Reviewing the Chicago White Sox Farm System

Through trades and player development, the White Sox have built one of the top farm systems in baseball led by some star hitters as well as plenty of pitching depth. Because many of the system's top prospects came via trade, most of the best prospects are closer to the majors, and with the White Sox' window of contention looking to begin around 2020, that's just how they want it. It's really a nice balance they have going and they're not lacking in any demographic except perhaps infielders beyond Nick Madrigal.

Affiliates: AAA Charlotte Knights, AA Birmingham Barons, High A Winston-Salem Dash, Class A Kannapolis Intimidators, rookie level Great Falls Voyagers, and complex level AZL and DSL White Sox

The Headliner: OF Eloy Jimenez
Big systems like this often have multiple headliners, but 22 year old Eloy Jimenez is just so good that he warrants his own section even in this stacked system. Originally signed by the Cubs for $2.8 million in 2013 as arguably the top international prospect in the class, he was sent over to the White Sox (along with, among others, arguably the system's current top pitching prospect in Dylan Cease) for Jose Quintana in 2017, and he has gotten better every year in the minors. In 2018, he slashed .337/.384/.577 with 22 home runs and a 69/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 108 games between AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte, firmly establishing himself as one of the top prospects in the game. Jimenez's best tool is his light tower power from a 6'4" frame, but unlike most sluggers his age, he rarely lets the ball get by him and lines a ton of singles and doubles as well. This ability to consistently find the barrel will make his already tremendous power play up in the majors, giving him the chance to hit 30 or more home runs per season while posting good on-base percentages. At this point, he doesn't walk all that much, though the rest of his offensive profile more than makes up for that and he should be a middle of the order thumper in the very near future. Defensively, he's not going to be much help in left field, but that doesn't matter because of his bat. He'll likely begin the 2019 season in AAA "working on his defense" (so the White Sox can get another year of team control), but once he's up in the majors around late April, he should be a strong contender in a stacked AL Rookie of the Year race that should also include Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Danny Jansen, Houston's Kyle Tucker, Tampa Bay's Brent Honeywell, and Oakland's Jesus Luzardo, among many others.

High Minors Hitters: C Seby Zavala, C Zack Collins, OF Luis Alexander Basabe, OF Joel Booker, OF Danny Mendick, and 1B Gavin Sheets
The talent level among hitters in the upper minors drops off considerably after Eloy Jimenez, but there is still plenty of talent to go around and the White Sox should have significant reinforcements coming in the next couple of seasons. 25 year old Seby Zavala is an older prospect who just slashed .258/.317/.418 with 13 home runs and a 109/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 104 games between AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte, but he can stick behind the plate and that makes the bat play up. He's not the best defender, but he can handle the catcher's position adequately and has enough power and on-base ability to profile comfortably as a back-up catcher in the near future. Behind him, 24 year old Zack Collins is the team's top catching prospect, and he slashed .234/.382/.404 with 15 home runs and a 158/101 strikeout to walk ratio over 122 games with Birmingham. The former Miami Hurricane and 2016 first round pick (tenth overall) has a very interesting profile both offensively and defensively. He has plenty of raw power but struggles to get to it in games due to high strikeout rates, but he also draws so many walks that his game-value might actually lie more in his on-base percentage than his slugging percentage despite hitting just 58 singles in 122 games in 2018 (that's what happens with 50 extra base hits, 101 walks, and 158 strikeouts). Defensively, he's not quite a natural behind the plate, but he reportedly has worked extremely hard to be where he is and the White Sox are confident he can handle the position at the highest level. Together, that makes for a wide range of possibilities even after a full season in AA, with his ceiling being that of a power hitting catcher who can pop 20-30 home runs per season with good on-base percentages and playable defense. However, he'll have to make more contact to make that a reality. 22 year old Luis Alexander Basabe, one of the less well-known players the White Sox received in the package for Chris Sale, slashed .258/.354/.445 with 15 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and a 140/64 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games between High A Winston-Salem and Birmingham. However, he broke his hand in spring training and will have to miss the beginning of the 2019 season. Basabe is an outfielder who is more well known for his glove than his bat, as he can stick in center field and play well there, taking pressure off his bat. He has some power and has shown the ability to draw walks and get on base, but at this point he strikes out too much to confidently project him as an every day player, and the broken hand won't help him in his quest to conquer that. As I said though, the glove does buy the bat some slack, so he still has a chance to earn a starting spot down the road with a few tweaks in his approach. 25 year olds Joel Booker and Danny Mendick will compete for bench spots in the near future, with Booker holding a fourth outfielder projection and Mendick looking to be a utility infielder. Booker slashed .279/.360/.399 with seven home runs, 26 stolen bases, and a 119/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games between Winston-Salem and Birmingham, performing better before the promotion (.297/.389/.469) but still holding his own afterwards (.266/.338/.348). His speed and contact ability will help him up the ladder, but ultimately the bat-glove combination is a little light to ever envision him starting. Mendick, meanwhile, slashed .247/.340/.395 with 14 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a 90/57 strikeout to walk ratio over 132 games at Birmingham. To me, he's the slightly better prospect with better plate discipline, a bit more power, and the ability to stick in the infield. He's not the rangiest shortstop but could probably handle a spot start or two at a time there, overall bringing a utility infield projection with an average bat and average glove. Lastly, 22 year old Gavin Sheets had an interesting first full pro season after being drafted in the second round (49th overall) out of Wake Forest in 2017. In 2018, he slashed .293/.368/.407 with six home runs and an 81/52 strikeout to walk ratio over 119 games at Winston-Salem (just down the street from where he played college ball), handling High A pitching well just a year after he was drafted. However, the 6'4", 230 pound slugger's power did not quite show up with wood bats like it did with metal bats in college (he blasted 21 home runs in 63 games in his junior season), and as a first baseman, that's raises questions. His bat is supposed to carry him if he wants to start in the major leagues, and while it's nice that he makes plenty of contact and controls the strike zone well, you want more out of a 6'4" first baseman. It will be interesting to see if he can add power in 2019.

Low and Mid Minors Hitters: OF Luis Robert, OF Blake Rutherford, OF Luis Gonzalez, OF Micker Adolfo, SS Nick Madrigal, OF Steele Walker, and 3B Jake Burger
Lower down, the White Sox are stacked with outfielders and should have no trouble building their outfields down the line. The best prospect is 21 year old Luis Robert, who signed for an incredible $26 million in 2017 out of Cuba but who has struggled to stay healthy. In 2018, Robert slashed .269/.333/.360 with no home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a 52/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 50 games between Class A Kannapolis, High A Winston-Salem, and complex level rehab, missing a lot of time with a thumb injury. Despite going homerless in 2018, Robert generates plenty of raw power from a smooth right handed swing and a 6'3" frame, and he did slash .324/.367/.432 with a pair of home runs and a 13/5 strikeout to walk ratio over 18 games in the Arizona Fall League. Once he gets healthy, he should have no trouble getting to his power consistently, with the upside as a top or middle of the order hitter. Defensively, he plays a solid center field and would be equally valuable in right, and his plus speed helps him steal plenty of bases as well as provide that great defense. The biggest question marks for Robert just come with proving his immense talent on the diamond, as the injuries have kept him from getting consistent at bats. 21 year old Blake Rutherford was acquired from the Yankees in the big Todd Frazier/David Robertson trade of 2017, and in 2018 he slashed .293/.345/.436 with seven home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a 90/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 115 games at Winston-Salem. At 6'3", Rutherford looks like a power hitter, but he has been more of a line drive hitter in pro ball and instead lines extra base hits around the field. That ability to make contact and find the barrel leaves the White Sox hoping he can translate that gap power into over the fence power, as he's just average in the outfield and will need his bat to carry him. He still carries high upside and could be a breakout candidate for 2019, during which he'll turn 22 and likely spend most of his time at AA, but for now he looks like a decent regular who could hold down a starting spot for a little bit or end up a strong fourth outfielder. 23 year old Luis Gonzalez, unrelated to former World Series hero Luis Gonzalez (his son Jacob is in the Giants' organization), was a third round pick (87th overall) out of New Mexico in 2017 and slashed .307/.368/.498 with 14 home runs and a 103/48 strikeout to walk ratio over 117 games between Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, not losing any production after his promotion. He has a ton of gap power and plenty of feel for the barrel, which enabled him to rack up 59 extra base hits in 2018 (including 40 doubles) and leaves the White Sox confident he'll continue to hit as he moves up the ladder. He was extremely patient in college as well as in his pro debut in 2017, but he drew fewer walks in 2018 and that will be something to watch. He plays a very solid center field, and at this point he carries a similar projection to Rutherford as a potential regular who could be a very strong fourth outfielder, albeit with less uncertainty in the projection (higher floor, lower ceiling/less breakout potential). 22 year old Micker Adolfo followed up his breakout 2017 (.264/.331/.453) with another solid season in 2018, slashing .282/.369/.464 with eleven home runs and a 92/34 strikeout to walk ratio over 79 games, though Tommy John surgery ended his season in July. He has plenty of power at the plate but doesn't always get to it due to a high strikeout rate, though the White Sox hope that more consistent time on the field will help him on that front (like Robert, he has missed a lot of time to injuries). He's not all that fast but he has a cannon arm, making him a prototypical right fielder and one whose bat doesn't necessarily have to carry all of the weight. Adolfo could end up being a 20-25 homer bat down the line, but we'll have to see how he fares with more consistent health and playing time in the coming seasons. 21 year old Nick Madrigal may be listed at just 5'7" and 165 pounds, but his fantastic hit tool got him drafted fourth overall out of Oregon State as he and the Beavers went on to win the College World Series in 2018. He struck out just seven times in 42 games as a junior, then slashed .303/.353/.348 with eight stolen bases and a 5/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 43 games between complex ball, Kannapolis, and Winston-Salem for a total of 12 strikeouts in 85 games. He has some of the best bat to ball skills in all of minor league baseball, making it nearly impossible to get the ball by him and giving him plenty of opportunities to use his plus speed to get on base. Though he'll never be mistaken for a power hitter, Madrigal isn't completely punchless at the plate and could hit upwards of ten home runs per season in the majors to go along with plenty of doubles and triples, and he has true top of the order potential. Defensively, he's a natural at second base but could be able to stick as a shortstop if he can show enough arm strength, either way providing plenty of value on defense. Expect to see Madrigal up in the majors soon. The White Sox took 22 year old Steele Walker in the second round (46th overall) out of Oklahoma in the same 2018 draft, though he slashed just .209/.271/.342 with five home runs and a 37/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 44 games between complex ball, rookie level Great Falls, and Kannapolis in his pro debut. Walker has a natural feel for the barrel and in college was able to make the whole greater than the sum of his parts, using his gritty mindset and high baseball IQ in his favor. That didn't translate in those first 44 games, so we'll have to see how he comes out in 2019 after plenty more pro coaching. Overall, it looks like a fourth outfield projection as he's nothing special on defense, but because of his reportedly strong work ethic, I wouldn't bet against him. Lastly, 22 year old Jake Burger missed the 2018 season with an achilles injury but is a good prospect to watch after having been drafted in the first round (eleventh overall) out of Missouri State in 2017, especially considering the White Sox' lack of infield depth. He's a power hitter with solid feel for the barrel as well, making him a good candidate to hit at the major league level. He's only so-so at third base but works hard on his defense and has a shot to stick there (though the achilles injury doesn't help), and a good season in 2019 could put him back on the radar as a potential middle of the order hitter.

Starting Pitchers: RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Dane Dunning, LHP Kodi Medeiros, LHP Bernardo Flores, RHP A.J. Puckett, and RHP Jonathan Stiever
The White Sox have a lot of pitching depth, and because so many of their top pitching prospects are actually relievers, I'm splitting them along that line. Interestingly, most of their best starting pitching prospects actually came via trade, and they have done very well in that regard. We all know 22 year old Michael Kopech, the 6'3" right hander who posted a 3.70 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a 170/60 strikeout to walk ratio over 126.1 innings at AAA Charlotte before posting a 5.02 ERA and a 15/2 strikeout to walk ratio over 14.1 innings in the majors. Acquired from Boston in the Chris Sale trade, Kopech unfortunately blew out his elbow in September and had to undergo Tommy John surgery, likely knocking him out for all of 2019. When healthy, the East Texan is most well known for his upper 90's, moving fastball that he can simply blow by even the best hitters. He also adds a great slider that misses a ton of bats, making him one of the toughest pitchers to face in minor league baseball. On the flip side, though, he struggles with his command and gets hit when he falls behind in the count or leaves his fastball over the plate, because as we all know, pro hitters can hit 100 MPH fastballs if they're middle-middle. The Tommy John surgery is obviously a huge setback that will make it all the more difficult for him to improve that command, but if he can, he has #2 starter or even possibly ace upside. We'll just have to wait until 2020. 23 year old Dylan Cease, over from the Cubs with Eloy Jimenez in the Jose Quintana trade, had a fantastic season in 2018 by going 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 160/50 strikeout to walk ratio over 124 innings between High A Winston-Salem and AA Birmingham. The 6'2" righty is actually a fairly similar prospect to Kopech, just not as extreme. He comfortably sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and adds an excellent curveball that, like Kopech's slider, misses a ton of bats. Also like Kopech, Cease struggles with command, though he is steadily coming along in that regard and the White Sox hope he can be average by the time he reaches the majors. Cease has #2 starter upside with a good shot at being at least a #3, and if all goes according to plan, he should make for a very good one-two punch with Kopech in the 2020's. 24 year old Dane Dunning, who came over from the Nationals in the Adam Eaton trade, posted a 2.71 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and a 100/26 strikeout to walk ratio over 86.1 innings between Winston-Salem and Birmingham, proving to be a different kind of prospect than Kopech and Cease. He's a 6'4" righty that sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a solid slider and changeup, though he commands everything much better than those guys. His stuff also plays up due to the deception in his funky delivery, though on the flip side he did miss time with elbow issues in 2018. If he can stay healthy, he has mid rotation upside, and the fact that he tossed 144 innings in 2017 does ease the durability questions. 22 year old Kodi Medeiros was acquired from the Brewers for Joakim Soria this past July, and he posted a 3.60 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and a 141/67 strikeout to walk ratio over 137.2 innings in AA. The former first round pick (12th overall out of a Hawaii high school in 2014) sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and adds a great slider, though his control comes and goes because his cross-fire delivery is difficult to keep in sync. When he has everything going, though, that deception makes his pitches play up and helps him miss plenty of bats, and he has continued to work hard to get more consistent. The 6'2" lefty looks like a future #3 or #4 starter if everything breaks right, though the pitching depth in this system could end up forcing him to the bullpen, where I get the feeling he could be very, very good. 23 year old Bernardo Flores is an under the radar arm who posted a 2.65 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and a 105/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 156 innings at Winston-Salem and Birmingham this year, and unlike the four names above him on this list, he was actually drafted by the White Sox (seventh round in 2016 out of Southern California). He typically sits in the low 90's with his fastball (though he has been as high as 97 in the past) with so-so breaking balls, adding a solid changeup and using his command to make everything play up. As a lefty without great stuff, he profiles as a #4 or #5 starter but could sneak up on some people because of his durability and feel for pitching. 23 year old A.J. Puckett came over from the Royals for Melky Cabrera in July and posted a 3.98 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, and a 119/51 strikeout to walk ratio over 135.2 innings between the two High A affiliates. He throws in the low 90's and like Flores, adds a solid changeup despite a mediocre breaking ball, though his command is just a bit behind Flores' and he looks like a #5 starter or solid long reliever right now. Lastly, 21 year old Jonathan Stiever was a fifth round pick out of Indiana in 2018, then posted a 4.18 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 39/9 strikeout to walk ratio over 28 innings at rookie level Great Falls. Stiever is a 6'2" righty with a solid breaking ball and overall fairly advanced command, which is typical for those day two power-five college arms. He finished the season on a run of ten straight shutout innings (including the Pioneer League playoffs) and is a solid mid to back of the rotation arm to follow down lower in the minors.

Relievers: RHP Ian Hamilton, RHP Zack Burdi, RHP Jose Ruiz, RHP Alec Hansen, RHP Tyler Johnson, and RHP Lincoln Henzman
For all the talk about the White Sox' headlining prospects like Eloy Jimenez, Michael Kopech, and Dylan Cease, the White Sox are actually really deep in relievers and should have a very solid homegrown bullpen in the future. 23 year old Ian Hamilton had a breakout year in 2018 and posted a 1.74 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and a 62/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 51.2 innings at AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte, then put up a 4.50 ERA and a 5/2 strikeout to walk ratio in eight major league innings. He's a fastball-slider righty who sits in the mid 90's and misses his fair share of bats, though the slider isn't so devastating that he'll be putting up ridiculous strikeout numbers in the majors or anything. He profiles best as a solid seventh or eighth inning guy and has a good shot at the Opening Day roster. 23 year old Zack Burdi, a product of the same 2016 draft (26th overall out of Louisville), has the higher ceiling as a prospect but missed almost all of 2018 with Tommy John surgery, returning in August to post a 2.84 ERA and a 7/4 strikeout to walk ratio over 6.1 innings in complex ball rehab. He sits in the upper 90's with his fastball and adds a hard slider and a good changeup, giving him multiple weapons to help that velocity play up even further. Had he not gotten hurt, he may have been a September call-up in 2017, and assuming he comes out firing and healthy in spring training, he also has a shot at the Opening Day roster. A healthy Burdi will likely be an impact reliever for the White Sox, perhaps even a closer. 24 year old Jose Ruiz is yet another fastball/slider righty, checking in with a 3.07 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and a 77/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 58.2 innings at High A Winston-Salem and Birmingham followed by a 4.15 ERA and a 6/3 strikeout to walk ratio over 4.1 major league innings. Sitting in the mid 90's and adding a good slider, he's not quite the prospect that Hamilton and Burdi are, but he should contribute as a solid middle reliever in the near future. 24 year old Alec Hansen has had an absolute roller coaster of a career, looking like he had a shot at being the first overall pick in the 2016 draft before a poor junior season at Oklahoma dropped him to the second round, where the White Sox picked him up with the 49th overall pick. He then dominated the minors in 2016 (1.32 ERA, 81/20 K/BB) and 2017 (2.80 ERA, 191/51 K/BB), establishing himself as a potential impact starter, but it all fell apart again in 2018 after he missed time with forearm soreness and posted a 6.31 ERA, a 2.01 WHIP, and a 55/59 strikeout to walk ratio over 51.1 innings at Winston-Salem and Birmingham upon returning. Hansen has fantastic stuff with a mid 90's fastball, a couple of solid breaking balls, and a useable changeup from a 6'7" frame, but his command ranges anywhere from average on his best days to downright un-playable on his worst. Over a three start stretch from July 18th to July 29th, he walked 22 batters in 10.1 innings and was subsequently demoted from AA to High A, where he wasn't much better. Now 24, Hansen is at a bit of a crossroads and may have to be bumped from the rotation to the bullpen, where he could likely sit in the upper 90's and strike out hitters en masse if he can maintain any semblance of command. 23 year old Tyler Johnson, like Ian Hamilton, had a breakout season in 2018 and posted a 1.40 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and an 89/16 strikeout to walk ratio over 58 innings at Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, using his mid 90's fastball and good slider to miss plenty of bats against A ball hitters. Because he was facing mostly younger competition in 2018, we'll have to see how he fares in the upper minors in 2019, but he could be another seventh or eighth inning arm in the Chicago bullpen in the near future. Lastly, 23 year old Lincoln Henzman is a starter for now, having posted a 2.35 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and an 80/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 107.1 innings at Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, like Johnson performing very well against mostly younger competition. Giving the starting pitching depth in this system and Henzman's lack of a reliable breaking ball, he may be forced to the bullpen down the road, currently working with a ground ball-inducing low to mid 90's fastball, a solid changeup, and a decent cutter, all of which he controls pretty well. How he fares against AA hitters and whether he proves he can handle a starter's workload in 2019 will likely determine whether he ends up a back-end starter or a solid middle reliever in the long run.

Reviewing My 2016 Draft Rankings

Intro

I composed my first draft prospect list in 2015, which went 60 deep and, as you would expect from my first time, was filled with holes. I was able to successfully project the success of players like Walker Buehler, Kolby Allard, and Triston McKenzie, but swung and missed badly with a low ranking of Andrew Benintendi and a high ranking of Mike Nikorak. In 2016, with a year's experience under my belt, I ranked 150 players and published the top 100, and while it still wasn't my best work, I was much happier with it than I was with my 2015 rankings. I believe 2017 was the first year where I truly am content, but seeing that you can't evaluate a draft class on its first pro season, let's take a look back at how my 2016 draft rankings have fared 16 months in. 

Linked here are my top 100 draft prospects for 2016: http://www.coverthosebases.com/blog/silverman-top-100-players-in-the-2016-mlb-draft

There will be three sections:

Biggest Successes: Players that I ranked well ahead of industry consensus who, after their first full professional season, have outplayed that consensus and fit closer with my ranking than with most others

Biggest Misses I: Players that have outplayed my predictions, proving my ranking to be too conservative

Biggest Misses II: Players who I ranked well ahead of industry consensus who have not lived up to my expectations, proving my ranking to be too aggressive

Biggest Successes

#8 Forrest Whitley (MLB.com ranking: 12. Draft position: 17, Astros)

I loved everything about Whitley coming into draft day, noting the excellent downhill plane on his mid-90's fastball and his late-breaking, two-plane curveball. Putting an asterisk next to his name because of how high I was on him, I saw the potential to be an ace who could easily wind up as at least a mid-rotation starter. While he was ranked eighth on my list and 12th on MLB.com, he fell to pick #17, where the Astros took him. After a decent debut that summer, he caught fire this year and reached AA as a teenager. Not only did he pitch for AA Corpus Christi just 14 months after graduating high school, he actually thrived, posting a 1.84 ERA, a 0.82 WHIP, and a sharp 26/4 strikeout to walk ratio in 14.2 innings. I projected him as a potential ace, and he has done everything necessary to remain on track for that.

#11 Dakota Hudson (MLB.com ranking: 15. Draft position: 34, Cardinals)

This is another instance where my ranking, MLB.com's ranking, and the draft position were all in order. I bought in on Hudson's breakout season at Mississippi State, citing his devastating fastball/slider combination despite the lack of a proven track record. Despite being thought of as more of a project than a finished product, Hudson has progressed rapidly through the St. Louis farm system, starting 2017 off with AA Springfield and pitching very well (9-4, 2.53 ERA, 77/34 K/BB) before a late season promotion to AAA Memphis in just his first full professional season. While his Memphis numbers weren't excellent (4.42 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 19/15 K/BB in 38.2 innings), the fact of the matter is that he was in AAA barely a year removed from college and that he has addressed, though not fully vanquished, questions about his durability. He'll need more polish at AAA to begin 2018, but we should see the Tennessee native in the majors at some point during the year, my buying into his breakout year is looking pretty good.

#28 Carter Kieboom (MLB.com ranking: 45. Draft position: 28, Nationals)

This one is different than the first two, because both I and the Nationals saw something in Kieboom that MLB.com didn't. I saw his long swing but noticed that the bat head was in the zone for a long time, comparing him to Anthony Rendon if he could tap into his raw power. Pessimists didn't like the risk he carried, but I was enamored enough with his offensive upside to put label him a first round talent. Like Whitely, he earned an asterisk next to his name, used to denote my favorite players in the draft. The Nationals seemingly agreed with my optimism, taking him in the same spot I ranked him. He has exceeded expectations so far, sticking at shortstop for now despite most prognosticating him as a third baseman, and his bat has translated up to full season ball with no problems. In 48 games at Class A Hagerstown (with time missed to injury), he slashed .296/.400/.497 with eight home runs and a solid 40/28 strikeout to walk ratio despite not turning 20 until the very end of the season. If he can stay healthy, that Anthony Rendon projection could work out.

#34 Alec Hansen (MLB.com ranking: 62. Draft position: 49, White Sox)

Alec Hansen was an interesting case. The 6'7" right hander entered the spring as a candidate to go #1 overall with his mid to upper 90's fastball and solid secondaries, but his command completely dissolved at the beginning of the season and he was booted from Oklahoma's rotation. He managed to right the ship somewhat as the season went on, but his final line was less than inspiring: 5.40 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 75/39 K/BB in 51.2 innings against mostly Big 12 competition. He had the high strikeout numbers, but if he couldn't harness his stuff, that would mean nothing at the next level. He plummeted in the rankings, but I chose to stay on the bandwagon and keep him at #34, 28 spots higher than MLB.com and 15 spots higher than his eventual draft position. I noted that pro coaching had the potential to streamline his delivery and improve his consistency, and so far, the results have been excellent. In 38 starts since being drafted, Hansen is 13-9 with a 2.39 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and most impressively, a 272/71 strikeout to walk ratio in 196 innings. He reached AA at the end of this season, making two starts and posting a 17/3 strikeout to walk ratio in 10.1 innings. The difference has been the return of his control, which was non-existent at OU (6.79 BB/9 in his junior year) but has reached an acceptable level in the minors (3.26 BB/9). At this point, he's looking more and more like the pitcher many thought could go first overall, and #34 could be too conservative a ranking when it's all said and done.

#56 Mike Shawaryn (MLB.com ranking: 139. Draft position: 148, Red Sox)

Mike Shawaryn is like Hansen-lite. After an excellent sophomore season at Maryland (13-2, 1.71 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 138/29 K/BB), he entered the spring as a potential first round pick. However, his junior season was inconsistent (6-4, 3.18 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 97/26 K/BB), and he slipped way down draft boards. He had a funky delivery to begin with, and skeptics saw the regression as a sign that his mechanics wouldn't work at the next level. I dropped him a fair amount as well, but I kept him in the top 60 because I didn't think his 2016 was as frightening as people thought. He maintained a high strikeout rate with 97 in 99 innings (I can't find batters faced data anywhere, so I don't know the K% or BB%), and he maintained a low walk rate of 2.36 per nine. The fact that he had solid control was what eased my mind over the mechanical worries, but it didn't for MLB teams, and he slipped to the fifth round, where the Red Sox took him 148th overall. Through 32 minor league starts reaching up to High Class A, he hasn't been amazing but he has more than held his own, going 8-8 with a 3.71 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and a 191/55 strikeout to walk ratio in 150.1 innings. Those numbers don't pop off the page, but I do like the high strikeout rate, and he's looking more like a second or third round pick than a fifth rounder right now. We'll have to keep an eye on the 0.80 career ground out to air out ratio though.

#63 Akil Baddoo (MLB.com ranking: 72. Draft position: 74, Twins)

This one is interesting. As of draft day, he was an extremely raw player with poor mechanics whose athleticism and overall trajectory got him noticed. He had big bat speed but looked like he would need a lot of refinement from pro coaching to get anywhere. A .178/.299/.570 slash line in the Gulf Coast League in 2016 seemingly confirmed that, though his 14.2% walk rate was promising. He spent the beginning of 2017 back in the GCL, slashing .267/.360/.440 in 20 games, but he caught fire upon a promotion to rookie level Elizabethton. In 33 games, the 18-19 year old slashed .357/.478/.579, walking 27 times (17.2%) to just 19 strikeouts (12.1%), boosting his stock considerably. Baddoo may have been raw last year, but he is well on his way to reaching his lofty ceiling.

#72 Zac Gallen (MLB.com ranking: 78. Draft position: 106, Cardinals)

My ranking wasn't too far ahead of MLB.com's ranking, but Gallen has been a success despite slipping out of the top 100, so I'll call it a win. He had a solid but unspectacular junior season at UNC (2.68 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 95/21 K/BB in 90.2 innings), relying more on pitchability and smarts than on pure stuff. Cognizant of that pitchability, I liked the stuff just enough to rank him ahead of industry consensus, and he's rewarded me so far. Just like Dakota Hudson, he was drafted by the Cardinals and ended up pitching in AAA by the end of 2017. Through 32 minor league games (29 starts), he is 10-8 with a 2.86 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and a 136/35 strikeout to walk ratio over 157.1 innings, and he should be one of the first pitchers from his draft class to break into the majors.

#74 Garrett Williams (MLB.com ranking: 154. Draft position: 215, Giants)

This is one I am very proud of. Scouts liked his stuff, but he struggled to stay healthy (31.2 innings in sophomore and junior seasons at Oklahoma State combined) and with his command (30 walks in that span). I was particularly enamored with his stuff, noting an "angled, running fastball, a two-plane curveball that he can mend the shape of, and a fading changeup" (from my 2016 pre-draft notes). I liked his delivery as well, and noted that getting farther from his shoulder injury could help improve his dreadful command, especially as he was on the mound consistently. This all depended on him staying healthy, but so far, he has, and he has thus far justified my extremely optimistic ranking 141 spots higher than he was picked. In 2017, between Class A Augusta and High Class A San Jose in the hitters' paradise California League, Williams went 6-5 with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, striking out 96 to 35 walks in 97 innings. The walk rate is still a bit high, but it has come down significantly from college and I think it will continue to do so. Watch this one.

Biggest Misses I (under-projected)

#7 Nick Senzel (MLB.com ranking: 7. Draft position: 2, Reds)

This isn't that big of a miss considering I ranked Senzel in the same place as MLB.com, but I still underestimated him. His big junior season at Tennessee saw him slash .352/.456/.595 with eight home runs, but I saw him more as a solid third baseman than as a star. I recognized his high floor, but wasn't sold on a ceiling of anything higher than a solid, Chase Headley-type third baseman. However, he has already reached AA and is slashing .315/.393/.514 with 21 home runs in his minor league career, including a .340/.413/.560 line in 57 games at AA Pensacola. He still may not be on track for that Headley comparison, but he's skirting right along his ceiling and could push it higher into the Anthony Rendon range (like Kieboom). 

#77 Bo Bichette (MLB.com ranking: 90. Draft position: 66, Blue Jays)

I actually ranked Bichette thirteen spots ahead of MLB.com, but also eleven spots behind where he was taken by the Blue Jays. The talent was evident, as he showed great bat speed and bat control, even if his mechanics were a little wild. However, I, along with most of the teams who picked before the Jays, missed the true potential, as literally everything has gone right for Bichette since draft day. Through 132 games across three levels (22 in the GCL, 70 in Class A, 40 in High Class A), the 19 year old is slashing .372/.427/.591 with 18 home runs, 50 doubles, and 25 stolen bases, including a .323/.379/.463 line at High A this year in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Despite being ranked 90th in his draft class by MLB.com in June 2016, he is now ranked as the 25th best prospect in all of baseball, and in my opinion, MLB.com is being too conservative yet again.

#117 Austin Hays (MLB.com ranking: 120. Draft position: 91, Orioles)

Again, I had Hays three spots ahead of MLB.com (as you can see, they're not very good prognosticators), but the Orioles recognized offensive ability that I didn't and took him 26 spots higher than I ranked him. I liked his quick swing but I didn't think the power would hold as he moved up, knocking him out of my top 100. As it turns out, his offensive breakout at the University of Jacksonville was no joke, and he has cracked no fewer than 36 minor league home runs over 166 games so far, slashing .330/.370/.576 in the short season New-York Penn League (38 games in 2016), High A Carolina League (64 games in 2017), and AA Eastern League (64 games). He even earned a September promotion to the big leagues, adding a 37th professional home run as the first player from the 2016 draft class to reach the majors.

#148 Bryse Wilson (MLB.com ranking: 144. Draft position: 109, Braves)

I saw nothing particularly special in Wilson, a high schooler from North Carolina, noting an uneven arm path and what I saw as a below-average slider. The Braves loved the arm strength that I merely liked, taking him 39 spots ahead of my ranking, and it has paid off in spades so far. The slider still isn't great, but they cleaned up his arm path and both his velocity and command have held up, helping him put up an excellent season for Class A Rome this year. Over 26 starts, the 19 year old went 10-7 with a 2.50 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, striking out 139 and walking 37 in 137 innings. There are still questions as to how he will hold up at the higher levels without that slider, and he may still turn out to be a reliever, but there is certainly talent here that I did not pick up.

Biggest Misses II (over-projected)

#1 Mickey Moniak (MLB.com ranking: 5. Draft position: 1, Phillies)

This one is an interesting case. Moniak had helium throughout the Spring of 2016, starting as a mid-first round candidate before hitting his way into the top ten and ultimately top five consideration. General industry consensus never moved him past the 4-7 range, but he was a personal favorite of mine due to his swing mechanics and makeup, so I aggressively ranked him number one on my draft board well before the Phillies buzz. As it turned out, the Phillies agreed with me, selecting Moniak first overall. They aggressively assigned him to Class A Lakewood this year, and the results were underwhelming to say the least: .236/.284/.341, five home runs, eleven stolen bases in 123 games. He may have been 19 playing in full season ball, but those numbers just don't cut it. Unfortunately, when I saw Lakewood play at Delmarva on my day off work, Moniak was on the bench, and I only got to see one pinch-hitting plate appearance (he grounded out). Moniak is far from a bust, but he'll probably repeat the level in 2018 in hopes of adjusting. I still have high hopes for Moniak being a star outfielder in Philadelphia, but other players such as Forrest Whitley, Nick Senzel, Bo Bichette, and A.J. Puk have moved ahead of him in his draft class.

#15 Buddy Reed (MLB.com ranking: 30. Draft position: 48, Padres)

I remained optimistic on Alec Hansen and Mike Shawaryn when their stock faded, and that worked out, but it didn't work out when I did the same for Buddy Reed. An extremely athletic outfielder who slashed .305/.367/.433 with 18 stolen bases as a sophomore at Florida, he regressed to .262/.362/.395 with 24 stolen bases as a junior, looking lost at the plate and leading many scouts to question his floor. I still liked his athleticism at the time, but looking back, the warning signs were there, as his high sophomore strikeout rate (17.9%) jumped to 20.5% as a junior. In his full season debut with Class A Fort Wayne this year, he put up a disappointing .234/.290/.396 line with six home runs and 12 stolen bases in 88 games, striking out in 28% of his plate appearances. His athleticism could still help him adjust as he moves up, but he certainly hasn't justified a mid-first round ranking and probably never will.

#49 Jake Fraley (MLB.com ranking: 89. Draft position: 77, Rays)

As of draft day, Fraley struck me as a high floor, low ceiling outfielder who would ultimately fall somewhere between a Sam Fuld and a Gerardo Parra, with the overall projection of a starting outfielder with speed but limited pop. He slashed a career best .326/.408/.464 with five home runs and 28 stolen bases as a junior at LSU in 2016, showing a quick swing and an 11.8% walk rate (coupled with a 10.5% strikeout rate) that led me to make that high-floor projection. Unfortunately, injuries have limited his time on the field in pro ball, and in the 85 total games he has seen on the field, he is slashing just .229/.319/.356 with three home runs and 37 stolen bases. He spent 26 games in the High Class A Florida State League in 2017, which turned out to be a miserable failure as he slashed .170/.238/.255 with one home run, one stolen base, three caught stealing's, and a 22.9% strikeout rate to just a 6.7% walk rate. The 22 year old could concievably bounce back when healthy, but he has a lot of catch-up to play and just as much to prove.

#81 Walker Robbins (MLB.com ranking: 93. Draft position: 166, Cardinals)

This one is just a straight miss on my part. Robbins was a country strong power hitter from rural southeastern Mississippi, one who I believed could break out with pro refinement once his swing was cleaned up. Unfortunately, a year and a half later, that hasn't happened. Through 70 pro games (30 in the complex level Gulf Coast League in 2016, 40 in the Appalachian League in 2017), Robbins is slashing just .179/.239/.246 with two home runs and a 79/19 strikeout to walk ratio. That comes out to a 30% strikeout rate, a 7.2% walk rate, and virtually no production. Robbins is still just 19 and has time to right the ship, but at this point he is looking like a long shot.