The White Sox roster is almost set. Minus the departure of Jose Abreu and the additions of Andrew Benintendi and Mike Clevenger, the White Sox roster is constructed around the same group of core guys. The Sox hope that staying healthy and the new manager, Pedro Grifol, can turn this group around. Regardless, injuries happen, and some people underperform. These are prime spots for prospects to come in and show what they’ve got.
Spring Training allows coaches and us, as fans, to evaluate these prospects, even more so this year with multiple prominent members of the White Sox playing in the World Baseball Classic.
The following prospects have been showing out in the spring…
Oscar Colás
While he barely seems like a prospect at this point, he still ranks high on the list. The most likely candidate to make a substantial impact this year, Colás has been playing very well this spring.
Ranked as a top three prospect in the White Sox organization and a Top 100 prospect in all of baseball, Colás is showing us he deserves the hype. He has been mashing the ball this spring, displaying his raw power with several moonshots.
The biggest gripe with Colás was his K%, but he has silenced that concern with only one strikeout in 30+ at-bats. That is a good sign.
This spring, he has shown the looks of an everyday right fielder with the potential to be an all-star. His lefty bat will look great in the middle of the White Sox lineup, and his rocket arm will fit nicely in right field. His strong spring has earned him a starting spot to begin the season.
Bryan Ramos
Ramos is a lesser-known prospect than Colás, but one that is still rated very highly in the White Sox system. He has even been named on several national top 100 prospects lists.
Signed out of Cuba in 2018, he has all the raw tools to become the next star of the White Sox Cuban pipeline. This spring, he has been imposing and has shown all the tools to be a solid MLB contributor with the potential to be a star. Hitting over .300 for the spring and displaying his ability to be a middle-of-the-order bat, he has cemented himself as a top-three prospect.
Many scouts had him with projectable traits, and he has shown that they may be more than just projections. This spring, the other aspects of his game have been good, as his glove and speed should be above average.
If this spring is any indication, he will have a strong 2023 season in AA, and eventually, a promotion to AAA is very likely. While there is a logjam at third base with Yoan Moncada and Jake Burger, he could force the Sox hand shortly, and we could see him in Chicago soon.
Sean Burke
Predicted to be a fast riser in the Sox organization, Burke has done just that. In just two years in the minors, he has made his way to AAA, and we will likely see him this year at some point in Chicago. He also looked very sharp in his spring debut.
Drafted in the third round out of Maryland, he has the floor of a middle-of-the-rotation guy, but he has shown some front-end stuff. While he has not pitched much this spring, his appearance looked tremendous. He displayed command of all his pitches, striking out one and giving up no hits over two innings.
If he keeps the walks down, he will be a very good MLB pitcher. He will look for some more opportunities to display his talent this spring.
While the White Sox are not known for having a great farm system, they have some guys that will be able to contribute very shortly at the MLB level.
