As the season comes to an end, White Sox fans can finally take a breather as the worst season in White Sox history will be over. However, there will still be more baseball for players in the White Sox organization, as the Arizona Fall League will start up on October 7th.
This league allows prospects from every MLB team to get extra games under their belt against other top prospects. This is extra helpful for players who missed a good chunk of the season due to injury, or if they didn’t get to play that much for other reasons.
While it is not official, James Fegan reports that the White Sox are expected to send eight players to the fall league, the same as last year.
While it has not been officially announced, these players are to include Grant Taylor, Peyton Pallette, Tim Elko, DJ Gladney, Michael Turner, Andrew Dalquist, and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa. This is a very solid group of guys, so the White Sox will be well represented in Arizona.
Since Sean Burke made his MLB debut, I am not sure if he still qualifies to play in the Arizona Fall League, so there is a chance he is replaced by another pitcher.
The most intriguing name on the roster for the White Sox is Grant Taylor, a second round pick out of last year’s draft.
Taylor was elite this year, but his season was cut short due to an injury. However, now he is heathy and will be participating in the Arizona Fall League.
In four starts at single-A Kannapolis, Taylor threw 16 innings of 1.13 ERA baseball. In those 16 innings, he struck out an insane 25 batters, good for a 14.9 K/9. He also walked just one batter, showing he had command of the zone.
In a farm system that is stacked with pitching, Taylor has the chance to be the best right handed prospect. Even though it was a small sample size, he showcased his elite arsenal and will now be able to show it again for a few starts in Arizona this fall. If he plays well, look for him to get a promotion to Winston-Salem to start the season.
Taylor will look to win an award in the Arizona Fall League for the White Sox, just like Colson Montgomery did last year when he won the All-Star Game MVP. This is a chance for many prospects to boost their stock, so they will do everything they can to make a name for themselves.
Last year’s roster for the White Sox included some notable names, such as Bryan Ramos, Colson Montgomery, Jordan Leasure, Fraser Ellard, Jake Eder, Josimar Cousin, Adisyn Coffey, and Jacob Burke.
While that roster is more star studded than this year, the White Sox are still sending some very quality players to represent them once again.
