Two outlets lists revisited their rankings of the White Sox farm system to account for the additions of Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Samuel Zavala after the Dylan Cease trade, although you won't find much in the way of agreement between the two.
MLB Pipeline slotted Thorpe third, in between Noah Schultz and Bryan Ramos, followed by Zavala at No. 6, and Jairo Iriarte ninth.
Meanwhile, Eric Longenhagen updated the FanGraphs' White Sox list and placed Iriarte fifth and Drew Thorpe sixth, although they both carry a 50 FV. Samuel Zavala clocks in at No. 21, although with a 40 FV, he has the same grade as 15th-ranked Dominic Fletcher.
PERTINENT: What scouts across the league are saying about the Dylan Cease trade
Adding to the confusion, in Longenhagen's article about the return, his most recent info on Iriarte was a down one, while Thorpe looked like Thorpe:
Iriarte sat 92-95 in his March 1 outing, which is below what you typically see from him. A scout who saw him that day noted to me that his slider seemed more vertically oriented than usual.
Thorpe threw that day, too, and was 91-93 with the same dominant changeup that spearheads his placement on the Top 100. Per my scout source, he got seven whiffs on nine changeups that day.
Keith Law didn't update his rankings, but he did write up the package received by the White Sox, and called it "a little light." He sees the potential upside if Zavala can address his hit tool and Thorpe and Iriarte overcome their particular obstacles for being more than back-end starters, but his view of the most likely outcome for each player doesn't quite replace Cease.
R.I.P., Keith Law Kinda Liking the White Sox, 2024-2024.
Spare Parts
As Getz's first big acquisitions get to work hoping to prove the White Sox right, Zach Buchanan asked a handful of GMs about the first trades they've ever made. Kenny Williams makes a cameo, as Alex Anthopoulos said Williams told him never to trade "the SportsCenter guys."
Jimmy Lambert visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache's office and lived to tell the tale. He says he won't need surgery, but he's still out for the time being.
- Gregory Santos has setback, but may have avoided worse injury -- MyNorthwest.com
- What Keynan Middleton's forearm strain means for Cardinals' bullpen plans -- The Athletic
Keynan Middleton and Gregory Santos join Kendall Graveman (shoulder) and Liam Hendriks (Tommy John surgery) in the pile of last year's White Sox relievers who won't be ready for this year's Opening Day. Joe Kelly is still healthy somehow.
Major League Baseball is getting around to enforcing the obstruction rule around the bases that aren't home plate, meaning fielders can't drop a knee -- or entire lower leg -- in front of the bag while taking a throw.
- A visual scouting primer: Pitching -- FanGraphs
- A visual scouting primer: Hitting, Part One -- FanGraphs
- A visual scouting primer: Hitting, Part Two -- FanGraphs
Following the White Sox is going to be a more prospect-centric exercise over the next year or two, so this series by Tess Taruskin explaining what writers mean by various terms might be helpful to those who aren't fluent in scout.
