Chicago White Sox: 2018 Minor League Awards
The 2018 season was not what many with the Chicago White Sox had hoped at the major league or minor league level, but with a deep system, there were plenty of bright spots.
As part of our continuing coverage at Call to the Pen of the minor leagues, we will be covering each organization’s top players for 2018. The coverage will go in reverse order of record. Today, we will look at the Chicago White Sox.
We are going to review the system’s leaders for each organization statistically, then choose one hitter and one pitcher to honor for every team. This will be primarily based on statistical performance, though some “age relative to level” could come into play, so a very impressive season from a 28-year-old in AA will rank below a nearly as impressive season from a 20-year-old at the same level.
After we review each organization’s hitter and pitcher of the year, we will close out October with Call To The Pen’s Minor League team of the year. That will lead into November starting our team top 10 prospect lists. In other words, there will be plenty of minor league content on the way at CTTP, so keep coming back for more each day this offseason!!
Chicago White Sox minor leagues
The Chicago White Sox used two big trades after the 2016 season to jumpstart a rebuild that they hoped would start to see results this year, but instead the team finished in a major funk to be one of three teams to lose 100 games this year.
Seeing the team’s top arm require Tommy John surgery after just starting to get his feet under him in the majors is rough for the system, but the White Sox do have impressive arms and bats that have stepped forward this year, though a number of the “big names” struggled in 2018 around the system.
Before we offer up awards on the season, let’s take a look at the system’s statistical leaders:
Organization Leaders (min. 150 PA, 50 IP)
BA: Amado Nunez .357
OBP: Camilo Quinteiro .427
SLG: Eloy Jimenez .577
OPS: Amado Nunez .962
R: Luis Gonzalez 85
H: Luis Gonzalez 148
2B: Luis Gonzalez 40
3B: Blake Rutherford 9
HR: Eloy Jiminez 22
RBI: Blake Rutherford 78
SB: Joel Booker 26
TB: Eloy Jimenez and Luis Gonzalez 240
W: Four pitchers with 12
G: Rob Scahill 52
GS: Jordan Stephens and Spencer Adams 28
IP: Spencer Adams 159
SV: Ian Hamilton 22
K: Michael Kopech 170
ERA: Tyler Johnson 1.40
WHIP: Tyler Johnson 0.88
K/9: Tyler Johnson 13.8
K/BB: Carter Love 12.4
Chicago White Sox Minor League Hitter of the Year: Eloy Jimenez
Level(s): AA Birmingham, AAA Charlotte
Stats: .337/.384/.577, 108 G, 456 PA, 64 R, 28 2B, 3 3B, 22 HR, 75 RBI, 32/69 BB/K
One of the elite prospects in the entire game, Jimenez missed the start of the season, but once he got back on the field, he was every bit the player that his reputation said he should be.
Eloy swings one of the quickest bats in the entire minor leagues, and that bat generates an incredible amount of power. While the defense is nothing he’ll ever be known for, he’s actually taken time to work on his defense and is noted for his coachability on defense to at least keep himself passable.
While Eloy did not get the call to the majors in 2018, he will be up fairly early in 2019, and Chicago White Sox fans will enjoy watching him hit for years to come.
Runners-up
In one of the closest decisions in all of the 30 teams, Luis Gonzalez finished a close second to Eloy. The White Sox drafted Gonzalez out of the University of New Mexico in the 3rd round in 2017, and he blew through the two A-ball levels in 2018, hitting a combined .307/.368/.498, actually hitting better in high-A after being promoted. Combined, he lined 40 doubles and 4 triples into the gaps while pounding 14 home runs and stealing 10 bases.
A 28th round draft pick in 2017, Laz Rivera was not a guy that many were expecting to put together a huge season, but there he was, handling both middle infield positions and putting together a .314/.361/.481 line with 30 doubles, 13 home runs, and 17 stolen bases. His plate discipline is lacking, which could keep him in the mold of a bench infielder, but that combination of contact, line drive power, and some speed would definitely be valuable.
After a half-dozen years in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Yermin Mercedes signed with the White Sox last offseason, and though he was not by any means “young” for his level, the 25-year-old had a solid year with high-A Winston -Salem, hitting .289/.362/.478 with 14 home runs.
Signed out of the Dominican Republic, Amado Nunez spent two seasons in the Arizona Rookie League. He finally worked his way up to the advanced rookie Pioneer League in 2018, and he had a very good contact season, hitting .357/.394/.568 over 60 games.
Chicago White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Dylan Cease
Level(s): high-A Winston-Salem, AA Birmingham
Stats: 12-2, 23 GS, 124 IP, 2.40 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 50/160 BB/K
Always possessing a power arm, Dylan Cease has struggled to stay on the mound due to arm injury. The 2018 season was the most innings he’s thrown by over 30, and he was absolutely incredible.
Many know how great Michael Kopech’s velocity numbers can be, but Cease is barely a tick below, and he showed in 2018 that his control is significantly better than Kopech’s. The pair as a 1-2 power punch in a future White Sox rotation could be deadly or if both ended up in the back of the bullpen, they’d be dynamic in that role.
The work that Cease did in 2018 puts those bullpen thoughts a long way off at this point, however. He’s grown in his ability to make all of his pitches work, with his change making huge strides, giving him a plus fastball, a pair of above-average pitches in his hard curve and change, and then his seldom-used slider has even shown enough to be a viable fourth pitch.
Cease could very well see big league time by the end of 2019.
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Runners-up
Working through both A-ball levels in 2018, Blake Battenfield showed he could move quickly after being a 17th round selection in 2017. Combined between the two levels, Battenfield posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.08 WHIP over 121 innings with a 29/115 BB/K ratio. He’s not got a big upside, but his ability to sequence and attack hitters should allow him to work as a back-end starter.
After being drafted from Florida, Dane Dunning has established himself as a future mid-rotation starter, and 2018 was no different. Dunning opened his season in the Carolina League, but he found himself in AA quickly. Only injuries likely held Dunning away from getting to AAA by the end of 2018. He combined for a 2.71 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 86 1/3 innings with a 26/100 BB/K ratio.
Drafted out of USC in the 7th round in 2016, Bernardo Flores is the epitomy of a command/control lefty, working with deception and premium location to get hitters to get themselves out. Between high-A and AA in 2018, Flores put up a 2.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 156 innings with a 31/105 BB/K ratio.
The lone reliever on this list, Tyler Johnson is here for good reason after being the Chicago White Sox 7th round pick in 2017 out of South Carolina. The righty showed well across both A-ball levels as a closer in 2018 with dynamic stuff that has him on the fast track to open 2019 in the upper minors. Johnson posted a 1.40 ERA over 41 appearances and 58 innings, saving 14 games with a 16/89 BB/K ratio.
Next. Royals minors awards. dark
So, while the Chicago White Sox didn’t quite see the progress at the major league level that they were hoping for in 2018, the future is coming very soon.