High-A ball is usually filled with a lot of recent draft picks and young, ascending players. A lot of the players are younger than 22, so they have a long way to go before making it to the pros. But, it can still be filled with very exciting players, as the White Sox have some very intriguing players in Winston-Salem. Here is a look at how they are doing…
The Bats Are Hot
The main prospect that has been crushing the ball is Loidel Chapelli. One of the many guys the Sox have signed out of Cuba, he is proving to be the next star. After finally getting a chance to play in the US this year, he is making the most of it.
So far through five games, Chapelli has two bombs, eight RBIs, and a .500 average through 18 at-bats. While it is a small sample size, those are elite numbers to start off his minor-league career.
For someone who has risen up the prospect ranks for the Sox, I can see him being a consensus top-10 White Sox prospect by the time the season ends. He is only 21 and if he continues this hot start he will be in Birmingham at some point.
If he continues to get better, the White Sox may have finally found their second basemen of the future. Let’s just hope that Rick Hahn does not trade him, as he has garnered much attention from other GMs around the league.
Another hitter that is off to a great start is third baseman, DJ Gladney. So far he is hitting .333 with two home runs and an outstanding 12 RBIs in only eight games. Great numbers to say the least.
For the 16th-round pick back in 2019, this will be his first year in Winston-Salem, as they promoted him from low-A to Birmingham last year, as a part of “Project Birmingham.” Clearly, the Sox think highly enough of him to bring him up to that. While he did not play great, it was more of a learning experience.
It seems like he has taken what he learned there and applied it to the start of this season, as he is off to one of the best starts of his career. If he keeps this up he will be right back in Birmingham and hopefully climb up the prospect list.
Terrell Tatum has also been off to a great start. The speedy outfielder is hitting .333 with nine walks and only five strikeouts to date. He also is five out of six on his stolen base attempts in the young season.
Tatum was a 16th-round pick a couple of years ago and has legit speed. He will likely climb the ranks and at worst be a Billy Hamilton type of player. His speed and fielding alone will allow him to move through the minor leagues. He is 23 so if he continues this play, we could see him promoted soon.
Some Top Prospects Are Starting Slow
Unfortunately, 18th-ranked prospect Wes Kath has not been great to start the year. He is currently hitting only .182, but he does have two home runs and three RBIs in only six games. While the average is low, the power and RBI numbers are good to start the year. This should bode well for the rest of the season.
The young second-round pick from 2021 has not been off to an amazing start to his minor league career, but I think the stats don’t tell the whole story. He has good, raw power to go along with a cannon for an arm and an above-average glove at third. If he can get the average up a bit this year he should creep into the top 10 prospects of the Sox.
Like Birmingham, Winston-Salem’s pitching has not been off to a great start. Top prospects like Andrew Dalquist and Norge Vera have not had the best of starts to the season. Those are guys that are looking to take the next step but have had a rough go so far.
It is early, but it is nice to get in a grove when the season starts to set the tone. I think that naturally things will turn around, but if the White Sox want to have more organizational depth, they need to do a better job at developing pitching prospects, and prospects in general.
