Big MLB Prospects on the Move

When Reynaldo is the fourth best prospect you traded for in two days, you win

This time last year, the Chicago White Sox did not have a single top 100 prospect in their barren farm system. Carson Fulmer has since made his way into the majority of top 100 lists, but as a likely future relief pitcher, has a limited ceiling. In fact, the White Sox minor league system was so abysmal, that only the Angels’ dreadful prospect list was considered worse. The White Sox have promoted two extremely talented pitchers in Chris Sale and Carlos Rodon through their system, but the two were gift-wrapped high-draft picks. Outside of that, every other prospect of relevance over the last decade has been a resounding disappointment. This weekend, Rick Hahn quickly changed the narrative from gloom and misery to a picture perfect example of how to kickstart the ideal rebuilding movement. No longer are the White Sox the laughing stock of the prospect world. Rather, they became a top five farm system overnight. Low and behold, the future members of the White Sox 2020 AL pennant contending team:

The White Sox trade Chris Sale to the Red Sox for…

Yoan Moncada (2B/3B/OF?)
This 21-year-old Cuban sensation landed a contract for nearly double of what Aroldis Chapman signed for, being the most hyped Cuban prospect this decade. After more than a year off of baseball, he jumped into the minors as one of the youngest players in his leagues and tore it up at each stop up ascending to become the consensus top prospect in baseball. Last season, he carried an on-base percentage over .400 and slugged over .500 while stealing 45 bases in 106 games across three minor league levels. He is ready to play from the get-go and could perform as well as Chase Utley this season. Although the White Sox have been known to aggressively promote prospects, the most likely scenario is that he will be further groomed before a late-summer call-up. He is already more than competent at both second base and third base, but there has also been speculation that he could be moved to center field (perhaps to replace Adam Eaton). The fact of the matter is, his bat will make him, at the very least, an above-average regular at any position within three seasons and gives him an upside comparable to Dustin Pedroia in his prime, but perhaps with more speed and flash to his game.

Michael Kopech (RHP)
The big-bodied Texas 20-year-old has more than a fireball. Apparently, he also has a fiery temperament. Last season, he broke his hand in a fight with a teammate. This wasn’t his first run in with trouble, however. In 2015, he received a 50-game suspension for taking a banned substance. These character concerns are the only thing that have kept him from soaring up the prospect charts, as it certainly isn’t his talent. He has been clocked at 105 MPH. That is not a typo. Last season, he struck out 86 hitters in just 56 innings while allowing only 29 hits. His walk rate is a bit high, but it has more to do with consistency in delivery and working on his breaking balls than with his ability to command pitches. On stuff and statistics, this is a top 15 prospect. Throw in the other stuff and experts vary in opinions, ranking him anywhere between #25 and #90. His realistic range of outcomes varies from Joel Zumaya to Justin Verlander. We should have a much stronger idea of who Kopech will be after he attacks hitters three years older in Double-A this season.

Luis Alexander Basabe (CF)
A true five-tool talent is difficult to come by, but that is exactly what we may have here. The switch-hitter has a great body for baseball and is likely to grow into more power as he fills in his 6’0″, 160 pound body. While Basabe could eventually morph into a Shawn Green type of player, he is extremely raw and needs vast improvements in plate discipline, defensive instincts and fundementals all across the spectrum. As a 19-year-old last season, he batted .264 with a .452 slugging percentage, but struck out a whopping 119 times in just 425 at bats. We have seen countless five-tool talents, from Alex Escobar to Fernando Martinez and Lastings Milledge entirely flame out before casual baseball fans ever heard their names. Others like Colby Rasmus and Delmon Young grew into major leaguers, albeit disappointing ones. It is the rare occasion that such a raw prospect realizes his potential and becomes Adam Jones, but that may be exactly what we have here in Basabe.

Victor Diaz (RP)
A major league team can never carry too many electric arms and while Diaz has limited fantasy appeal, he could morph into a useful bullpen piece if he continues to develop. He won’t be found in any top 100 prospect lists, or even top 400 for what it’s worth, and his stats (1.492 WHIP and a 3.88 ERA as an older player in the league) are nothing to write home about, but when you are dealing with a 6’3″ kid that possesses a triple-digit fastball, the term future closer must be mentioned.

The White Sox trade Adam Eaton to the Nationals for…

Lucas Giolito (RHP)
Many people will tell you that Moncada was the prize of the weekend for the White Sox, and that may be the case, but his ceiling dwindles in comparison to Lucas Giolito’s. It is easy to look at his numbers and say, wow, what’s all the hype about? Look, I get it, 154 hits in 133 innings pitched and a 4.60 ERA in Triple-A isn’t that exciting. But, oh wait, those aren’t Giolito’s numbers, they belonged to Noah Syndergaard three years ago. But really, 130 K’s and 96 walks in 160 innings? No, thank you. What if I told you that one was a 25-year-old Randy Johnson? I’m not just throwing these names around. Giolito can be that good. In fact, the 6’6″, 255 pound, triple-digit pumping Giolito is probably the closest profile comparison to Roger Clemens since the Rocket broke into the league in 1984. Whether Giolito puts it together and stays healthy or not is a whole different story, but if he does, Giolito and Carlos Rodon should be the best one-two duo in baseball by 2020.

Reynaldo Lopez (RHP)
This small righty has had a roller coaster of a career. He broke into prospect relevance in 2014 as a 20-year old no-namer by posting a 1.08 ERA and allowing an opponent batting average of just .126, all with tremendous command. Some prognosticators jumped on the bandwagon, listing him as a top 50 prospect, while others were still trying to figure out if he was a real player. In 2015 he took a big step backward in terms of stats, but his portfolio improved as he started adding muscle and increasing his velocity. Then last season, he made an adjustment to his mechanics and flew back into prominence, striking out 11.8 batters per nine innings with a sparkling WHIP and was called up to the majors where we saw flashes of brilliance in six starts and a handful of relief appearances. If he continues to progess, remains healthy and continues his terrific mechanics, we might just have another Javier Vazquez on our hands.

Dane Dunning (RHP)
The Nationals drafted this 6’4″ 21-year-old college reliever in the late first round just a few months ago with the intention of turning him into a starting pitcher. He took to it quickly, posting solid numbers in the New York Penn league with impeccable command. He won’t appear on anyone’s top 100 prospect list this year, but there is at least a 30% chance of seeing his name there this time next season. His most probable outcome is similar to Michael Lorenzen, who the Reds tried as a starter but eventually moved to back to the bullpen to become a high-leverge arm they can rely on.

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It is worth noting that the St. Louis Cardinals dealt middling lefty, Jaime Garcia to the Atlanta Braves for a trio of prospects, but that none are noteworthy or likely to appear in my Worldwide Top 400 MLB Prospects list that will publish just in time for Christmas. Rather, John Gant, Luke Dykstra and Chris Ellis are low-ceiling talents who are close to the majors, but likely to never be more than marginal depth pieces.

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