Chicago White Sox Prospect Profile: Jacob May

Feb 24, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; A general view of Chicago White Sox batting practice during a workout at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports]

The Chicago White Sox have built a solid farm system the past couple of seasons, and in the third round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft, they added Jacob May to the organization.

Jacob May of the Winston-Salem Dash. (MiLB.com)

Jacob May, who is the grandson of former MLB player Lee May, is an outfielder in the White Sox farm system, including spending this past season with the Winston Salem-Dash of Advanced Single-A level.

In a scouting report by FutureSox.com, it says of May:

"“May is another good athlete with great speed to join the ranks of outfield prospects in the organization. …May is a good defender thanks to his speed, but his route running needs work and his arm isn’t great. He is a leadoff type hitter with the ability to steal bases.”"

In the 2015 edition Baseball Prospectus, it says May is a different style of player than his grandfather was, who hit nearly 350 homers in the majors. In fact, the 2015 edition says of May:

"“He has the speed to play center field but needs to learn the position better to avoid a future in left field. He still has a lot to prove and refinements to make, especially from the left side …”"

Last season with the Dash, May batted .258 with 31 doubles, 10 triples, two home runs and collected 27 RBIs in the process. He also walked 42 times in 472 plate appearances. In his final 10 games of the ’14 season, May had 14 hits in 38 at-bats with six runs, and he also drew five walks.

May, of Coastal Carolina University, was rated as the No. 10 White Sox prospect by Baseball Prospectus in January. In their most recent MLB.com prospect rankings, May is 13th in the White Sox organization.

Next: Will White Sox reach postseason with AL Central title?

In the MLB.com report, it says of the outfielder:

"“May’s quickness makes him a disruptive force on the bases and allows him to cover plenty of ground in center field. He still could refine his base stealing and defensive skills, however. “"

The projections for May in ’15 by Baseball Prospectus are .224 average/.274 on-base percentage and .326 slugging percentage. His other projections include 14 stolen bases, 17 RBIs and 30 runs, as they have him projected to be with Triple-A Charlotte in ’15.

May is also being compared to the same type of player as Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox.