Much has been said about the Cubs prospects. However, if one looks at the top ten prospects for both the Cubs and White Sox, some could argue that the White Sox are not that bad.
The Cubs own top ten list is familiar:
1. Javier Baez ss
2. Kris Bryant 3b
3. Albert Almora of
4. CJ Edwards, rhp
5. Jorge Soler, of
6. Arismendy Alcantara ss/2b
7. Pierce Johnson, rhp
8. Ardoys Vizcaino rhp
9. Jeimer Candelario, 3b
10. Dan Vogelbach, 1b
The White Sox list is:
1. Matt Davidson, 3b
2. Courtney Hawkins, of
3. Erik Johnson, rhp
4. T. Anderson, ss
5. Trayce Thompson, of
6. Chris Beck, rhp
7.Tyler Danish, rhp
8. Marcus Semien, ss
9. Carlos Sanchez ss/2b
10. Jared Mitchell, of
Positional comparison:
SS (1): Baez vs. Anderson. Baez is in AAA with power; Anderson is in A ball with speed and defensive skills like a traditional shortstop
SS (2): Alcantara vs. Semien. Alcantara is moving up the ladder but is viewed as a utility guy; Semien will make the Sox roster and push for a starting middle infield position.
3B: Bryant vs. Davidson. Bryant is a power hitting third baseman who may be shifted to the outfield. Davidson was the player the Sox got as a comparable long term solution at third.
OF(1): Almora vs. Hawkins. Almora has had injury setback and is in the low minors, but Hawkins like the other Sox OF prospects have been very disappointing in their development.
SP(1): Edwards vs. Johnson. Edwards is the talk of the low minors, but Johnson is now major league ready with upside ceiling.
OF(2): Soler vs. Thompson. Soler had a set back year in the low minors and his stock is starting to wane. Thompson, like Hawkins, has not developed any consistency.
SP (2): Johnson vs. Beck. Johnson has been slow to progress through the system, while Beck seems to have excelled in AA last year.
SP(3): Vizcaino vs. Danish. Vizcaino is now two plus years removed from TJ surgery, and he is just getting back into game shape. He is now targeted for a bullpen role. Danish also throws from the pen and he had an excellent Class A season. He appears to have more upside.
INF: Candelario vs. Sanchez. Candelario plays third in Class A with some power from the left side. Santana projects as a solid defender who may make the White Sox roster as utility infielder this season.
1B/OF: Vogelbach vs. Mitchell. Vogelbach appears to be blocked by Rizzo at first, so at some point the power hitter will need to shift to LF. Mitchell was once the highly touted prospect in the Sox system, but swing flaws have doomed his development.
At this point who is a better prospect is different than who may become a better major league player. However, the question is presented who is the better "prospect" on the top ten lists, I would break it down as:
Cubs (4): Baez, Bryant, Almora, Vogelbach
White Sox (5): Semien, E. Johnson, Beck, Danish, Santana.
I am not sold on Soler or Thompson so that is a wash.
The Cubs prospects present more power, but the White Sox prospects present more pitching and defensive skills. But for all the talk that the White Sox prospects are far behind the Cubs has to be taken with a grain of salt.
