Keith Law Farm System Rankings

[Krs1]

I agree. I can hardly wait until the minor league season starts, 2020 was such a huge disappointment. I love it when the White Sox are the front runners for international players, they need to stockpile as many high ceiling guys as they can get. Drafting in the 20s is rough.

You may have to spend some extended time down here in extended ST. I hope they allow vaccinated fans, at the very least, because it should be a larger-scale, full year thing, here. Florida and AZ will be absorbing many lower league’s worth of players for some time, I would sure hate to miss that.

[Tragg]

Only Robert and a couple of relievers, among the international signings or draft picks during the rebuild, are "in the show." The rest are either flameouts or are components of the #22 ranking. That the Twins and Indians systems are ranked so much higher is telling.

[voodoochile]

Only Robert and a couple of relievers, among the international signings or draft picks during the rebuild, are "in the show." The rest are either flameouts or are components of the #22 ranking. That the Twins and Indians systems are ranked so much higher is telling.

Vaughn, Madrigal, Kopech, Cease and Eloy all say hi. I realize the Sox didn't draft the last three so people like to gloss over them but the simple fact is all of them have or soon will make a jump to the majors. None of them are Flameouts.

[DeployEloy]

Vaughn, Madrigal, Kopech, Cease and Eloy all say hi. I realize the Sox didn't draft the last three so people like to gloss over them but the simple fact is all of them have or soon will make a jump to the majors. None of them are Flameouts.

You could probably add Crochet and Collins too, as they are likely to be up with the big club this year too. They really can’t be blamed for Burger’s injuries, but he even could turn things around quickly. Their OF prospects have underperformed quite a bit, but there are still a few young ones that can turn it around.

[ChiSoxNationPres]

Honestly I value the Sox top 5 over a large portion of the league's top guys. Would rather be top heavy with highly likely future regulars to all stars, than just a few of them and more upside teenagers.

Obviously the Sox need to restock the system, and I like the recent change in draft strategy. They do need to sign more international teenagers though.

Overall, this is a product of them graduating a bunch of top guys over the last 2 years, so this is the natural cycle of a system's minor league strength.

[Domeshot17]

Keep in mind too the Sox have always been low on Law’s rankings because they value prospects differently. Law does not like to rank 50/50 arms highly, Sale, Carson Fulmer etc. so he is surely going to be lower on Crochet. He also was never a Madrigal guy because of his 20 power. Burger hurt us, as did some other misses. Collins also has fallen out of favor with about everyone who ranks.

[rdivaldi]

Burger hurt us, as did some other misses. Collins also has fallen out of favor with about everyone who ranks.

Burger hasn't hurt us....yet. Still, I have a hard time going through the 2017 draft board and figuring out who they should have taken over him. There are some interesting names who have not yet hit the majors, but the picks from #11 to #27 are pretty uninspiring. I stopped at 27 because I really like Pearson at #28.

[rdivaldi]

Only Robert and a couple of relievers, among the international signings or draft picks during the rebuild, are "in the show." The rest are either flameouts or are components of the #22 ranking. That the Twins and Indians systems are ranked so much higher is telling.

#1, international signings are notoriously unreliable. Go over the top 50 lists of 16, 17 and 18 year olds of the past 10 years, it's not pretty.
#2, what is it "telling" of? Are the Indians and Twins farms systems all that good? I don't see too many difference makers in their systems.

[ChiTownTrojan]

Keith Law was on the Sox Machine podcast this week discussing Sox prospects and his rankings. Some notes:

• He likes Madrigal and thinks he’ll have a long career, just doesn’t see much upside so he doesn’t make his top 100. This is basically the same thing most scouts are saying, he is just putting more weight on upside.
• He puts it at 80% that Crochet will be a reliever. That doesn’t quite agree with the last point for me, because if he has a 20% chance at being a starter that’s a 20% chance of being an ace-level, TOR guy which is a whole lot of upside.
• He says Matthew Thompson is the guy to keep an eye on this year. He has a lot of room to grow and the raw tools/athleticism to do it.
• An interesting comment he made was that he likes the direction of the Sox farm system. He said that there is more young, teenage talent in the system than ever before.

[vegandork]

Keith Law was on the Sox Machine podcast this week discussing Sox prospects and his rankings. Some notes:

• He likes Madrigal and thinks he’ll have a long career, just doesn’t see much upside so he doesn’t make his top 100. This is basically the same thing most scouts are saying, he is just putting more weight on upside.
• He puts it at 80% that Crochet will be a reliever. That doesn’t quite agree with the last point for me, because if he has a 20% chance at being a starter that’s a 20% chance of being an ace-level, TOR guy which is a whole lot of upside.
• He says Matthew Thompson is the guy to keep an eye on this year. He has a lot of room to grow and the raw tools/athleticism to do it.
• An interesting comment he made was that he likes the direction of the Sox farm system. He said that there is more young, teenage talent in the system than ever before.

20% chance of becoming starter doesn't mean 20% chance of becoming an ace. It includes a wide variety of outcomes. If Law meant 20% chance or realizing ace starting pitcher potential, he'd have said that. And rated him a lot higher because of it.

[rdivaldi]

20% chance of becoming starter doesn't mean 20% chance of becoming an ace. It includes a wide variety of outcomes. If Law meant 20% chance or realizing ace starting pitcher potential, he'd have said that. And rated him a lot higher because of it.

He should have left the percentages out of it. Just say if you think the kid has a chance or not, Law can be such an ass. Anyway, it was so nice to see Crochet throwing the other day considering most of us were worried that he was going to need surgery and miss the season at the end of 2020.

[vegandork]

He should have left the percentages out of it. Just say if you think the kid has a chance or not, Law can be such an ass. Anyway, it was so nice to see Crochet throwing the other day considering most of us were worried that he was going to need surgery and miss the season at the end of 2020.

He shouldn't have, but he was asked the question. If he had said "not likely", I think a lot of fanboys would have been all over him. Answers like this are more a result of the reactionary crowd.

I completely forgot he was hurt during the playoff game. I thought the injury was not severe. What was it?

[rdivaldi]

He shouldn't have, but he was asked the question. If he had said "not likely", I think a lot of fanboys would have been all over him. Answers like this are more a result of the reactionary crowd.

I completely forgot he was hurt during the playoff game. I thought the injury was not severe. What was it?

Forearm tightness diagnosed as a flexor strain thank goodness. We all know what "forearm tightness" usually leads to...TJS.

[DeployEloy]

He had a flexor strain to close the year out.

[vegandork]

Forearm tightness diagnosed as a flexor strain thank goodness. We all know what "forearm tightness" usually leads to...TJS.

Yeah that's a best case scenario for foreman tightness.