Chicago White Sox
What the system has produced lately: Righthander Rocky Biddle, dealt to
Montreal in the Bartolo Colon trade, was inconsistent but saved 34 games for
the Expos last season, fifth in the National League and ninth-best in the
majors. Outfielder Aaron Rowand finally seems poised to take hold of the
starting center fielder's job, and if he doesn't, Joe Borchard and Jeremy
Reed are waiting in the wings. Young pitchers such as Neal Cotts (an
original Athletics draftee), Jon Rauch and Josh Stewart have flunked their
initial big league auditions, but Rauch was getting another long look in
spring training. Catcher Miguel Olivo came over from Oakland for Chad
Bradford in 2001 and went right to Double-A. He begins the season as the
Opening Day starter. Best-stocked position: Outfield, where the White Sox are already strong in
the major leagues as well. They developed corners Carlos Lee and Magglio
Ordonez as well as Rowand. While Borchard hit a speed bump in Triple-A last
season, Reed led the minors in batting (.373) and on-base percentage (.453)
last season. High-round draftees Ryan Sweeney (second) and Brian Anderson
(first) bring plenty of tools to the organization, while 14th-rounder
Ricardo Nanita had a 30-game hitting streak at Rookie-level Great Falls. Best teenage prospect: Sweeney drew scouts' attention as both a pitcher and
five-tool outfielder, and the White Sox gobbled him up with the 52nd overall
pick. Still relatively raw, the Iowa prep product still needs to adjust to
wood bats for his raw power potential to be realized. He had a great spring,
often being compared to Harold Baines and will be challenged in his first
try at full-season ball in the South Atlantic League this year.
|