The future success of every Major League team lies in its Minor League system. With that in mind, each preseason, MLB.com takes a top-to-bottom look at all 30 organizations, from top prospects to recent draft picks. The White Sox gave up a lot this offseason in trades that brought over outfielders Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin from Oakland and Arizona respectively. They dealt away five top prospects, all of whom, coincidentally, are now with the Athletics organization: Southpaw ace Gio Gonzalez, promising right-hander Fautino De Los Santos, upper-level outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Aaron Cunningham and power-hitting young first baseman Chris Carter. The deals admittedly thinned the ranks of Chicago's Minor League system, but it certainly didn't drain it. The White Sox added depth to their big-league outfield picture, and the main difference now is that much of the talent is a little further away from the Majors. The organization is particularly strong when it comes to pitching, middle-infield depth and some toolsy outfielders further down the line. Look, especially, for the Class A Kannapolis Intimidators to be a ton of fun to watch this summer.
10 Spot
Ten prospects to watch out for in 2008:
Lance Broadway, RHP: A durable workhorse who went 8-9 with a 4.65 ERA in 155 innings at Triple-A Charlotte, he heads back to the Knights rotation to start 2008 and continue to refine his new two-seam fastball (instead of the four-seamer he threw in college), a plus changeup and good curveball.
"He's a work in progress because he's throwing a lot more sinkers than he ever had in his career," said Alan Regier, White Sox Director of Player Development. "We're really happy with him. He's knocking on the door, a good competitor and hard worker."
Jack Egbert, RHP: Over four pro seasons, Egbert has posted a 2.99 ERA with an average fastball but good secondary pitches.
A slightly tweaked elbow at the beginning of Spring Training set him back just a bit, so the Major League staff didn't get a good look at him. He heads to Triple-A Charlotte to join a solid rotation there.
Chris Getz, 2B: He batted .299 with the Barons, bringing his average up more than 40 points from 2006, and continued to show good strike-zone discipline.
A fourth-round pick in 2005 out of Michigan, Getz does all the little things well and is a tireless worker.
Jose Martinez, OF: #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
At 6-foot-5 and 170 pounds, with a similar lanky build to his dad, Martinez still has a projectable body to go with a strong arm and outstanding tools across the board.
After hitting .282 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 12 steals at Class A Short-Season Bristol, he's likely to head to Kannapolis for his first full summer.
Kyle McCulloch, RHP:
He returns to the Barons rotation to start '08, bringing with him his plus changeup and fastball around 90 mph as well as the splitter he added to his repertoire last summer. A converted outfielder, he has good command and continues to work on his sinker.
Sergio Morales, OF:
"He's probably one of the best five-tool athletes in camp," Regier said. "He has a chance to hit, hit for power and run well."
Aaron Poreda, LHP: With a blazing fastball that has touched 100 MPH -- and remember, this is a left-hander -- he is also working on secondary pitches, trying to develop a slider and changeup. If he does, he'll remain a starter and if not, he could be a key bullpen cog. In his pro debut at rookie-level Great Falls, the 6-foot-6 240-pounder posted a 1.17 ERA and limited Pioneer League hitters to a .181 average, adding two scoreless playoff outings. This spring, he made quite an impression on White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen in his B-game outings.
"Ozzie comes to the backfield as much as any manager in baseball," Regier said. "He caught his eye and rightfully so."
Adam Russell, RHP: Drafted in the sixth round of 2004 out of Ohio, Russell throws a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, a plus curveball, and he's posted a 3.97 ERA over four pro seasons.
He shows flashes of great stuff and just needs to work on consistency to make that final step up.
John Shelby III, 2B: In his first full season in 2007 he hit .301 with 16 homers, 79 RBIs and 19 steals and adds great makeup to a package of solid tools across the board. He's been working this spring with new director of instruction Buddy Bell, and the Sox are excited about what the season could hold for him, most likely at Winston-Salem.
"He has a lot of athleticism," Regier said, "And it will be a smoother road to the big leagues for him at second base as well as having more value for us."
Juan Silverio, SS: "He's very interesting with soft hands, a strong arm, good speed. ... and the ball comes off his bat and makes that special sound," Regier said.
Under the Radar
Jason Bourgeois, IF/OF: Between Birmingham and Charlotte last year, he hit a combined .306, tops among all White Sox full-season Minor Leaguers, and led the organization with 38 steals, adding some pop as well with nine homers and 54 RBIs. Add to that his clubhouse leadership and makeup, and you have a guy who should be opening Major League eyes. And that's what he's been doing in camp this spring as a non-roster invite. "Ozzie and [bench coach] Joey Cora both like this kid," Regier said. "He's had a solid spring, he can play all over the place, has an outstanding work ethic and is highly regarded."
With the surfeit of utility infielders on the club fighting for time, Bourgeois is likely to head back to Charlotte to start the year but may have opened enough eyes to be considered seriously when a call needs to be made to the Knights.
Lucas Harrell, RHP: He throws a lively fastball in the low 90s, a plus changeup and a slider, and the Sox think he's healthy now. He's been a little inconsistent with his breaking pitches due to the layoff, but overall is ahead of schedule and could start the season in the Birmingham rotation. If not, it won't be long until he's there.
Christian Marrero, 1B:
He has a live bat and showed it off at Great Falls last year, hitting .305 with 12 homers and 63 RBIs. With a plus arm and outstanding makeup, the club looks forward to his full-season debut at Kannapolis this year.
2007 Draft Recap
RHP Nevin Griffith (2nd round) is a high school star from Tampa who throws a mid-90s fastball but needs to work on his command and secondary pitches this season. ... RHP John Ely (3rd) was drafted out of Miami (Ohio) and went 6-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 56 innings at Great Falls. He's a polished fast-tracker with three quality pitches. ... OF Lyndon Estill (8th) is a fine athlete taken out of community college in Washington who hit .247 at Great Falls with seven homers and 38 RBIs. ... SS Sergio Miranda (13th) is a switch-hitter from Virginia Commonwealth with a live bat. ... 3B C.J. Retherford went undrafted out of Arizona State but hit .318 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs at Great Falls last summer.
Predictions
Organizational Player of the Year: John Shelby III
Organizational Pitcher of the Year: Aaron Poreda
Comeback Player of the Year: Lucas Harrell
Top Candidate for AL Rookie of the Year: Alexei Ramirez
Quotable "He'll be starting in the Minors this year to get his innings. If the secondary pitches come, then he'll stay in the rotation. Otherwise he could wind up in the pen as a Dave Righetti-type closer, but that's not to say we're going to shoe-horn him into that role right now." -- Farm director Alan Regier about the future role of 2007 first-rounder Aaron Poreda. Lisa Winston is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. | ||||||||||||||||
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