2023 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 9
Cristian Mena made it three straight hurlers to move on. Who is the ninth-best prospect in the White Sox system?
It is the sixth year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!
Here’s how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here’s an archive of every article in the 2018 series. Here’s how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well. Here’s 2020, with the archive. Here’s the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive. And here’s the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
Despite cutting short our Top 50 voting last year, some seasons we’ve gotten upwards of 15,000 votes. So thanks in advance for your participation!
Our No. 100 prospect was a late substitution, Luke Shilling, so he’s not yet up on site. But we do aim to run the Top 100 count-up on a daily basis, and have prospect votes every couple of days.
Unlike last year, our writers agree on a No. 1 prospect. Will you as well?
Just five of 10 players from last year’s initial prospect vote poll show up this time around, with only one (Jake Burger) dropping off after losing his rookie/prospect status. So there is some ballot churn here.
Also note something sort of miraculous, and a tribute to a steady climb through the system: Lenyn Sosa is spending his SIXTH year on our top prospect lists — and is still very young!
All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!
Cristian Mena made it three straight pitchers voted in, after six straight hitters. It’s a year of prospect streaks!
Mena took the eighth spot in our poll, earning 49 of 181 votes (27.1%). Mena, though a rapid riser in the White Sox system, has never been ranked in our Top Prospects vote.
A year ago, Romy González was our No. 8 pick; with his prospect status expired, he will not appear again in our Prospect Poll.
As weird as the No. 7 voting results looked, with votes of 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 placing the final seven finishers in the poll, the race for No. 8 was oddly uniform. NO players dropped a single place, and with the exception of Mena leaping over Wes Kath to the top spot, every player simply moved up one space from the prior vote. Plus, more weirdness, as the final seven spots earned votes of 14-13-12-11-10-9-8.
Newcomer Ryan Burrowes fell into line, debuting at No. 10, with eight votes.
Joining the ballot this round is a prospect the White Sox just received in trade from San Francisco, reliever Gregory Santos.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2023
- Oscar Colás — 57% (Montgomery 35%, Ramos/Sosa 3%, Rodríguez 1%, Mena/Pallette/Schultz 0.5%, Burke/Vera 0%)
- Colson Montgomery — 71% (Sosa 9%, Ramos 5%, Rodríguez 4.4%, Mena 3.7%, Vera 3%, Céspedes 2%, Pallette/Schultz 1%, Burke 0%)
- Bryan Ramos — 29% (Sosa 25%, Vera 12.3%, Rodríguez 11.7%, Schultz 9%, Mena 8%, Burke/Pallette 2%, Céspedes 1%, Kath 0%)
- Lenyn Sosa — 43% (Rodríguez 25%, Vera 16%, Mena/Schultz 6%, Céspedes 2%, Kath/Pallette 1%, Burke/Cannon 0%)
- José Rodríguez — 40.5% (Vera 22.3%, Mena 14.0%, Schultz 9.1%, Céspedes 5.0%, Burke 3.3%, Kath/Pallette 2.5%,/Cannon 0.8%, Simas 0.0%)
- Noah Schultz — 34% (Vera 26%, Mena 17%, Céspedes/Mieses 7%, Kath 5%, Burke 2.4%, Pallette 1.6%, Cannon/Simas 0.0%)
- Norge Vera — 30% (Kath 29%, Mena 20%, Pallette 5%, Mieses 4.3%, Céspedes 3.7%, Kelley 2.9%, Burke 2.2%, Cannon 1.5%, Simas 0.7%)
- Cristian Mena — 27% (Kath 19%, Pallette 11%, Mieses 8%, Céspedes 7.2%, Kelley 6.6%, Burke 6.1%, Cannon 5.5%, Simas 5.0%, Burrowes 4.4%)
Sean Burke
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2022 SSS poll ranking 13
2022 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 4-10 ⚾️ 27 games (26 starts) ⚾️ 108 IP ⚾️ 4.75 ERA ⚾️ 48 BB ⚾️ 137 K ⚾️ 1.444 WHIP
In line to be 2023’s Davis Martin, and given the White Sox high-minors starter depth, flip a coin as to whether Burke makes his MLB debut this summer. While very challenged at Birmingham and downright overmatched in two Charlotte starts, Burke mowed through his age-appropriate Winston-Salem opponents to start the year. He’ll start in the Charlotte rotation this April.
Ryan Burrowes
Shortstop
Age 18
2022 High Level DSL (Rookie)
Age relative to high level -0.8 years
Overall 2022 stats 47 games ⚾️ 3 HR ⚾️ 18 RBI ⚾️ .266/.393/.392 ⚾️ 12-of-12 SB ⚾️ 25 BB ⚾️ 34 K
It says a lot that this shortstop is more highly-ranked than Loidell Chapelli Jr., who absolutely tore up the DSL in 2022. Certainly Burrowes being age-appropriate for the DSL and exhibiting durability and smarts for the season played a big role in that. As all DSL seasons tend to be, there’s a small sample size here, but it will be exciting to see what Burrowes can do Stateside in 2023.
Jonathan Cannon
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 22
2022 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -0.7 years
Overall 2022 pro stats 0-0 ⚾️ 4 games (3 starts) ⚾️ 7 1⁄3 IP ⚾️ 1.23 ERA ⚾️ 0.955 WHIP ⚾️ 4 K ⚾️ 3 BB
The big (6´6´´) Georgian was the club’s third-rounder in 2022, getting his feet wet as a pro but really getting down to business looking ahead to 2023. Anticipate a cup of coffee in Kanny, if not an outright straight assignment right to Winston-Salem. There is room to move fast as a starter in the White Sox system.
Yoelqui Céspedes
Center Fielder
Age 25
2021 SSS poll ranking 6
2022 SSS poll ranking 6
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 119 games ⚾️ 17 HR ⚾️ 59 RBI ⚾️ .258/.332/.437 ⚾️ 33-of-45 SB ⚾️ 29 BB ⚾️ 154 K
Céspedes broke camp on a pretty high note, having impressed in Arizona, and it did not seem completely out of the question he could see the South Side in the summer. But while Oscar Colás just whipped past him and sprinted up to Charlotte, Céspedes languished in Birmingham. Particularly concerning is his ongoing contact issue; 154 Ks (with scant corresponding walks) and only decent power is not going to cut it. Yoelqui will need to either dump at least 100 points into his soft (.769) OPS or make those contact issues disappear. At this point, he’s in danger of being passed by Luis Mieses — and that’s just among outfielders.
Wes Kath
Third Baseman
Age 20
2022 SSS poll ranking 9
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -5.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 112 games ⚾️ 13 HR ⚾️ 45 RBI ⚾️ .230/.333/.374 ⚾️ 64 BB ⚾️ 171 K
Unlike fellow top-round 2021 draftee Colson Montgomery, Wes Kath didn’t have a particularly strong regular season in Low-A (.740 OPS) and then was annihilated with his promotion to Project Birmingham. With the Barons, rather than just focusing on the group pregame drills and top-prospect bonding that was the underpinning of the concept, Kath was pressed into 13 games that generated a total of one extra-base hit and 23 Ks. While Montgomery surged ahead in 2022, Kath languished. He needs to solve some contact, power, and defense issues. The good news? Even at Kannapolis, Kath had advanced well ahead of his age, by nearly two years.
Jared Kelley
Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2021 SSS poll ranking 5
2022 SSS poll ranking 11
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -4.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 1-6 ⚾️ 21 starts ⚾️ 76 2⁄3 IP ⚾️ 3.52 ERA ⚾️ 71 K ⚾️ 47 BB ⚾️ 1.461 WHIP
Kelley, still young even for the Low-A Kannapolis where he started and pitched most of his season, got some of the first traction of his career in 2022, meriting (by the odd org standards) matriculation to Project Birmingham in August. A reasonable placement in 2023 would see him build momentum by beginning in Winston-Salem, but desperation drives organizations to do strange things.
Luis Mieses
Right Fielder
Age 22
2020 SSS poll ranking 45
2021 SSS poll ranking 48
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.1 years
Overall 2022 stats 129 games ⚾️ 15 HR ⚾️ 88 RBI ⚾️ .281/.324/.448 ⚾️ 24 BB ⚾️ 72 K
In danger of falling out of prospect consideration as recently as a year ago, Mieses discovered his power stroke (doubles machine, but can put the ball over the fence, too) and forced a reward of Project Birmingham. One of the few hitters there to have held his own while much younger than age-level.
Peyton Pallette
Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 21
2022 SSS poll ranking N/R
2022 High Level Arkansas (NCAA)
Age relative to high level -0.9 years
Overall 2022 college stats 1-2 ⚾️ 15 games (11 starts) ⚾️ 56 IP ⚾️ 4.02 ERA ⚾️ 67 K ⚾️ 20 BB ⚾️ 1.268 WHIP
Pallette was Chicago’s No. 2 pick in 2022 and was held out of any professional pitching. He’ll be ticketed for the Arizona Complex League this summer. although a quick move up to Kannapolis — or, possibly, starting there for some full-season play — is not out of the question.
Gregory Santos
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 23
2022 High Level San Francisco (MLB)
Age relative to high level -7.2
Overall 2022 MiLB stats 1-2 ⚾️ 35 games (2 starts) ⚾️ 35 IP ⚾️ 4.63 ERA ⚾️ 37 K ⚾️ 20 BB ⚾️ 1.457 WHIP
Nothing I can tell you that Malachi Hayes won’t do better with his breaking analysis on Gregory Santos after he was acquired for Kade McClure back in December. But a positive bullet point: Santos broke camp with the Giants in 2022 but pitching in just two games before demotion. And two negatives: Santos has a monster arm that’s wild, and he was suspended for PEDs in 2021. South Side bullpen is up for grabs, Greg!
Kohl Simas
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2022 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.4 years
Overall 2022 stats 2-2 ⚾️ 22 games (15 starts) ⚾️ 68 IP ⚾️ 4.24 ERA ⚾️ 1.324 WHIP ⚾️ 82 K ⚾️ 29 BB
Kohl, son of former White Sox reliever Bill Simas, was an undrafted free agent in 2021 who hit the ground running in the White Sox organization and hasn’t looked back. He is the only UDFA to have been part of Project Birmingham, called up as part of a later wave and seeing action in six games.