Occasionally in my writing I go down a rabbit hole. This phenomenon generally occurs when I try to expand my knowledge of the game by asking smart baseball people to allow me to delve into their minds. Recently I began traversing one of these as I tried to see through a player’s lens just what they thought were the keys to being a successful pitcher. I wanted
Continue readingTag: Chicago White Sox
Jose Rodriguez is a dude
The smallish but sturdily built 5’11” 175 lb infielder looks like a world beater. Without the benefit of having laid eyes on all of the players in the system, I often have to rely on scouting reports from teammates. When I conservatively ranked the 19 year-old 25th on my White Sox top prospect list it was by virtue of his solid statistical performance during the 2019 AZL
Continue readingProspect profile: Alec Hansen
The other night in Kannapolis I was fortunate to be on hand as Alec Hansen made his Class A debut against the Columbia Fireflies. A little background research on Hansen will tell you he is a premier prospect who battled issues with command and control while pitching at Oklahoma and his draft stock fell when he was relegated to the bullpen during his junior year. Once thought
Continue readingProspect profile: Craig Dedelow
His teammates call him “Deeds”. But unlike the Adam Sandler character in the movie Mr. Deeds, when Craig Dedelow comes up to hit, his opponents aren’t laughing. The Kannapolis Intimidators left fielder is using his blue-collar work ethic to establish himself as a legitimate prospect in the White Sox system. He currently leads the South Atlantic League in doubles (19) and outfield assists (9) while also leading his
Continue readingMan of Steele and dog’s best friend
Steele Walker is a name Chicago White Sox fans need to have familiarity with, and the reasons are multiple. First, in just two short months, his sweet, left-handed swing is likely to be spraying rockets all over the minor league fields of the South Atlantic League as a member of the Kannapolis Intimidators. Second, the name. In “Steele Walker,” you have two baseball terms side-by-side, and a
Continue readingProspect profile: Jake Burger
Jake Burger is a fun player to watch. Why? You may ask. I’ll tell you why, because he looks as if he is having the time of his life playing baseball. He smiles and mugs with the fans before games talking to people as if they are his lifelong friends. He exudes confidence and plays with a youthful exuberance and relaxed swagger that is reminiscent of a
Continue readingProspect profile: Luis Gonzalez
The White Sox farm system is currently ripe with top prospects, and much of that organizational strength is the product of exceptional outfield and pitching talent. For that reason, Luis Gonzalez often falls victim to a numbers crunch when he is ranked on organizational top-prospect lists. While there are others in the system with tools that scream, Gonzalez doesn’t have that one eye-popping tool. Instead, he has to settle… settle
Continue readingMy interview with Seby Zavala
In 2016 a young catcher in the Chicago White Sox organization inspired me with his hard work, grit and determination. That catcher Bernardo Sebastion Zavala (Seby) has gone from being a 12th round pick to becoming a four-time minor league all-star and now as the Charlotte Knights starting catcher, he is on the Sox 40 man roster and on the brink of a major league call up.
Continue readingMy lifetime love affair with baseball
Let me preface this post by telling everyone… I am not a professional baseball scout. First and foremost, I am a HUGE fan (both literally and figuratively). I plan on losing the “literally” of that equation by getting my ass aboard a treadmill more frequently in 2019. That being said, I have an insatiable appetite for all things baseball and am always striving to learn more about
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