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.

Top 2018 Minor League Position Players

With the 2018 minor league season coming to a close, I have gathered the top hitting and pitching performers across the minor leagues. The selections for these awards were made regardless of prospect status or minor league level(s), though park and league environments were considered. Below are the position player awards, pitcher awards coming soon.

Minor League Position Player of the Year

Winner: OF Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays)
20 HR, .381/.437/.636, 3 SB, 194 wRC+ in 95 games at GCL, High A, AA, and AAA
This one, while not a no-brainer, was a pretty easy choice. The teenager had a great year last year between Class A and High A, slashing .323/.425/.485 with 13 home runs as an 18 year old, but this year has been a different story entirely. Beginning at AA New Hampshire, he slashed a straight up unbelievable .402/.449/.671 with 14 home runs and nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (27) over 61 games. Promoted to AAA Buffalo towards the end of the season and after he returned from injury, he kept on hitting, slashing .336/.414/.564 with six home runs and more walks (15) than strikeouts (10) in 30 games. Overall, when you include his four game rehab stint, he slashed .381/.437/.636 with 20 home runs in 95 games, adding 29 doubles and a triple. At no point during the season did he seem challenged, showcasing power, hitting ability, and plate discipline at exceptional levels. Interestingly, he was the only player outside the hitters' leagues (California League, Pacific Coast League) to slug over .600, and he did it with an on-base percentage over .400. The only reason he's still in the minors is so the Blue Jays can control his service time, but expect him in Toronto early in 2019, shortly after his 20th birthday, and he's the early favorite for the 2019 Rookie of the Year Award.

Runner-Up: 1B Nathaniel Lowe (Tampa Bay Rays)
27 HR, .330/.416/.568, 1 SB, 178 wRC+ in 130 games at High A, AA, and AAA
Between Nathaniel, his brother Josh, and Brandon (unrelated), the Rays have three highly regarded Lowe's in their farm system. Brandon and Josh had more fanfare coming into the season, with Brandon coming off a big 2017 and Josh being a first round pick from the 2016 draft. However, Nathaniel, who was taken in the 13th round out of Mississippi State in 2016 and who slashed just .274/.373/.388 between Class A and High A last year, had the best season out of all of them. Beginning at High A Charlotte, he simply mashed in his 51 games and slashed .356/.432/.588 with 10 home runs and a nice 33/25 strikeout to walk ratio. After a promotion to AA Montgomery, he got even better, slashing .340/.444/.606 with 13 home runs and a 30/35 strikeout to walk ratio in 51 games. A second promotion to AAA Durham ensued, where his bat finally cooled a little, slashing .260/.327/.460 with four home runs and a 27/8 strikeout to walk ratio in 28 games. Still, with 27 home runs and a .330/.416/.568 slash line over a full season, he put forward the most cumulative offense in all of minor league baseball (113 weighted runs created), and he has moved ahead of his younger brother Josh on the Rays prospect charts, though Brandon also had a productive season and is now the top Lowe.

Honorable Mention: OF Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota Twins)
20 HR, .348/.392/.578, 4 SB, 172 wRC+ in 130 games at Class A and High A
Second place for this award was really a toss-up, and while Lowe ultimately came out on top, you could make a very good argument for Kirilloff as position player who had the second best season in the minors. Drafted in the first round out of a Pittsburgh-area high school in 2016, he missed the entire 2017 season with Tommy John surgery and he was expected to work his way back relatively slowly in 2018. Starting off at Class A Cedar Rapids, the 20 year old instead slashed .333/.391/.607 with 13 home runs and a 47/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 65 games, putting together an excellent 176 wRC+ and forcing a promotion to High A Fort Myers. There, he didn't miss a beat, slashing .362/.393/.550 with seven home runs and a 39/14 strikeout to walk ratio in another 65 games, good for a 168 wRC+. All told, he hit 44 doubles, seven triples, and 20 home runs, slashing .348/.392/.578, his 73 extra base hits and 296 total bases leading the minors and his 111 weighted runs created falling second only to Lowe. Over his first two postseason games in High A, he has collected seven hits, including a home run, in nine at bats, which would bring his season's slash line up to .355/.398/.587 if it were included.

Others

2B Vidal Brujan (Rays, 9 HR, .320/.403/.459, 55 SB, 149 wRC+ at Class A and High A)
Brujan may not have hit for much power, but when you get on base at a clip above .400 and steal 55 bases, that's worth taking notice of. Throw in his gap power (25 doubles, seven triples) and his nine home runs despite playing 27 games in the pitcher-friendly High A Florida State League, and Brujan was a complete player this year.

OF Eloy Jimenez (White Sox, 22 HR, .337/.384/.577, 0 SB, 168 wRC+ at AA and AAA)
One of the game's top offensive prospects, Jimenez hit well in AA (.317/.368/.556) before taking off in AAA, slashing .355/.399/.597 to bring his total line to .337/.384/.577, showing some of the best raw power in all of minor league baseball while still getting the bat on the ball regularly. All that keeps him from ranking higher is his .384 on base percentage, which is very good but falls shy of other players on this list.

OF Michael Reed (Braves, 11 HR, .342/.453/.520, 10 SB, 179 wRC+ at AA and AAA)
Reed is the least well-known player here (except for possibly Brujan if you're not caught up with the latest prospect buzz), but he actually led all of minor league baseball with a .453 on base percentage. He hit for average power and stole a few bases, but the incredible OBP was enough to land him up here.

3B Taylor Ward (Angels, 14 HR, .349/.446/.531, 18 SB, 167 wRC+ at AA and AAA)
Ward had a similar season to Reed, but while his numbers look better on the surface, he lands just below due to his playing 60 games in the hitter-friendly AAA Pacific Coast League. The .446 on-base percentage was second only to Reed, and he too was able to hit for some power and swipe a few bags.

OF Kyle Tucker (Astros, 24 HR, .332/.400/.590, 20 SB, 155 wRC+ at AAA)
Tucker's numbers look better on the surface, combining a .400 on base percentage with a slugging percentage near .600, but he played all 100 of his games in the hitter friendly AAA Pacific Coast League, so he's bumped down a hair. Still, you can't argue with the production, and he's the only 20-20 player on this list.

Bonus
OF Juan Soto (Nationals, 14 HR, .362/.462/.757, 3 SB, 232 wRC+ at Class A, High A, and AA)
Juan Soto played just 39 games during his meteoric rise through the minors this year, but he made them count; he homered 14 times (more than once every three games) while getting on base at a .462 clip and slugging .757. Over a full season, those would have been Barry Bonds at the heart of the Steroid Era numbers. Jeez. Guess we'll have to settle for a strong NL Rookie of the Year case as a 19 year old.

Cubs Add Quintana to Rotation

Cubs Get: Jose Quintana (4-8, 4.49 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 109/40 K/BB, Age 28)
White Sox Get: Eloy Jimenez (8 HR, 32 RBI, .271 AVG, 0 SB, 131 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 20)
Dylan Cease (1-2, 2.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 74/26 K/BB at Class A, Age 21)
Bryant Flete (6 HR, 37 RBI, .305 AVG, 4 SB, 117 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 24)
Matt Rose (14 HR, 38 RBI, .227 AVG, 0 SB, 105 wRC+ at High Class A, Age 22)

The Cubs struggled to a 43-45 record in the first half, but with one of the strongest rosters in baseball, they are still very much looking to contend this season. Due to a lackluster rotation that has seen pretty much every starter underperform, they added the young, controllable Jose Quintana in a deal with the cross-town White Sox. Quintana is under contract through the 2020 season for just over $30 million total, so he can help the team not just this year, but in 2018, 2019, and 2020. One of baseball's more underrated starters, he was one of the best pitchers in the American League in 2016, going 13-12 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, striking out 181 batters and walking just 50 in 208 innings. He hasn't been as good in 2017, going 4-8 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, but he has been turning things around as of late. He went 2-7 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP over the first two months of the season, spanning eleven starts, but since the start of June, he is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, striking out 45 batters to just 12 walks in 40 innings over seven starts. In the Cubs current rotation, Jon Lester (5-6, 4.25 ERA), Jake Arrieta (8-7, 4.35 ERA), John Lackey (5-9, 5.20 ERA), and Kyle Hendricks (4-3, 4.09 ERA) have all been disappointing, so the addition of Quintana will be very welcome. Eddie Butler (4-3, 3.88 ERA) actually leads Cubs starters in ERA, so it will be interesting how they decide to go about fitting Quintana into the rotation. For his career, the Colombia native is 50-54 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP over 172 games (169 starts), all with the White Sox.

To get three and a half years of a #2 starter, you're going to have to give up a fair amount, and the Cubs did just that. The White Sox, who already added top prospects Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez, Dane Dunning, and Luis Alexander Basabe, among others, to their system via recent trades, got a few more here. Highlighting the return package is Eloy Jimenez, a 20 year old outfielder who could be a multi-category contributor in the majors. Always known for his potential, he had a breakout year at Class A South Bend in 2016 (.329/.369/.532, 14 HR) and was promoted to High Class A Myrtle Beach this year, where he was slashing .271/.351/.490 with eight home runs at the time of the trade. He'll be 20 for all of 2017, so he has plenty of time to develop into an impact player. Dylan Cease was a sixth round pick out of high school in 2014 after blowing out his elbow, but has developed into a solid starting pitching prospect, posting a career 2.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over parts of three minor league seasons. So far with Class A South Bend this year, he has a 2.79 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP through 13 starts, striking out 74 batters in 51.2 innings. The 6'2" righty won't turn 22 until after the season, and with a mid to upper 90's fastball and a power curveball, he has front of the rotation potential. While Jimenez and Cease are the clear headliners, second baseman Bryant Flete offers helps offer organizational depth for the Sox. Signed back in 2012 out of Venezuela, Flete's development hasn't gone in a straight line, as he reached AA in 2015 but spent most of 2016 at Class A and all of 2017 at High Class A. With Myrtle Beach this year, he slashed .305/.355/.425 with six home runs, flashing utility upside but ultimately not performing the way one would hope for a 24 year old. He has average tools across the board. Lastly, first baseman Matt Rose has shown some big power in the minors but has struggled with contact. An 11th round pick out of Georgia State in 2015, Rose slashed .227/.281/.481 with 14 home runs for High Class A Myrtle Beach this year, but he has struck out in 24.8% of his plate appearances while walking in just 5.9%. As he is, he won't make it to the major leagues on his power alone, but if he can improve his plate discipline, there is room for a guy who can walk and hit home runs. Right now, though, he doesn't walk.