Chicago White Sox add former top prospect Manny Banuelos

The Chicago White Sox made an interesting move in their acquisition of former top prospect Manny Banuelos from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, Manny Banuelos was one of the top pitching prospects in the game. With the Yankees at the time, he was a consensus top 30 prospect prior to the 2012 campaign, a 21 year old pitcher who seemed destined to reach the majors in the near future after starting the year at AAA. However, he was injured early on, and missed the entire 2013 campaign due to those injuries.

Traded to the Braves prior to the 2015 season, he finally made that major league debut that season. However, he did not pitch well, posting a 1-4 record with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.595 WHiP over 26.1 innings. Back to the minors, he was released by the Braves after 2016, and since moved to the Angels and Dodgers organizations.

Now, maybe his life as a baseball vagabond is set to come to an end. The former top prospect was acquired by the Chicago White Sox, with minor league infielder Justin Yurchak heading to the Dodgers in return. The White Sox have already put Banuelos on the 40 man roster, leading to the possibility that he will have a chance to return to the majors with Chicago.

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Although he did not appear in the majors for the Dodgers last year, Banuelos pitched relatively well. In his 31 appearances, including 18 starts, he posted a respectable 3.73 ERA and a 1.390 WHiP. Yet, it was his 10.5 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 rates that he posted over 108.2 innings that were most encouraging, as he had not reached those marks since before he was injured.

At just 28 years old to begin the 2019 campaign, there is still time for Banuelos to turn his career around and become a productive major league player. Of course, this may also be his last chance to fulfill his earlier potential, with the White Sox in need of help throughout their pitching staff.

It is possible that he could become a multi-inning option in the bullpen. Over the years, pitchers such as Andrew Miller have gone from being failed starters to viable weapons in relief. While it is incredibly premature to even think that he could turn into another Miller, Banuelos’ changeup could be a devastating weapon in relief. Pitching for an inning or two, working as the firemen of old, could be the prefect way for him to find success.

The Chicago White Sox are giving Manny Banuelos another chance at the majors. This may be his last one, but it may also be his best opportunity.