Overlooked Prospects in White Sox Farm System
Ian Clarkin – LHP (White Sox: #17)
Shipped here in the Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle to New York trade, Ian Clarkin was drafted 33rd in the 2013 draft at 18 years old. Now 23, he finds himself overlooked in the shadows of the abundance of pitching prospects in the Sox farm.
He has had his share of bad seasons, once posting an ERA of 5.84, but he only pitched 24 innings. In seasons when he’s pitched 75-plus innings, his highest ERA posted was 4.04 in 2016 in 98 innings of work. But he quickly turned around his 4.04 ERA in 2017 as he compiled a 2.91 ERA in 86 innings with both Single-A Advanced Tampa before the trade and Winston-Salem after.
With his fastball and control graded at 50 and his curveball, slider and changeup at 55, Clarkin does have some ways to go, which explains his 2019 MLB ETA. But if he continues to throw the ball like he did last season, he could take off a year or two and make his way to the White Sox quicker.