Last year the White Sox farm system had a pretty down year overall, but that was due largely in part to a ton of catastrophic injuries. This year is a completely different story so far. Luis Robert, Dylan Cease, and Micker Adolfo are off to great starts. But the prospect who is doing the most damage is one who for some reason has been written off by fans and scouts alike. I’m talking about catching prospect Zack Collins.
Last year was looked at as a bad year overall for the then 23 year old prospect. Most were concerned with his batting average, as he finished at a .234 mark.
What fans have to realize is that Birmingham, the AA affiliate where Collins played all of last year, is a notorious pitchers park. It’s one of the big reasons why Dylan Cease’s numbers got even better when he was promoted from high-A to AA. So Collins finishing with a .382 OBP with 15 home runs and a 128 wRC+ (28% better than the average player), was actually very impressive considering where he was hitting.
This year Collins started in AAA, and oh boy is he raking. Coming into tonight he was slashing .364/.385/1.364. That was before he hit this home run, his 4th in as many games played.
Whether he ends up catching for the White Sox or not is still up in the air at this point and it shouldn’t shock anyone if he is a future first baseman or DH. But having a lefty power bat that can walk 100+ times in a season should never be taken for granted.
The Charlotte Knight’s home field is much more comparable to Guaranteed Rate than Birmingham’s. Obviously the pace Collins is on is not sustainable, but now there’s no denying that he can be a great offensive talent when he reaches Chicago. If he continues to rake, it won’t be a question of if, but rather when he will be in the White Sox lineup in 2019.