White Sox: Underrated Prospects That Can Have Immediate Impact
White Sox have some recognizable top prospects, but there are some prospects who are under the radar and could have immediate impacts upon promotions.
The White Sox have been known for the rebuild and their prospects for the better part of the last year. Most people know that while it seems likely the Sox are on track to be the next Houston Astros, not every prospect will pan out or reach their maximum potential, unfortunately. The Sox at the moment honestly have so many great prospects that they only need a few of them to succeed, but which players already have their eyes set on the big leagues?
The big name players like Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Micheal Kopech are as close to being the ‘Next Big Thing’ as they come. Anything less than All-Star could be seen as underachieving. But these are only three players.
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Southside Showdown recently posted a story in which a number of prospects the Sox have currently was highlighted. There were 15 prospects named that could potentially have an impact on the MLB roster, but those were mostly the big name players – the Moncadas, Jimenezes, the Kopechs, but what about the other prospects? The forgotten prospects that are not the youngest, the flashiest or the most highly rated.
Here are just a few of those forgotten prospects.
Acquired in the Anthony Swarzak trade this past season, Cordell was a part of the Milwaukee Brewers system since 2016. Cordell finished out this year on the disabled list but still had a productive year in Triple-A. He’s 25 years old so he’s a little older than most prospects but has had great numbers in the minor leagues.
He’s a career .276 hitter with an on-base percentage of .339 and a slugging percentage of .506. This past year, he hit .284 with 32 extra-base hits of 74 total hits in only 68 games. He should be ready to play in the Majors next year if the Sox want to try him out in the outfield. He’s currently No. 16 on the Sox’s Top 30 Prospects list.
Gillaspie was another trade pickup for the Sox last season. He’s also the brother of former White Sox third baseman Conor Gillaspie. Casey Gillaspie is an interesting piece to look at however because he’s the highest rated first baseman the Sox have in their farm system at No. 11 on the Top 30 list.
With Jose Abreu reaching his thirties this past season, the Sox will need a replacement first baseman in a few years. The Sox are hopeful that Gillaspie can either hold down the first base position or that 2017 second round draft pick Gavin Sheets can fill in the gap when he’s ready. Regardless, Gillaspie is a good spring or a hot streak away from a potential Major League call-up.
Clarkin is an intriguing asset the Sox can use because he’s still young and he’s a left-handed pitcher, which the Sox can benefit from.Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are all right-handed pitchers. Clarkin was the forgotten piece in the big trade the ChiSox made with the New York Yankees as current No. 3 team prospect Blake Rutherford took most of the buzz.
Next: Who Had Better 2017 Season? Hansen or Kopech?
Clarkin spent some of 2014, 2016 and 2017 in high single-A ball and was successful posting ERAs under 3.25 in each of those seasons. He was 4-5 with a 2.60 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 33 walks and five home runs allowed in 18 games this past season. He’s only 22 so hopefully, he can make the jump up to Double-A ball next year, Triple-A in 2019, and be ready for the majors in 2020.