Minor League Baseball League Top 10 Prospects: International League
6. Lucas Giolito, SP, Chicago White Sox
Originally drafted in the first round by the Washington Nationals in 2012 out of Harvard-Westlake High School in California, Giolito was known to need elbow surgery when he was drafted, and the Nationals brought him into their system knowing this. he developed into one of the elite prospects in the game going into the 2016 season before some odd handling by the Washington coaching staff led to Giolito losing velocity on his fastball and bite on his breaking stuff.
When the White Sox acquired him, I was very pleased to see what he could do with White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper working with him. Roughly the only coach that I’d more have wanted to see him with would have been Ray Searage in Pittsburgh.
As I figured would happen, Giolito started the season slow, working with a new system and getting used to it still. His velocity was picking back up, touching 97-98 multiple times over the games I viewed, and his curve had the break back that it had exhibited in the low-minors, with a hard, deep drop to the pitch.
With his 6’6″, 250+ pound frame, Giolito presents an intimidating presence on the mound. He is able to generate excellent sinking action on his fastball and change, and with the plane back on his curve, he is difficult to drive when he’s going well. Giolito’s performances picked up as the season went on in the minor leagues.
The 22 year-old finished with a 4.48 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over 128 2/3 innings, with a 59/134 BB/K ratio. He’s really shown well at the major league level since being called up, with a 2.56 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over 5 starts and 31 2/3 innings, posting a 11/26 BB/K ratio.
Giolito will likely join Lopez in the White Sox rotation to open 2018.
5. Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
While Adames build has seemingly had scouts waiting for the moment he’d be forced off of shortstop since he was signed initially by the Detroit Tigers, but even as he’s filled out and significantly added in his lower half, he’s been able to stay in the field as a shortstop. He may not be an elite defender at the position, he’s certainly a starting caliber shortstop in the upper minors and has shown that he could stick at the position in the major leagues.
Adames was originally signed in 2012 by the Tigers out of the Dominican Republic and came to the Rays organization in the 2014 deal that sent David Price to the Detroit Tigers. He’s developed power while keeping an excellent eye at the plate, but he’s also seemed to stall for a couple of seasons now in his development in hitting skills.
Adames hit .277/.360/.415 with 30 doubles, 5 triples, 10 home runs, and 11 stolen bases with Durham this season in 130 games. He posted a 65/132 BB/K ratio, which is his lowest walk rate since his first full season in 2014. The strikeout rate also ticked up from his 2016 season, though it was nothing terrible at just under 23%.
Adames could make a legit challenge for a position in Tampa Bay in 2018, and some felt that the move of Tim Beckham at the deadline was in part to allow for Adames to be on the roster to open 2018.