Chicago White Sox Top 10 Prospects Chat

Hudson Belinsky: Howdy White Sox fans. What do you wanna know?

Frank (Indianapolis IN): How many of these guys are likely to make the BA 100?
Hudson Belinsky: I’ll advocate for Collins extremely high, and I imagine Burdi will get in there as well, but don’t quote me on that. I don’t know if Carson Fulmer fits; he probably doesn’t.

Grant (NYC): Opinions on the Charlie Tilson acquisition? Will he make the 11-20 range?
Hudson Belinsky: He had a good season and made it to the big leagues. His fragility is a significant concern and I couldn’t justify him as a top 10 prospect in this system.

Ryan (Chicago): What were evaluators' opinions of Micker Adolfo this year?
Hudson Belinsky: He still has loud raw tools in his power potential and arm strength. He didn’t show a purposeful approach at the plate and expanded the strike zone often. He’ll need a full year of good health and consistent reps to continue to inch towards tapping into his pure tools. I expect to see him back in Kannapolis to start 2017.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): Thanks for chatting. How high are you on Zangari? Is he likely to be a fast riser if he can keep the SO's down and the HRs up?
Hudson Belinsky: Any prospect who corrects their weaknesses has a chance to move up. I think he’s on the local train, not the express.

Travis (IA): Adam Engel says hello.
Hudson Belinsky: Good question.

Mike (Miami): Curious what evaluators inside and outside the Sox had to say about Collins' 108 Ks in his final two seasons in college. The BBs are impressive, but how is that many Ks equal to "elite" strike zone management? Is there concern about swing as he makes it to the Bigs? Thanks for the chat!
Hudson Belinsky: Nobody I talked to was concerned about that; his strikeout rate was 19.3% as a junior and 25.5% at Winston-Salem. Neither of those is alarmingly high, especially for a developing young player, in my opinion. He has a very patient approach and won’t swing at pitches he doesn’t think he can drive, even if they are early-count called strikes. He draws three-ball counts at a very high rate, and puts himself in a position to get good hitters’ pitches as a result. He does swing hard and anyone with his kind of bat speed and strength will have some strikeouts, but he won’t expand the strike zone and he’s content to work his walks.

William (Pensacola, FL): This system seems void of power-corner bat types. Are there any potential players to fill this void in the Top 20 ?
Hudson Belinsky: Good question. I don’t think there’s a ton of big power guys in the system who have made enough contact for their power to play at this point, but one sleeper that I kind of like is Nick Basto… Matt Eddy compiled a really useful document for us that looks at the top statistical performers in each organization relative to their league. Basto was in the 81st percentile of isolated slugging and the 88th percentile in batting average in the Carolina League (High A). He doesn’t have a defensive home, but he had a good year and there’s some bat life and strength to him. I would caution against getting too excited about him, but he’s worth paying attention to. Also, let’s not be surprised if Trey Michalczewksi gets to more power as he ages.

Steve (Springfield): How would you compare Collins' projection to Matt Wieters' present ability?
Hudson Belinsky: I see Collins as more of an on-base threat than Wieters was at his peak. They get some physical comparisons to each other. Scouts brought up Brian McCann as a comp, and I think that makes sense as a ceiling for Collins.

Steve (Chicago): Where do you feel Chicago's system would rank among the rest of MLB at the moment, and how much could the organization improve the system with a full-on rebuild this winter?
Hudson Belinsky: I think they are probably in the 20s. If they were to trade their top assets this winter, that could change drastically in a hurry.

Lloyd (Lakewood): If his listed age is correct, doesn't that put Fisher a full two years older than other players in the Pioneer League? That has to weigh on his potential quite a bit doesnt it?
Hudson Belinsky: He was just drafted this year. He isn’t a player that requires a ton of projection. He’s closer to being what he’s going to be than some of the other, younger players in the system.

Barney Stinson (MacLaren's): I was surprised to see Hansen below 3 other pitchers on this list. Is that an indication that I should be tempering my expectations about his ceiling? Or just a reflection of the risk factor on him? thanks!
Hudson Belinsky: It’s a reflection of the risk factors. He’s got exceptional upside. I’d note that you shouldn’t overreact to any player’s ceiling. These guys are all prospects. You should get excited about the guys in the big leagues, like Rodon and Anderson.

Rob (Toronto, ON): I'd kind of hoped Brian Clark could have flashed enough in his repertoire to start but I guess he is set as a reliever now. Is he a future middle innings mopup guy or does he have stuff that can translate to high leverage or late innings?
Hudson Belinsky: Solid lefthanded reliever. From what I gather, evaluators don’t see him as a high leverage innings guy.

Jonathan (Syracuse, NY): Are people buying the last few starts of the season from Jordan Stephens, where his tweaked mechanics supposedly led to an uptick in velocity and the corresponding bucketload of strikeouts?
Hudson Belinsky: He’s flashed the mid-90s velocity before. He’s a pretty good starting pitching prospect with some velo, feel to spin a breaking ball and flashes of command.

Kyle (Normal, IL): What do you think is best for Carson Fulmer in 2017? Big league roster? Minors? Starting or bullpen?
Hudson Belinsky: I anticipate him starting the season in Triple-A and continuing to refine some things. His late season progress is very encouraging, but why rush him to the big leagues before he’s 100% ready.

Chris L (Joliet, IL): Ultimately which of the pitching prospects has the best chance to be a reliable mid rotation starter moving forward?
Hudson Belinsky: I think Spencer Adams is the safest bet to be a starting pitcher of that group at the top.

Stavros (Windy City): I will make my question as simple as can be: Is Corey Zangari a right-handed version of Joey Gallo? (Obviously, Zangari's power isn't 80-grade like Gallo's. I guess my real question is whether he will make enough contact to use it?)
Hudson Belinsky: All we can do is pull together all of the information we can on a player’s experience level, which pitches they struggle with, if they are mentally aware of how pitchers are trying to attack them, and if they have shown the ability to make adjustments. Zangari has big power and improved his strikeout rate at the end of the season. With the kind of raw power he has, he doesn’t need to make a TON of contact for his power to play (in terms of home runs). If he punished 35 mistakes in a season, he’ll be successful. He’s also a 2015 high school draftee, and in most systems would not have been in Low-A in his first full season, which is important to consider.

Rick (Bloomington, IL): How close is Spencer Adams to being a top 100 prospect? I love his stuff, still young and I believe he's underrated.
Hudson Belinsky: I think he, Hansen, and Carson Fulmer will be on the cusp, but I can’t say if they will make it or not.

Doug (Pennsylvania): Hi Hudson, terrific chats have you heard how Alec Hansen improved his control/command so quickly ? did the White Sox tweak his mechanics ? thanks
Hudson Belinsky: It sounds silly, but he actually got some coaching and basically just threw the ball over the plate. His walk numbers are way down, but evaluators still said he’d miss his spots by several inches here or there, and that he was by no means showing plus command. He didn’t have the pressure of the draft to deal with, and he was able to just go out and trust his stuff. He got swings and misses even when he wasn’t perfect, and I think that allowed him to develop more confidence in his stuff and pitch with some more competitive fire.

Rob (Decatur, IL): If they had a 2016 re-draft today, where do you think Alec Hansen would go?
Hudson Belinsky: I don’t think he would go THAT much higher, maybe 10 spots? He’s still a high-risk, high-reward prospect.

Richard Smiley (Chicago, IL): Five of the top ten come from the 2016 draft. Is that strictly due to the weakness of the system or did the Sox have a good draft?
Hudson Belinsky: Both.

Ryan (In Line): Whom did you vote for?
Hudson Belinsky: Pedro.

Nowhere Man (Nowhere Land): Who is the closer of the future here??
Hudson Belinsky: Zack Burdi.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): Thoughts on Luis Martinez who pitched in Low A/Kannapolis. Martinez was finally able to stay healthy and make some nice progress. How much upside do you see with Martinez?
Hudson Belinsky: He has the upside of #3 or #4 but is very far off from that projection. He’s got a good fastball with life but his velocity fluctuates and his offspeed needs to add more power.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): Jordan Stephens had a solid healthy year this year for the White Sox, Thoughts on his progress and development? Back end of the rotation or future bullpen arm
Hudson Belinsky: Split camp among evaluators I talked to. I think he’s a starter, but he could be a good two-pitch pen guy with a fastball/curveball combo. Maybe like Justin Grimm as a reliever.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): Thanks for chatting. Do you see 2016 11th round pick Ian Hamilton as a fast riser through the White Sox system?
Hudson Belinsky: Yes I think that’s possible. He’s got some velocity and a deceitful slider. Starter in college who could blossom in a relief role.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): Thoughts on 2016 6th round draft pick LHP Bernardo Flores? Heard they made a little change in his mechanics and was throwing consistently in the mid 90s. Thoughts?
Hudson Belinsky: That was a good pick. The White Sox took a lot of guys who need some fixing but offer significant upside and I think that was prudent. Their system needs a jolt and high-ceiling players give them a chance. Flores showed more consistent velocity and made progress with his curveball. He’s not on the express train like some of the other players the White Sox have moved quickly through the system, but the early progress he’s made is noteworthy.

Anthony Cox (Seattle): What is your opinion about bringing pitching prospects up and putting them in the bullpen for a couple years like Sale, Arrieta, Duffy, and possibly Fulmer. Do you think the White Sox started a trend here and does it help protect the pitcher's arm from TJ and make them a better pitcher long term?
Hudson Belinsky: I don’t think the Whit Sox started that trend; I think it’s happened as the game has become more specialized and the value of platoon advantages has been realized in the past couple decades, especially in response the height of offense in baseball in the steroid era. I think that it can be healthy to advance a pitcher’s innings carefully, but I also believe that good organizations understand that every pitcher is unique and needs to be developed as such.

Mike (Toronto): Has anyone ever seen Micker Adolfo and Courtney Hawkins in the same place? Can you confirm they are actually different?
Hudson Belinsky: I can confirm that they are different. Micker never did a backflip on TV.

Marc (Chicago): What do you think is the potential for Jameson Fisher? Does he look like an everyday outfielder? 20 HR guy? Your thoughts. ---thanks
Hudson Belinsky: The potential is high because he’s literally always produced offensively. There’s defensive uncertainty with him but he’s a good athlete and athletes usually find some kind of defensive home. I don’t envision that lofty of an over-the-fence power output. It’s bat over power.

Marc (South Side): In your opinion is Alex Call an everyday Centerfielder for the Sox in the next few years? He got off to a hot start in his pro career.
Hudson Belinsky: I don’t know if he quite lives up to the center field profile, but he has a chance to have solid defensive value in the corners thanks to solid foot speed and he’s got an M40 for an arm.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): What are your thoughts on 2B/3B Luis Curbelo? One of the better upside hitters in our lower affiliates?
Hudson Belinsky: I’m a big fan and I think that you’re asking a good question. I think Curbelo has significant offensive upside and the defensive tools to play at second or third. He could be a riser in this system in 2017.

Brian (Boston): The consensus seems to be that Collins won't stick as Catcher, you seem a little more optimistic. Do you think he stays at Catcher ?
Hudson Belinsky: I think he’s going to catch. I don’t know where you heard that from, but I would encourage people who say that to do more research and go to more than one game late in a season where Collins has been playing since February.

Daniel (South Side of Chicago): I would like your thoughts on Nick Delmonico. He really put it together at AA--Birmingham last season, but the terrific year he was building went south after a promotion to AAA. Do you think Delmonico--currently our #27 prospect--is some one who can help us?
Hudson Belinsky: Potentially, yes. He’s always had some fans of his bat. But I wouldn’t advise you to have TOO high of expectations, for the reasons you state. It was a good year, though.

Ryan (Burr Ridge, IL): How much of an impact has Nick Hostetler had on the Sox change in draft philosophy? What's your thoughts of him?
Hudson Belinsky: I simply don’t know EXACTLY how much of an impact he’s had, but he is very talented leader and has clearly had a positive impact on their organization.

Karl of Delaware (Georgetown, Delaware): Of the Great Falls outfield .300+ fellows Booker, Jameson Fisher, and Schnurbusch, which do you regard as the best prospect? Will all these guys be in the Kannapolis outfield next season?
Hudson Belinsky: Jameson Fisher is the highest ranked because of his longer track record of hitting. Booker is an impact runner and showed some contact skills in his debut. Schnurbusch is a bit of a wild card; he has a great body and showed excellent raw tools in the summer. Based on his pure tools, Schnurbusch is a pretty good upside pick to progress past some of the players who are currently in front of him, we just want to see him do it for a little longer before we overreact to a small sample.

Michael (Libertyville, IL): Does Burdi belong in the bullpen? He was picked pretty high to not give starting a shot.
Hudson Belinsky: He has the stuff to develop as a starter, but he appears comfortable in a relief role and he hasn’t been a starter before, not even in college. There’s value in premier relievers, even if they don’t pitch nearly as many innings. This guy is a pretty safe bet to have some kind of impact as a reliever… I am not the biggest fan of win-value metrics and I wouldn’t advocate using them as a final judgment of value, but if you look at FanGraphs WAR, there 12 relievers who accumulated 2.0 or more WAR in 2016, which is significant. And then look at the value that the relievers in the World Series just had. I agree that starters are preferable high in the draft, but this guy has a chance to be a REALLY good reliever and soon.

Matt C (Chicago): Hello Hudson, thanks for chatting! I've got three questions for you... 1. I'm a little surprised that Spencer Adams is this high still, when he's now so heavily 88-89 2-seamer with his 4-seamer more 91-92 and less used. Do you think he's going to get that bigger 4S velo back, after a couple years? 2. Was Amado Nunez a consideration for the top 10? Hearing a lot of positive reports tool-wise. 3. I'm sure others will ask this, but just in case... what are your odds on Collins sticking at catcher?
Hudson Belinsky: Thanks for your questions, Matt. A lot of pitchers never throw as hard as they did in high school for a number of reasons. Sometimes they are pitching with a lot more rest than they’ll ever get on a pro schedule. I don’t know why Adams isn’t throwing as hard as he did in high school, but he does have athleticism and a good frame, and he can be successful at that lower velocity range. The hope is that he will add another tick or two to his velo valley. Amado Nunez has some tools but is so far away from realizing his ceiling that I didn’t think it would be appropriate to run him up ahead of some of the players who are closer to contributing as Major Leaguers. I think Zack Collins is a catcher, for a lot of reasons.

Ryne (Waco, TX): Any love for Yosmer Solorzano? Was one of the youngest starters in the PIO and threw 2 no-hitters in the span of 16 days to close out the season... listed at 6-2, 180, does he really throw that slow and lack that much projection? Where does he rank in comparison to Micker Adolfo? Thanks!
Hudson Belinsky: Heard that he works mostly in the upper 80s. He was not in consideration for the top 10.

Greg (Northbrook, Illinois): I know from following the Sox they seem never to hesitate in force-feeding their prospects. Since he pitched across four different levels last year, and ended at AAA/Charlotte, does Burdi end his 2017 season in Chicago?
Hudson Belinsky: I think he could make it to Chicago very quickly in 2017 if the team needs him. But there may not be much of a rush depending on what the organization’s long term plan is.

Clarence (Telford, TN): Is it a general feeling among many around the organization that Courtney Hawkins was rushed through the minor leagues?
Hudson Belinsky: He might have been rushed, but it’s up to him how he’s going to respond to failure.

PolishPrince (Lake Zurich): Thoughts on RHP 6-7 Zach Thompson? Does he a future in the back of rotation or bullpen arm?
Hudson Belinsky: He has a chance to make it as a starter but will need to continue refining his consistency. He’s a good prospect and shows flashes of velocity and a quality changeup, but he had some rough outings in front of some scouts I talked to.

Hudson Belinsky: That’s all for me today. Please go vote.