By Phil Rogers
January 4, 2010


Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Jared Mitchell, of 2. Tyler Flowers, c 3. Dan Hudson, rhp 4. Brent Morel, 3b 5. Jordan Danks, of 6. Trayce Thompson, of 7. Dayan Viciedo, 3b 8. David Holmberg, lhp 9. Clevelan Santeliz, rhp 10. Miguel Gonzalez, c

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Brent Morel Best Power Hitter Tyler Flowers Best Strike-Zone Discipline Tyler Flowers Fastest Baserunner Jared Mitchell Best Athlete Jared Mitchell Best Fastball Sergio Santos Best Curveball Nate Jones Best Slider Daniel Hudson Best Changeup John Ely Best Control Daniel Hudson Best Defensive Catcher Miguel Gonzalez Best Defensive Infielder Eduardo Escobar Best Infield Arm Brent Morel Best Defensive Outfielder Jared Mitchell Best Outfield Arm Jordan Danks

PROJECTED 2013 LINEUP

How the big league lineup could look four years from now relying solely on in-house talent Catcher Tyler Flowers First Base Paul Konerko Second Base Gordon Beckham Third Base Brent Morel Shortstop Alexei Ramirez Left Field Jordan Danks Center Field Jared Mitchell Right Field Alex Rios Designated Hitter Carlos Quentin No. 1 Starter Jake Peavy No. 2 Starter John Danks No. 3 Starter Mark Buehrle No. 4 Starter Gavin Floyd No. 5 Starter Daniel Hudson Closer Bobby Jenks

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Kip Wells, rhp Reds 2001 Jon Rauch, rhp Twins 2002 Joe Borchard, of Giants 2003 Joe Borchard, of Giants 2004 Joe Borchard, of Giants 2005 Brian Anderson, of Red Sox 2006 Bobby Jenks, rhp White Sox 2007 Ryan Sweeney, of Athletics 2008 Aaron Poreda, lhp Padres 2009 Gordon Beckham, ss White Sox

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Joe Borchard, of Giants 2001 Kris Honel, rhp Out of baseball 2002 Royce Ring, lhp Cardinals 2003 Brian Anderson, of Red Sox 2004 Josh Fields, 3b White Sox 2005 Lance Broadway, rhp Mets 2006 Kyle McCulloch, rhp White Sox 2007 Aaron Poreda, lhp Padres 2008 Gordon Beckham, ss White Sox 2009 Jared Mitchell, of White Sox

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Joe Borchard, 2003 $5,300,000 Dayan Viciedo, 2008 $4,000,000 Gordon Beckham, 2008 $2,600,000 Jason Stumm, 1999 $1,750,000 Royce Ring, 2002 $1,600,000

WHITE SOX LINKS

White Sox' Team Page White Sox Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's White Sox Top 10 Prospects 2009 Draft: White Sox (Basic Database) 2009 Draft: White Sox  (Advanced Database) 2009 Draft Report Cards: White Sox  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook

Before the White Sox selected Gordon Beckham with the eighth pick in the 2008 draft, 17 years had passed since they had a choice among the top 10. Beckham may have been worth the wait.

After taking righthander Alex Fernandez with the fourth overall pick in 1990, the Sox averaged picking 20th overall. They watched scores of no-brainer choices go elsewhere, without drafting a single position player who would develop into a homegrown all-star. Beckham should change that.

In his first full season as a pro, the 2008 NCAA Division I home run leader jumped to the big leagues and hit .270/.347/.460 while playing a solid third base. Beckham flashed leadership skills and unusual poise for a 22-year-old. It looks like he'll give the Sox something they have missed since the days of Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura: the chance to market and build a team around a hitter who could spend his entire career in Chicago.

While Ken Williams has made more trades during the last decade than any general manager, he would love to assemble a long-lasting core around Beckham. Williams said he's excited about a couple of other hitters from the 2008 draft, third baseman Brent Morel and center fielder John Danks, and was thrilled to add center fielder Jared Mitchell with the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 draft.

Williams has used other means to acquire position players who could be building blocks, signing Cuban defectors Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo to major league contracts in the last couple of years, and acquiring catching prospect Tyler Flowers in a trade that sent Javier Vazquez to the Braves a year ago.

Flowers, a hitter with power and an advanced knowledge of the strike zone, joined righthander Daniel Hudson (another 2008 draft pick) as the most productive players in the White Sox farm system last year. He hit .297/.423/.516 between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte last year, earning a promotion to Chicago in September. He offers the White Sox an alternative to re-signing veteran A.J. Pierzynski, who's eligible for free agency after the 2010 season.

The arrival of young talent should please Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He quietly cut the White Sox payroll by $8.3 million last season and will monitor it closely in future seasons as he awaits an economic recovery. A year after winning the American League Central, Chicago dropped to third place at 79-83, the second-worst record of manager Ozzie Guillen's tenure.

Williams' flexibility to make major moves in preparation for 2010 was hampered by two moves he made 11 days apart last summer. He traded four young pitchers—Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter—to the Padres for Jake Peavy, then claimed Alex Rios off waivers from the Blue Jays. The White Sox assumed $116 million in salary obligations in the two transactions.

Williams has developed a reputation for being willing to trade top prospects for veterans. He was at it again in 2009, dealing three of the top six players from this list a year ago (Poreda, Richard and first baseman Brandon Allen) and four former first-round picks (Brian Anderson, Josh Fields, Lance Broadway and Poreda). It's not always popular with his scouts and player-development staff, but that's how he built the 2005 World Series champions and he hasn't been badly burned by the youngsters he has traded away.

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