Another set of White Sox prospect rankings to break ties

Luis Robert (Clinton Cole)

Last week, we looked at the top-100 lists from Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus and noted some significant, understandable divides in the evaluations of White Sox prospects who aren’t Eloy Jimenez or Michael Kopech.

I’d hoped that MLB Pipeline’s top 100 list would serve as a sort of tiebreaker. Jim Callis and crew unveiled it Saturday, and it did not disappoint in that respect.

Updating the table from Thursday’s discussion …

MLBBABPro
Eloy Jimenez (3)Eloy Jimenez (3)Eloy Jimenez (4)
Michael Kopech (18) Michael Kopech (21) Nick Madrigal (15)
Dylan Cease (21)Dylan Cease (38) Michael Kopech (24)
Luis Robert (40)Nick Madrigal (43)Dylan Cease (26)
Nick Madrigal (47)Luis Robert (76)Luis Robert (45)
Dane Dunning (80) Dane Dunning (76)


… and MLB’s list picks a side on most of the debates. While it was in between BA’s bearishness and BP’s bullishness on Cease last season, it’s now the clubhouse leader in enthusiasm this time around. It also sides with BP in not getting scared off by Dunning’s elbow issue, while joining BA in a more reserved level of appreciation for Madrigal’s unique skill set.

Where the MLB list distinguishes itself is by placing Robert ahead of Madrigal. You can understand why this summary of his upside:

Robert went from showing solid speed in Cuba to clocking sub-6.3-second 60-yard dashes during the tryout process, and even if he loses a step as he matures physically, he could be a 30-30 player. He’s still a bit raw with his reads and jumps in center field but he has the physical ability to become a solid defender up the middle with more experience. If he has to move to a corner, his strong arm and offensive profile will fit well in right field.

You can hear Callis’ thoughts on his list — including an off-the-board White Sox prospect he stumped for — in the upcoming episode of the Sox Machine Podcast.

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