSS rank among all right fielders in the system 3
Overall 2022 stats 133 games ⚾️ 27 HR ⚾️ 83 RBI ⚾️ .222/.330/.454 ⚾️ 16-of-22 (72.7%) SB ⚾️ 72 BB ⚾️ 214 K

Craig Dedelow was a three-sport athlete in high school for a short time, before a broken arm ended his prep football career during his freshman year. However, he continued to excel in both basketball and baseball. Dedelow played power forward on the No. 1-ranked basketball team in his home state of Indiana during his senior year, but when he failed to garner collegiate recruiting attention on the hardwood he realized baseball was his sport.

At IU, Dedelow made the most of his opportunity, and after his junior year was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 34th round of the 2016 draft. Instead of signing a professional contract, Dedelow opted to return to college for his senior season. There, his hard work and dedication to strength training resulted in a power surge, as Dedelow hit 19 long balls during his final season, surpassing his previous three years’ combined total. The power surge opened some eyes and Dedelow was selected by the White Sox in the 10th round of the 2017 draft. He continued mashing during his rookie ball debut at Great Falls, authoring a fantastic .321/.353/.574 slash line that included a dozen round-trippers.

Dedelow came into the 2018 season with high hopes, kicking off his first full pro season as the primary left fielder for the Kannapolis Intimidators. At the end of the first half, Dedelow was one of eight Intimidators earning a selection as a SAL All-Star, and he showcased his plus raw power by finishing as the runner-up in the Home Run Derby. But after the All-Star break Dedelow’s stat line dropped off precipitously, as he slashed .214/.261/.381 in spite of doubling his first-half home run total.

AD

Dedelow advanced to Winston-Salem for the 2019 season and fairly well duplicated his 2018 numbers from Low-A, slashing .245/.307/.445 and driving out a personal professional-best 18 homers. Advancement to Birmingham, however, was delayed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Birmingham’s not an easy place to hit, as while the dimensions aren’t particularly overwhelming, balls there simply don’t carry well in the evening air. Thus, Regions Field was expected to be a challenge for Dedelow in 2021. While he did produce his share of extra-base hits, his numbers were relatively underwhelming overall. For the year, he slashed .224/.315/.423 with 20 doubles, one triple, 17 homers, 56 RBIs, three stolen bases, 46 walks, 138 strikeouts and a 104 wRC+. He did attain a career-high walk rate, but also hit his career worst in strikeout rate. Inconsistencies with Dedelow’s swing seem to be the biggest culprit for his whiffs.

Entering his age-28 season this year, Dedelow made some movement in the right direction in 2022. He played 104 games with Double-A Birmingham, posting a .232/.334/.467 (109 wRC+) slash line. Given that Regions Field is a pitcher-friendly stadium, Dedelow’s slash line here showed mild progress. Dedelow then earned a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte, where he played 29 games, slashing .174/.314/.395 (90 wRC+).Dedelow hit the most home runs (27) out of anyone in the White Sox organization in 2022, including the big club — and only seven players hit as many as 20.

Dedelow’s Baseball Cube player ratings:
Durability 92
Power 85
XBH 83
RBIs 73
Runs 58
Hitting 47
Speed 43
Contact 32
Team Winning Percentage .535

With the major league team desperately needing power (and walks, which Dedelow also has plenty of), the tall cornerman has the potential to provide a spark, but the clock is ticking on his chances of making an impact in the show. When Dedelow puts the bat on the ball, he does a lot of damage. The problem is that his hit tool is still not up to the sky-high MLB standards, and too often he struggled to put the bat on the ball. Dedelow’s strikeout rate was just less than 39% on the season, which does not translate well to the majors. Plus, Dedelow plays in the corner outfield positions almost exclusively, so his potential defensive value is lacking.

Dedelow’s slash line will need to be strong for him to be a serviceable major leaguer, and he is not ready yet. If Dedelow makes his way onto the major league roster at any point in 2023, that would most likely say more about things going wrong at the MLB level rather than Dedelow making a major surge.

2023 South Side Sox Top 102 White Sox Prospects

57. Craig Dedelow, RF
58. Darío Borrero, 1B
59. Michael Turner, C
60. Tyler Osik, 1B
61. Haylen Green, LHRP
62. Mark McLaughlin, RHRP
63. Terrell Tatum, LF
64. Shawn Goosenberg, 2B
65. Randel Mondesí, LF
66. Emerson Talavera, RHRP
67. Declan Cronin, RHRP
68. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
69. Colby Smelley, C
70. Ethan Hammerberg, RHRP
71. Lincoln Henzman, RHRP
72. Vince Vannelle, RHRP
73. Brooks Baldwin, 3B-2B
74. James Beard, CF
75. Gabriel Rodríguez, RHSP
76. Ronny Hernandez, C
77. Troy Claunch, C
78. Brooks Gosswein, LHSP
79. Tim Elko, 1B
80. Yoelvín Silven, RHRP
81. Trey Jeans, LHRP
82. Jerry Burke, RHSP
83. Carlos Jiménez, 1B
84. Mason Adams, RHSP
85. Frankeli Arias, LHSP
86. Ernesto Jaquez, RHSP
87. Laz Rivera, 3B
88. Xavier Fernández, C
89. Álvaro Agüero, CF
90. Ben Norman, RF
91. Erick Bello, RHRP
92. Adisyn Coffey, RHRP
93. Arnold Prado, RF
94. Alsander Womack, 2B
95. Johan Domínguez, RHSP
96. Evan Skoug, C
97. Noah Owen, RHSP
98. Javier Mora, 2B
99. Will Kincanon, RHRP
100. Yohemy Nolasco, RHSP
101. Billy Seidl, RHRP
102. José Rodulfo, RHRP