One of the 20 non-roster invitees when the Chicago White Sox report to spring training on February 19 will be 24 year-old outfielder Jacob May. A native of the home of the Little League World Series, Williamsport, PA was formerly the third round pick for the White Sox in the 2013 MLB Draft.
May is a switch-hitting outfielder who is ranked eighth on the White Sox top 30 prospects list, is also considered to be the fastest player in the organization as well. That speed helped May swipe 37 bases for Double-A Birmingham in 2015.
According to scouts, May’s biggest upside at this point aside from his pure speed is his defensive ability in center-field. His blazing speed gives him above average range and the ability to track down balls in the alley on both sides of him most of the time. While he has above average range in the outfield, he has a below average arm according to scouting reports.
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From an offensive stand point May again relies on his excellent speed to account for the brunt of his production. He has the ability to beat out ground balls, and bunts well for hits, in addition to the great base stealing ability. The downside is that aside from his great speed there isn’t much else to be excited about from May. He has nearly no power, and strikes out often. He hit for .275 in 2015 in Birmingham, and netted just two home runs while striking out 73 times in just 389 at-bats.
Outside of May’s speed and glove there isn’t much there at this point in his development. At 24 I’m not sure that there ever will be much more than that either. While I will be interested to see the speed on display, as well as what another year at the Double-A level could do for May’s development moving forward, the chance of May seeing the big leagues in 2016 is slim to none at all.