Which White Sox Prospects Are Ready To Be Called Up?
Which White Sox prospects are ready to be promoted to the major leagues? South Siders have a wealth of top prospects currently in Charlotte.
Cody Asche’s first season with the White Sox was simply terrible. Slotted as the Opening Day designated hitter, he was hitting .105, with one home run, four RBI’s , and 21 strikeouts in 62 at-bats. His abysmal 2017 season came to a screeching stop on May 14 when the Sox were forced to option him to Triple-A Charlotte. Asche’s demotion opened up a roster spot on the team but also sparked a debate on which minor leaguer was next to make the jump up to the big leagues. Was it time for Yoan Moncada or Reynaldo Lopez to make the move up?
To the dismay of many anxious Sox fans, the team called up 29-year-old Greg Infante, whose last MLB appearance was in 2010. The Sox added another arm to a very exhausted bullpen. However, the question of who will be next to make the big league roster also brings up another question: Who is ready to make the big league roster?
Relief Pitcher – Zack Burdi
Zack Burdi was quickly promoted through the Sox minor league system after being drafted in the first round last year. Burdi pitched for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem, Double-A Brimingham Barons and the Charlotte Knights last season. He had a fantastic Spring Training but started 2017 with the Knights.
This season, Burdi’s performances have been great in a sample-sized amount of work. He’s been very effective in his 16.2 innings pitched, only allowing four earned runs, six walks, striking out 25, with an ERA of 2.16 and a WHIP of 1.08. His 25 strikeouts in 15 innings amount to 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Burdi also has five saves which is tied for third-most in the International League .
If Burdi continues to strikeout hitters at this pace and keep runners off the bases, he could receive a call-up very soon. He’s performing at a high-level in Triple-A ball, which is very promising. The only factor is the amount work he has seen. However, he is definitely a player the White Sox are excited about at only 22-years-old.
Starting Pitcher – Carson Fulmer
Another young pitcher, Carson Fulmer, has already had a taste of Major League baseball and he’s definitely making a case for another shot at the big leagues. He has been one of the best pitchers in the International League, especially for the Knights. He’s tied for the most wins in the league and is currently sporting a 3.86 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 35 Ks, 19 earned runs in 44.1 innings pitched, which is the fifth-most innings pitched in the league.
Even though Fulmer was roughed up in his last start against the Durham Bulls on Wednesday night, he was absolutely stellar in his five previous starts. He was 3-0, only allowed nine walks, 16 hits, four earned runs, and struck out 22 in 22.2 innings pitched. He is certainly worth a look if the White Sox want to call up a starter from Charlotte soon.
Starting Pitcher – Reynaldo Lopez
Reynaldo Lopez will be among, if not, the first major call-up the White Sox make when the time is right. The Sox have said repeatedly that they are not rushing to call up any of their major prospects, which includes Lopez. Lopez, however, is making that decision for the Sox very difficult to see through.
He’s one of three pitchers in the International League with 5 wins – Fulmer being another – and his numbers suggest that he’s having an even better year than his teammate Fulmer. Lopez is currently 5-1, with a 3.14 ERA and a WHIP of 1.35. He’s only allowed 15 earned runs in his 43.0 innings of work, but his 45 strikeouts are good enough for fifth-best in the league and most on the team. In Lopez’s last six starts, he’s pitched at last 5.0 innings, and only allowed three earned runs or less, en route to a 5-0 record with 30 strikeouts in that span.
In addition to his strong and increasingly improving performances, Lopez has already a few very strong outings at the big league level. Last season with the Nationals, he put up virtually the same numbers in fewer games, meaning not only was he effective in the majors, he was also going deeper into games. With the higher-rated White Sox prospect Lucas Giolito struggling, Lopez is now the best pitching prospect the Sox have ready and waiting in Charlotte.
Here are his numbers from his time in the MLB compared to this season’s numbers.
- With Nationals in 2016 – 6 starts, 44.0 IP, 42 K, 4.91 ERA, 24 ER, 1.57 WHIP, 4 HR, 22 BB
- With Knights in 2017 – 8 starts, 43.0 IP, 45 K, 3.14 ERA, 15 ER, 1.35 WHIP, 5 HR, 22 BB
Third Baseman – Nick Delmonico
Nicky Delmonico also made a great first impression at Spring Training. He smacked a team-high five home runs, and was among the team-leaders in RBI, runs, hits, walks, and extra base hits. He wasassigned to Charlotte towards the end of March but it looked like he could have a very bright future for the White Sox.
He continued his great Spring with a great April down in Charlotte. He’s currently hitting .275 with three home runs, 20 RBI’s, an on-base percentage of .353 and a slugging percentage of .430. His 10 doubles, two triples, 20 RBI, 64 total bases, 17 walks, 41 hits, and 23 runs are either a team-best or second-best.
He’s sitting behind one of the best players in the minor leagues in many of those categories but being one of the most productive players on the Triple-A team merits a call up sooner rather than later. Current White Sox players Willy Garcia and Kevan Smith got the call up because of their fantastic starts at Charlotte and injuries to current Sox players, so Delmonico shouldn’t be waiting too long before he makes the move up.
Also worth noting, the continuing torrid performance of third baseman Todd Frazier and the declining play of third baseman Matt Davidson, leaves the possibility of Delmonico having a chance to take the third baseman spot of the future.
Second Baseman – Yoan Moncada
The golden boy the Sox received in the Chris Sale trade looks just about to ready to light up MLB. Yoan Moncada has been the talk of the offseason for the White Sox, among other prospects. Even though he got off to a very slow start in Spring Training, he caught fire towards the end of March and hasn’t let up since.
He has a batting average of .331, six home runs, 15 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .504. His 46 hits, 70 total bases, 10 stolen bases, and 27 runs scored are a team-high and he’s also sitting in the International League’s top 5 of runs, hits, total runs, stolen bases, and batting average, and is in the top 10 in on-base percentage.
He’s definitely ready to give it a go in the big leagues because of how he’s been playing at Charlotte, but the Sox are playing it safe with their prized youngster. General Manager Rick Hahn has said they are waiting for him to develop a little more before calling him up. Moncada was recently placed on the 7-day disabled list for a sore left thumb. According to the Chicago Tribune, the X-ray and MRI looked fine but the Knights are going to let him recover from the very minor injury before he starts again.
All of these aforementioned players look primed to make an impact on the major league roster very soon. The very exciting thing for the Sox is that these are only a handful of players on the long list of prospects they are looking to build their future on.