| Level |
Team |
Record |
Place |
| AAA |
Charlotte |
10-18 |
4th |
| AA |
Birmingham |
15-14 |
3rd |
| A+ |
Winston-Salem |
14-13 |
2nd |
| A |
Kannapolis |
11-18 |
6th |
The
minor league seasons turned a month old yesterday, and unfortunately the story lines don't exactly complement the Sox's current situation -- the pitchers are lights-out but there's nowhere to put them, while there don't appear to be any hitters who are ready for the big leagues.
The obvious next step is to convert some of that pitching into some htiting, but aside from Gio Gonzalez, it's hard to find one pitcher who 1) could definitely crack the Sox's rotation within a year or two, and 2) other teams would drool over. As of now, the bulk of them are in an organizational purgatory of sorts.
Here's my stab at breaking up the logjam. Feel free to add to this evaluation or contest it, because I'm far from a minor-league expert:
CHICAGO WHITE SOX- Mark Buehrle: Free agent after '07. Maybe you've heard.
- Jon Garland: Free agent after '08.
- Jose Contreras: Free agent after '09.
- Javier Vazquez: Free agent after '10.
- John Danks: Not arbitration-eligible until '10.
Barring injury or a Danks decline, the Sox may not have an opening for a couple years unless Buehrle leaves. I'd wager on Buehrle leaving, myself, but while Kenny Williams isn't a sentimental fool, the legacy the lefty is building in Chicago is difficult to ignore. I can see Reinsdorf going beyond the three-year limit for a homegrown product.
Contreras would be the one I'd most like to move, but other teams have noticed how wobbly he looks, too. So he's probably staying put.
CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS
1. Gavin Floyd. 1-2, 3.94 ERA, 29 IP, 33 H, 4 HR, 12 BB, 26 K
The Sox seem more comfortable with Floyd than any other team would.
Little trade value, and he's the first guy the Sox will call up if they
need a starter. It works for all parties involved.
2. Heath Phillips. 3-2, 3.58 ERA, 37.2 IP, 36 H, 5 HR, 15 BB, 27 K
Phillips managed a sub-3.00 ERA at Charlotte last year by lowering his
hit rate to less than one per inning, and he's limiting base hits once again
this year. The portly portsider is often described as a poor man's Buehrle
(including his ability to hold runners, best I can tell), but nobody
thinks much of him. You'd think he could vie for a starting job with a team like the Nationals, though.
3. Charlie Haeger. 0-5, 5.61 ERA, 33.2 IP, 36 H, 5 HR, 26 BB, 27 K
Evidently, it wasn't all the Arizona air hurting him. Haeger's still incredibly young for a knuckleballer, so there's no reason to give up on him. At the same time, I can't imagine teams are knocking on Kenny Williams' door.
4. Lance Broadway. 0-1, 3.04 ERA, 23.2 IP, 22 H, 1 HR, 9 BB, 13 K
The peripherals aren't all that exciting, but neither are Jon Garland's. And considering Broadway is developing a two-seam fastball, evidently he knows who he should be emulating. He's a former first-round pick who, unlike Floyd, has actually posted quality ERAs at every level even without jaw-dropping stuff. He could draw interest, but I'd guess teams would want to see him get big-league hitters out with grounders, first.
BIRMINGHAM BARONS1. Gio Gonzalez. 4-2, 3.98 ERA, 31.2 IP, 26 H, 4 HR, 12 BB, 47 K
Untouchable.
2. Jack Egbert. 3-2, 1.46 ERA, 37 IP, 21 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, 35 K
This season's biggest surprise so far, Egbert was sneaky-good at Winston-Salem last year (2.94 ERA, two homers in 140 IP), too. If that line isn't unreal enough, his GB/FB ratio is 2.35, so it isn't Birmingham's big park supressing his numbers. His name doesn't have the cachet yet, but it will if he keeps this up.
3. Adam Russell. 3-1, 1.85 ERA, 34 IP, 28 H, 0 HR, 12 BB, 29 K
Big-league stuff, and his command is catching up. His size (6'8") and fastball (95-96) give him an edge over all the other righties in the system. We found out this spring
that the Sox sure like him, and I think other teams would go for him, too.
4. Wes Whisler. 0-3, 2.48 ERA, 29 IP, 29 H, 1 HR, 9 BB, 14 K
He's only a few years removed from being a position player, so the
kid has a lot to learn still.
WINSTON-SALEM WARTHOGS1. Kyle McCulloch. 2-2, 4.08 ERA, 28.2 IP, 35 H, 1 HR, 14 BB, 19 K
McCulloch makes me nervous, if only because Kenny Williams acquired a ton of pitchers and changed draft directors after Duane Shaffer's crew selected McCulloch in the first round last year. That doesn't inspire much confidence. Otherwise, he's pretty much a Broadway clone, and Broadway didn't light High-A ball on fire, either.
2. Justin Cassell. 4-1, 2.03 ERA, 31 IP, 23 H, 1 HR, 10 BB, 24 K
What Egbert is to Double-A, Cassell is to Winston-Salem. He's getting four groundouts for every flyout. This is the first year we've heard about him, so I can't say I have any idea about his future.
3. Clayton Richard. 1-1, 2.97 ERA, 33.1 IP, 23 H, 2 HR, 9 BB, 20 K
He's a big lefty, he gets a lot of grounders and he's 23. That's all I can tell you.