White Sox Minor Keys: April 22, 2019
Technically, the White Sox could’ve had better injury news on Monday, but it’s nice to leave the crowd wanting more.
Luis Basabe and Zack Burdi made their 2019 debuts with Kannapolis as promised. Basabe played a full game, if not a great one (0-for-5, two strikeouts). Burdi, conversely, struck out the side on 18 pitches in his first inning of the year. (He would’ve had the best night of any Burdi even if he wasn’t as successful, because man, his poor brother…)
Also, Steele Walker returned to the lineup after a couple of midgame exits, and he saw this one all the way through.
Luis Robert, on the other hand, missed his second consecutive game after departing the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with an apparent hand injury. The good news is that the A-ball affiliates shuffled their rosters because the Dash used the IL, and Robert wasn’t the reason. It was Jordan George instead.
Jackson 5, Birmingham 2
- Joel Booker went 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Laz Rivera, 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Gavin Sheets was 1-for-4 with a K.
- Micker Adolfo doubled and struck out thrice.
- Blake Rutherford went 1-for-3 with a double.
- Ti’Quan Forbes, 2-for-3.
- Bernardo Flores had his first rough outing: 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Winston-Salem 3, Wilmington 1
- Nick Madrigal went 1-for-4.
- Carlos Perez, 1-for-3 with yet another walk.
- Blake Battenfield: 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
- Alec Hansen gave up his first hit, but still: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 19 of 31 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 7, Charleston 1
- Luis Basabe’s 2019 debut was a quiet one: 0-for-5, two strikeouts.
- Steele Walker played a full game, going 2-for-5 with a double.
- Lenyn Sosa was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Bryce Bush had an encouraging game: 1-for-2 with three walks and a strikeout.
- Amado Nunez went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Luis Curbelo singled, was hit by a pitch and struck out twice.
- Jonathan Stiever: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
- Zack Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Anybody have a radar gun at Kanny?
Charleston streams games, but the only reading was an 88 mph slider on his final pitch.
The Nick Burdi video is a really tough watch. Man.
Especially in the context of his injury history.
Considering I saw “Dave Dravecky” mentioned in the aftermath, this would be borderline miraculous:
That is amazing. May this rehab be shorter and less arduous than what the Burdi brothers have already done.
Hostetler says the Sox are “down to about 5” players they could pick at #3, with one being a pitcher.
Hopefully they are in agreement with every updated draft publication on the planet, with Adley, Vaughn, Witt Jr. and Abrams top 4. Guessing Lodolo would be the pitcher. He was shaky 2 weeks ago, and got shelled last Sat.
Pure speculation on my part but I bet the 5 are Adley, Vaughn, Mizner, Lodolo, Scott… maybe even Bishop
A little fearful of that, knox. Misner, Lodolo, Scott and Bishop are not #3 pick talents. (I’d put Bleday, who is getting some attention, in that group as well)
To me its Witt all day at 3, but you just get the feeling the sox are terrified of HS players and thus next best college bat is the way they will go. Their nightmare scenario is unfolding with Adley and Vaughn going 1-2
Because it’s the Sox, I’m still higher on Abrams than Witt Jr. I agree they are hoping Vaughn is there at 3.
I’m with you on Abrams. I think he’s there and a value pick. Also, very exciting to watch.
I guess I am the only one who doesn’t think Abrams is that good then.
What’s your concern with Abrams, philly? The lack of pop?
Yeah, he is excellent everywhere else, so I am probably too hard on him, but I don;t like his swing at all from the videos I have seen. But he is so young that the swing can be fixed if it turns out to be the problem I think it will be.
J J Bleday would be a much safer pick than Bishop, or Misner. Very steady production, all against top competition.
That said, he talks about not bunching up the system, and 21 year old outfielders would do just that.
Don’t sleep on the two HS Short Stops.
I dont want safe, I want highest ceiling!
Very telling comment about the pitching available. He wants to have them lined up correctly on day two.
That indicates position players at #3 and #45. And a pitcher, BAP, at #81.
Please not another 1B. Eloy, Collins, Burger, Sheets, Zangari, even Adolfo all could very well end up with 1B as their primary position. If none of these recent picks/acquisitions can hold down that spot at the MLB level, I really don’t want this front office being the ones scouting and drafting another college 1B.
The fact that all in-the-know put him at second or third best prospect, tells you how good that bat is. RH 1B/DH types never get this much love. It would be a bigger indictment on the Sox if those players you name kept them from drafting a potential Paul Goldschmidt.
For 30 years, the Sox have had a Right handed First baseman. That has left them scrambling for LH bats elsewhere in the line up.
I never forget that in 2000, they were too RH’d and Mariners bounced them right out of the play offs.
So Jerry Manuel was right handed.ย
Right
Lets please get to the problem of we have 3 or 4 guys mashing for 2 open spots
We are a very long way away from having to worry about Sheets, Zangari, and Adolfo’s positions in the majors. Burger too
Fangraphs now saying Bobby Witt Jr. at #2 to the Royals.
Slow ,short White guy to the Sox.
.
I don’t want to get my hopes up on Hansen again, but this reconstructive season could not have started much better for him.
I’d like to see the Sox try something innovative with him. He’s a guy that can potentially be a multi-inning guy but you can’t trust him in a high-leverage situation yet. Groom him to be an opener. Let him go through the order once (or twice, if he can command his secondaries) then replace with a guy like Banuelos, a lefty swingman who will get to face a flipped lineup.
2080 Baseball has a video from last month. Throwing 93 out of the ‘pen.
He still has a long road ahead.
Keith Law was at the game to see Madrigal and others on the Wilmington side (and of course, Robert must have known he was coming and got hurt again) so I pinged him about Hansen yesterday evening after it was over. Thinks the delivery is a reliever delivery (with the usual caveat that sometimes those guys do more).
At this point, maybe we leave him in the pen. See if he can’t develop into Josh Hader Lite or something (or best case scenario, Actual Josh Hader But Without Racist Twitter Posts I Hope). He’s had injuries and bouts of not being able to hold his mechanics, both college and pro now, so starting just might not be in the cards.
Josh Hader Without Racist Tweets would be a good player to have. I had called Hansen my sleeper pick to be a top starter, but I’m willing to be wrong if he turns into Prime Andrew Miller or something. Plus, you gotta admit he has Scary Reliever Face.
Fangraphs posted their first Mock Draft.
Adley and Witt Jr. go 1 and 2.