The lower levels of the White Sox farm system have been the most successful. It seems their more recent drafts may pan out to a higher level of success than normal. Perhaps the scouting department has figured something out. Regardless, a few key names are having a very successful season in Winston-Salem and could be promoted in the near future.
Johnathan Cannon
Perhaps the highest riser out of any White Sox prospect this year, Cannon has had an amazing first full season in the minors.
The 3rd round pick from last year has pitched to a 3.69 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 70 innings. These are very solid numbers for his first full minor league season.
He was also recently selected to be in the Futures Game for the White Sox, as one of their outstanding prospects. If he can keep this up, they could get him up to AA later this year and hopefully be on the track to be in the pros in a year or two.
The White Sox desperately need pitching prospects, so if he can make a contribution at the major league level, it would be a huge win for the Sox developmental team, especially out of a third-round pick.
Two Recent Promotions
The next two names on this list were recently promoted from low A and were recent draft picks of the White Sox as well.
Tim Elko has had a great first full season in the minors, as he is hitting .295 with 18 bombs and 59 RBIs. These are very good numbers and he could see a promotion to Birmingham if he can produce like this in high A.
He has shown that he has elite power, which is extremely important in today’s game. The 10th-round pick from last year has now had 3 games in A+ and has already hit a home run as you can see above.
I’m not sure how the Sox value him long-term, as they are stacked at 1B and DH, but if you can hit, there will always be a spot for you on a major league team. He could be trade bait for another team, or if the White Sox make some moves, maybe a spot opens up for him.
The next promotion that was well deserved is Jacob Burke. Picked one round after Elko, Burke has been just as impressive this year.
He has a .319 average with 4 bombs and 22 RBIs. The best part about his game is the fact that he gets on base, as he has a .420 OBP, which is amazing.
He has continued to hit at A+, although in a very small sample size. I hope to see him continue his hot season and make it to AA this year. He can hopefully push to make the team in a few years as he is 22.
There hasn’t been much to get excited about for the White Sox this year, but these three prospects have been some of the bright spots in an otherwise dull prospect pool. If they can develop over the next year or so, they could make it onto the top 100 prospects list.
