Under The Radar Prospects Making Noise In Kannapolis
The White Sox have left us very little to get excited about this year. The only thing that White Sox fans can get excited about is the prospects that could come up and help transform the team. Although these prospects are in A-ball, they have the potential to move up in the system quickly, as most of them were drafted or signed recently.
Most of the prospects that were making noise earlier in the year have made their way up to high-A or AA by now, but there are still some very good players making noise in Kannapolis. Here are some of the top performers for the Cannonballers:
Aldrin Batista
One of the two players that were acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for international bonus pool money, Batista has exceeded expectations. When he was acquired, he was just at the Arizona complex, also known as rookie ball. Since joining the Sox organization, he has jumped up to A ball and has looked very good.
To this point for Kannapolis, he has thrown 15 innings of 2.40 ERA ball. In those 15 innings, he has struck out 13 and walked only 4. This is a great start for a young and relatively unknown prospect. Although he must have impressed the Sox enough to trade for him, as they likely saw him a lot in the Arizona complex they share with the Dodgers.
Batista is only 20 years old so he has even more time to get better. It is a great sign that he has produced these types of numbers to this point. If he pans out, it will be a nice little parting gift from Rick Hahn, as it was one of the last moves he made as the GM.
Calvin Harris
One of the first draft picks to get called up to A ball, Harris is off to a very nice start. So far he is hitting .278 with one homerun and 13 RBIs. This is a very solid start to minor-league baseball, especially for a fourth-round pick.
In just a matter of a few weeks, the White Sox have significantly upgraded their catching depth in the minor leagues. This is extremely important, as they did not have many prospects that looked like they could take over at the major league level. Harris has definitely shown flashes that he could be an everyday major leaguer and will look to continue his great start as he gets moved up in the minor leagues.
If Korey Lee doesn’t pan out, Harris could be a fast riser that could be up in just a season or two, as he was drafted out of college, and collegiate position players tend to move quickly through minor league systems if they perform well.
Most of the draft picks have made their way to Kannapolis but haven’t been able to play yet or much at all. Hopefully, they get some action before the season ends, as it will make Kannapolis some must-watch baseball.