The Tigers and White Sox are going neck and neck to September. Which team has the better post season players? This list may not decide that since it would not include players promoted mid-season.
Chicago White Sox
They are never noted for their farm system. Ken Williams would rather trade prospects for major league veterans.
Dan Johnson Utl AAA - Last year he gave Tampa a pennant with his pinch hit homerun. Can he do the same for the White Sox. He hit .267 with 28 homeruns and 85 RBIs. At 32 he may be better off with a return to Japan.
Dan Black 1B Hi A - He won the MVP of the Carolina League hitting .315, 17, 88. At 25 he needs to move quickly.
Carlos Sanchez 2B Hi A - .315 with 19 stolen bases. He was also voted the best defensive second baseman. He moved up quickly hitting .370 in AA and .256 in AAA. He has very little power. He could also play short.
Michael Early OF Hi A - Skipped Low A and hit .291, 13, 73.
Trayce Thompson OF Hi A - The best of these prospects and the highest drafted, second round in 2009. Hit .254 with 22 homeruns and 90 RBIs. Still whiffs too much (144). Good power.
Brady Shoemaker UTL Hi A - The third outfielder to make it. He hit .331 with 13 homeruns. Playing in AA where he has not achieved the same success (.254, 4, 26).
Eric Grabe 2B Rookie - Mashed at .357. Not bad for a 24th pick in the 2012 draft.
Micah Johnson 2B Rookie - Playing in a different rookie league (Pioneer) and hitting for more power (.273, 4, 25). An amazing 43 walks in 69 games gives him a .375 OBA.
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland used to be a tough ticket to get, just like Camden Yards. At some point you have to spend money to get talent people want to see to draw the big crowds again. Cleveland is hoping their farm team can again develop some more Jim Thome or Manny Ramirez.
Cord Phelps 2B AAA - He struggled last year when promoted to Cleveland, hitting only .155. He rebounded in AAA with a .276, 16, 62 slate with 34 doubles and 71 walks. Cord needs to show he can handle major league pitching.
Thomas Neal OF AA - Akron is playing in the Eastern League championship but Thomas has been promoted to Cleveland. He won’t complain after his .314, 12, 51 slate got Akron to the championship.
Preston Guilmet relief AA - Preston will continue to be the closer for Akron. He had 24 saves and a 2.39 ERA. Preston was also rated the best reliever last year in the Carolina League.
Ronny Rodriguez 2B AA - Went to high school in the United States but moved back to the Dominican before graduating so signed as a free agent as a 18 year old. He bashed 19 homeruns but needs to get more discipline at the plate (19/88 walk to whiff ratio).
Francisco Lindor SS Low A - The Indians number one pick in 2011 was voted the best defensive shortstop in the Midwest League. His bat was a little quiet (.257, 6, 42) but it should improve as he matures. Francisco stole 27 bases and walked 61 times.
Jorge Martinez 2B rookie - In his third year in the Arizona League Jorge broke out with a .347, 7, 39 slash. He had an impressive .956 OPS.
Dorssys Paulino SS rookie - His OPS was a more impressive 1.014 with a .355, 6, 30 slash line. Those numbers were accumulated as a 17 year old and his first season with the Indians.
Detroit Tigers
Not a lot here to get excited about. When all your all stars are playing rookie ball it will be a long wait before they hit the majors.
Niuman Romero SS AA - He made this more for his bat, hitting .300. At 27 he has his best years behind him.
Austin Schotts OF rookie - A third round 2012 pick Austin hit .310 with 11 doubles and 15 homeruns in just 40 games.
Yorfrank Lopez SP rookie - This was his first year in the United States after four years in the Venezuela or Dominican summer league. He went 5-3, 2.32 striking out more than a batter per inning.
Jose Valdez RP rookie - His first year in the United States after three years in the Dominican Summer League. He saved 15 games, getting a lot of ground balls.
Kansas City Royals
They seem to have a boat load of position prospects who have had some success. Their pitching prospects have struggled.
Wil Myers OF AAA - He won minor league baseball player of the year and his 37 homeruns were second in minors. He hit .304, 24, 79 in AAA. The Royals are still trying to find him a position, working him a bit at third.
Ryan Verdugo SP AAA - The lefty went 12-4, 3.75 in AAA. Ryan was part of the Melky Cabrera trade, which didn’t look too good until the Melky suspension. At 25 his time is now.
Patrick Leonard 3B rookie - The fifth round 2012 pick had a nice debut with 14 homeruns and 46 RBIs in just 62 games.
Mark Threlkeld DH rookie - A 2011 25th round pick hit .283, 10, 40 an improvement over his rookie season last year.
Bubba Starling Utl rookie - The fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft made his debut this year, hitting .275 with 10 homeruns and 33 RBIs. His strikeout numbers were a bit high (70) for 53 games but he should hit for good power as a centerfielder.
Sam Selman SP rookie - The 2012 second round pick was voted the pitcher of the year in the Pioneer League. He went 5-4, 2.09 but getting 13.29 whiffs per nine innings.
Alexis Rivera OF rookie - The 2012 tenth round pick showed some speed, hitting .341 with four triples and nine stolen bases.
Minnesota Twins
Terry Ryan retook the reigns of the Twins and couldn’t get them out of the cellar. Like Kansas City, they struggle to find pitching.
Deibinson Romero 3B AA - He repeated AA hitting a career high 19 homeruns and 78 RBIs. At 25 he is getting a bit long in the tooth to still be playing at AA.
Aaron Hicks OF AA - One of the better outfielders in baseball shows he can hit with a .286 average and a triple double in doubles, triples and homeruns (21/11/13). He also stole a career high 32 stolen bases. If his power continues to improve he is a 5-tool talent.
Chris Colabello DH AA - He drove in 98 runs in his first year of affiliated minor league ball but at 28 years old he is a bit long in the tooth to be considered a prospect.
Josmil Pinto C Hi A - The Venezuelan hit 12 homeruns in the Florida State League. It was his second year there. He hit .295.
Miguel Sano 3B Low A - He has outgrown shortstop and may out grow third. Miguel was voted the best prospect in the Midwest League. His average and power dropped but his patience took an upswing.
Corey Williams relief Low A - The lefty finished with 17 saves, but at 4-4, 3.47 his other numbers were rather pedestrian.
Max Kepler OF rookie - Currently showcasing himself for Germany in the European championships. He improved in his second year in the Appalachian League hitting .297, 10, 49. He may not have enough speed to play center so needs to hit for power to fit in a corner outfield spot.
Candido Pimentel OF rookie - He was voted the MVP of the Appalachian League, hitting .330 with 16 homeruns. He almost scored one run a game, scoring 45 runs in 56 games. At 18 he was another late signing Dominican.
Aderlin Meija SS rookie - Aderlin had more walks (15) than strikeouts (14), hitting .324.
Jeremias Pineda OF rookie - They got Pineda from the Red Sox for Danny Valencia. He hit better for the Red Sox (.421) than the Twins (.237) but combined stole 23 bases.
3023
. Both players have four stolen bases. On the pitching front, Andy Oliver has a 2.79 ERA after two starts, striking out 13 in nine plus innings. His only down side is the nine walks.