In a season where the White Sox have already seen some of their future star talent lose extended amounts of time, (see Eloy, Dane Dunning, Jake Burger, Micker Adolfo) many lower ranked prospects have been straight up dominating.
Usually when a rebuild truly hits its highest ceiling, it is because the majority of the top prospects hit, but also because teams are able to find a diamond in the rough or 2. So without further ado, it’s time to keep these lower ranked White Sox prospect on your radar.
Steele Walker
A good amount of fans are already familiar with Walker (due in large part to his 80 grade name). But with him being a recent 2nd round draftee and falling outside of the organization’s top 10 (11 overall), I’m going to include him in this list.
Out of all the outfield prospects in the White Sox system, and there are many, don’t be surprised at all if Walker claims one of the starting spots as his own in the future. So far through low A and high A this year he is slashing a combined .299/.404/.479. This guy can flat out hit, although he does seem to take time adjusting to higher levels after getting promoted as evidenced by the slow start to his pro ball career last season and his recent slump in High-A. When he is slumping at the plate, he is still capable of getting on base via walk. Walker is still a few years away, but still an exciting young prospect to keep an eye on.
Kyle Kubat
Kubat is quickly turning heads with how dominating he has been across 2 levels so far this year. In Winston-Salem, he posted a 1.23 ERA with 19 strikeouts compared to 5 walks in 22 innings. In Birmingham, (admittedly a very tough place to hit in) he has a 0.43 ERA with 17 strikeouts compared to 0 walks in 21 innings. In total, he is 4-0 in 7 starts this year. He has been mowing down everyone in his path, and also has yet to give up a home run. Kubat isn’t on the White Sox top 30 according to MLB Pipeline, but don’t be surprised when you see him on it when the mid-season rankings come out later this year. With all of the injuries to White Sox pitching, Kubat has been a breath of fresh air. It’ll be very interesting to see if he can keep it up.
Tyler Johnson
Johnson was dominant in his bullpen role last year between 2 A ball stops. He finished the year 9-0, converted 14 of 15 save opportunities, and posted a sub-1.50 ERA. In a bullpen that already features Alex Colome, Kelvin Herrera, and Aaron Bummer, Johnson should be another great addition when his time comes. He hasn’t played in 2019 yet but will more than likely start at AA Birmingham. It isn’t out of the question to say that Tyler Johnson could see time in Chicago later this year.
Throughout this rebuild, the White Sox have done a great job of adding depth to their farm system. The three players above are evidence of that. If they continue to play as they have been recently, it will allow some breathing room for the fan base. I think the White Sox will find some of those diamonds in the rough sooner than later.
