Chicago White Sox

As a lefthander with average velocity and feel for secondary pitches, Guerrero commanded $100,000 as a 15th-round pick out of high school in 2012. Shoulder issues stymied his first two pro seasons at Rookie-level Bristol, but he began to shine with a managed workload in 2014, recording 80 strikeouts in 78 innings and finishing the year in the rotation at low Class A Kannapolis. Guerrero backed up that performance in 2015 by going 13-4, 3.08 in 24 starts and leading the White Sox system with 148 strikeouts. He works fast and throws strikes with three pitches. His 90-91 mph fastball bumps 93 and plays up because of plus life and deception. Guerrero's plus, 76-80 mph changeup is his go-to secondary weapon with excellent fading action off the barrel of righthanded batters. He changed the way he threw his changeup in 2015, using more of a two-seam fastball release and mentality, rather than pronating his wrist in the traditional fashion. It now features more drop as a result, and he's unafraid to double-up on the pitch. Guerrero throws a slurvy slider that gained more consistent power in 2015 and now grades as at least average. The White Sox say that Guerrero grew up in 2015 and began to take instruction. As a three-pitch lefty who can miss bats and throw strikes with his entire arsenal, Guerrero has No. 4 starter potential as he advances to Double-A Birmingham in 2016.

Following his selection at No. 13 overall in 2012, Hawkins back-flipped his way into draft lore with an acrobatic backward somersault on the MLB Network telecast of the event. The White Sox rushed him to high Class A Winston-Salem as a 19-year-old in 2013, where he hit .178 with 38 percent strikeouts, but he improved dramatically at the level in 2014, ranking second in the Carolina League with 19 homers. Hawkins continued to hit for big power at Double-A Birmingham in 2015 as one of the Southern League's youngest regulars, though he was limited to 78 games by an early finger injury and then in August by plantar fasciitis in his left foot that ruled out an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. By all accounts, he improved his diet, conditioning and maturity level in 2015 under the influence of Barons manager Julio Vinas and teammates Tim Anderson and Jacob May. Hawkins has huge power to his pull side and can punish any fastball with plus bat speed. Swinging at strikes will be the key to unlocking his potential, but he's not yet discerning enough at the plate to let breaking balls off the plate go. Hawkins has decent arm strength--he also pitched in high school--but below-average speed and range that will limit him to left field. Hawkins showed up at 2015 instructional league with a new attitude after he completed the rehab from his foot injury, and that could serve him well as he repeats the SL in 2016.

An intriguing but flawed two-way prospect at Albert High in the Oklahoma City area, Zangari played his way off the mound for most pro teams with poor control, and his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame limited him at catcher. The White Sox bought his potential as a righthanded-hitting first baseman and made him their first position player selection in the 2015 draft. Zangari excelled in the Rookie-level Arizona League in his debut, ranking among the circuit's leaders with a .323 average (seventh), six home runs (fourth) and a .169 isolated slugging percentage (eighth). He impressed AZL observers with loose hitting actions, wicked bat speed and a strong, repeatable, leveraged swing that should produce plus power. He will need to tighten his strike-zone judgment to hit for average, though he improved his pitch recognition and contact rate during his debut summer after reducing pre-swing movement in his setup that had caused his head to move. Zangari has more than enough arm strength for first base--he hit 95 mph as a prep pitcher--but every other aspect of his defensive play needs considerable refinement. He's a well below-average runner with limited range. Don't be surprised to see him at low Class A Kannapolis in 2016.

A physical, 6-foot-3 lefthander who worked out of the bullpen his first two years at Kent State, Clark moved into the rotation as a junior in 2014 and caught the attention of the White Sox, who made him a ninth-round pick. He spent most of his full-season debut at high Class A Winston-Salem in 2015 in the bullpen, and of his five starts, three occurred on Dash doubleheader days. Clark finished the season as a piggyback starter with 2015 first-rounder Carson Fulmer, and in his final seven relief outings, he averaged five innings and nearly 21 batters faced per appearance. Clark has a power repertoire, an ability to hold baserunners and a groundball profile--he did not allow a home run in 89 innings--but he also has below-average control. He pitches at 90-92 mph with sink and can dial his four-seam fastball up to 95. His slider has plus potential and sufficient late break to befuddle lefthanded batters. Improving his fringy changeup would give Clark a better chance to compete as a starter against righty-heavy lineups. He still is learning how to turn over a lineup multiple times, and he needs to do a better job repeating his delivery to improve his control, but he has the raw ingredients to fill a major league role, potentially as a starter.

Lacking second- and third-round picks in the 2015 draft, the White Sox chased the comparative safety of college pitchers. Thus Chicago made Vanderbilt's Carson Fulmer (first round), Clemson's Zack Erwin (fourth) and Rice's Stephens (fifth) its top three picks in 2015. Stephens might have joined the other two pitchers in full-season ball during his pro debut if not for the fact that he started two of the Owls' final three regionals games in 2015. He previously had missed all of 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. As a result, the White Sox limited him to 11 short outings, mostly in the Rookie-level Arizona League, in which he recorded 21 strikeouts and three walks in 18 innings. Listed at 6-foot-1, Stephens nonetheless pitches with big stuff and a hard-nosed, almost angry, approach. He sits at 91-93 mph and can dial his fastball up to 96, and he backs up his plus heat with a plus curveball that ranges from 75-80 mph. He mixes in the occasional cutter/slider hybrid and a changeup, though both are below-average. The White Sox intend to begin Stephens in the rotation at high Class A Winston-Salem in 2016, but ultimately he probably fits best as a two-pitch reliever.

Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Adolfo moved to the Dominican Republic at age 14. No longer subject to the draft, he signed for $1.6 million as an international free agent during the 2013 signing period. Adolfo's high-end bat speed comes dressed with poor pitch recognition and a high strikeout rate. He added serious injury to the list of concerns in 2015, when he injured his left ankle sliding in mid-August and had surgery to repair a fractured fibula and ligament damage. He now has batted fewer than 300 times in two seasons in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Adolfo's uppercut stroke produces plus loft power to his pull side, though it also creates holes for pitchers to exploit. Though his muscular, 6-foot-3 frame continues to thicken as he matures, he still shows average speed and good range in right field, where his above-average arm will play. The White Sox expect Adolfo to be 100 percent for spring training, and a small step to Rookie-level Great Falls seems entirely likely.

The Blue Jays traded Jaye to the White Sox for Jason Frasor in January 2012, and while Jaye typically has had to repeat a level before mastering it, he turned in his finest season at Double-A Birmingham in 2015. He gets by with average stuff and a resistance to beating himself with walks (2.9 per nine innings in 2015) or home runs (eight in 26 starts). Jaye pitches at 89-92 mph and bumps 94 with above-average movement on his solid-average fastball. He'll show a solid-average slider in low 80s, but he loses his release point from time to time. Neither pitch is a true swing-and-miss offering, for he relies on working ahead of batters and generating as much weak, early-count contact as possible. His changeup is a distant third pitch and is below-average. Jaye tends to nibble at times and lose his aggressiveness, and his stuff generally doesn't play as well when batters get a third look at him. He will venture to Triple-A Charlotte, where if the pattern holds, he'll struggle in 2016, but ultimately he offers No. 5 starter or swingman potential with a chance to log lots of innings.

The White Sox forfeited their second- and third-round picks in the 2015 draft when they signed free agents Melky Cabrera and David Robertson, so the club's fourth-round selection of Erwin was Chicago's second pick. He recorded a 1.34 ERA in his pro debut and did not allow a home run in 40 innings, about half of them at low Class A Kannapolis, yet the White Sox view Erwin more as a fast-moving, high-floor southpaw who could provide major league value as soon as 2017. He pitches at 88-90 mph and can touch 92 with an average fastball he locates both inside and outside, which keeps righthanded batters from lunging over the plate at his plus changeup. Scouts regard Erwin's curveball as a potentially solid-average pitch with 1-to-7 break and tight spin. He has above-average control and command thanks to a balanced, coordinated delivery, though the White Sox, as they do with all their pitchers, have stressed that he needs to stay taller in his delivery to avoid throwing uphill. What Erwin lacks in electric stuff, he makes up for with pitchability and proximity to the majors. He will be ready for high Class A Winston-Salem in 2016.

Beck averaged nearly 150 innings per season in 2013 and 2014, when he balanced durability, effectiveness and proximity to the majors to rank as one of the top pitching prospects in the system. That ride came to an end in 2015, when Beck made just 10 starts at Triple-A Charlotte and spent the second half of the season on the disabled list with elbow inflammation. He made his big league debut on May 28, however. Beck pitches at 90-92 mph with late sinking action, and he can bump 96 with plus arm speed on his best days, but he tends to not locate well enough to be an true groundball pitcher. He has reclaimed the swing-and-miss slider he threw at Georgia Southern, and it flashes plus in the 85-88 mph range. He struggles to control the arm speed of his below-average changeup, and big league batters teed off on the pitch, hitting .571. Beck could be effective as a No. 5 starter or possibly in a relief role.

Coats helped Texas Christian reach the College World Series for the first time in 2010, and he raised his profile by hitting .314 in 23 games in the Cape Cod League that summer. He fell to the Orioles in the 12th round of the 2011 draft but did not sign. A torn ACL in his right knee torpedoed Coats' draft stock as a TCU senior, and the White Sox snagged him in the 29th round of the 2012 draft. He jumped to Triple-A Charlotte early in 2015 after a hot start at Double-A Birmingham. Coats lacks an above-average tool, but he can do a lot of things that would suit him as an extra outfielder. He makes decent contact, hits different pitch types and appears unfazed by big situations. He hit a career-high 17 home runs in 2015, while driving in 81 runs to rank third in the International League. Coats' swing is geared more for gap power and taking the ball to right-center field. He can play all three outfield posts, but fits best on a corner with fringe-average speed and an average arm.

A catcher until his senior year at Spring (Texas) High, Lowry required a second season at low Class A Kannapolis in 2015, but he put the time to good use by logging 151 innings and improving his strikeout (5.6 per nine innings) and walk (2.4) rates. A fluid athlete, he did a better job repeating his delivery and extending through his pitches in 2015, when his fastball sat 91-93 mph with sinking action. He throws a low-80s slider that will flash plus depth at times but could use more power to generate swings and misses. He improved the arm speed and sinking action on his changeup dramatically in 2015, and the pitch now projects to average at 81-85 mph. Lowry has a chance for three average to slightly above-average pitches and at least average control, so a ceiling of No. 4 starter is attainable.

A pitcher-heavy 2014 draft class could make Peter, a lefthanded-hitting second baseman who also pitched at Creighton, the top position player selected by the White Sox that year. He sprays the ball around the field with a fluid, contact-oriented stroke. He has well below-average power, but his strikezone knowledge will help him maximize his raw hitting ability. Despite having below-average speed, Peter swiped 23 bags in 26 tries at high Class A Winston-Salem in 2015. Though he has limited range, he has above-average arm strength and excels at turning two. He led all Carolina League second basemen with 88 double plays in 2015. While Peter spent the vast majority of his time at the keystone in 2015, he appeared in a handful of games at shortstop and left field during the regular season and at third base in the Arizona Fall League, and versatility will be his key to a big league role.

Wendelken joined the White Sox in July 2013 as part of the same three-team deal that brought Avisail Garcia and Frankie Montas to Chicago. He spent 2014 in the high Class A Winston-Salem rotation before returning to his relief roots in 2015 and advancing to Triple-A Charlotte. Though it's not always pretty, Wendelken gets results. His thick build, hooking arm action and short-arm delivery help him sell a plus changeup that parks in the high 70s and generates plenty of awkward swings and misses. He is unafraid to throw the pitch two or three times in a row. His fastball can reach 94 mph but sits more regularly in the low 90s, and he lacks the stamina to start. He tends to roll a one-plane, slurvy breaking ball to the plate in the low 80s, but it's more of a surprise pitch than a true weapon. The White Sox added Wendelken to the 40-man roster in November, and he could receive a big league trial in the bullpen at some point in 2016 if he pitches well at Charlotte.

The White Sox signed brothers Euclides and Robin Leyer out of El Seibo, Dominican Republic, when they were 19 and 18 years old, respectively. The younger Robin has developed into an intriguing armstrength prospect who reached Double-A Birmingham in the second half of 2015. Leyer began to unlock his potential in 2014, when he worked with low Class A Kannapolis pitching coach Jose Bautista. His upper-end velocity began to tick up from 94 mph to its present max of 97. His double-plus fastball features more life at lower velocities, and batters seem to pick up the ball early, which helps explain why he doesn't miss more bats. Leyer has good feel for an average changeup with split action and fade. He needs to stay on top of his below-average slider to improve its consistency, and right now the pitch lacks power and bite to generate swings and misses. Leyer's changeup and acceptable control keep him alive as a starter, but he might be more effective in a bullpen role where he can air out his fastball.

Brennan doubled as a quarterback at Capistrano Valley High in Southern California, but he showed more ability on the diamond. He spent one year at Oregon before transferring to Orange Coast (Calif.) JC and landing with the White Sox as a fourth-round pick in 2012. Brennan had Tommy John surgery in July 2013, returned to action less than a year later and finished 2014 with six starts at high Class A Winston-Salem. He combines a prototype, 6-foot-4 pitcher's frame with an athletic delivery and heavy sink on a plus fastball that tops out at 96 mph and sits 92-94. Brennan doesn't miss many bats and has below-average control, but his sinker-heavy approach generates one of the highest groundball rates in the system. His inconsistent, low-80s slider ranges from flat to average but still is his best secondary weapon. The lack of a reliable changeup, and the fact he hasn't yet made it through a full season unscathed, could consign Brennan to a relief role, where his sinker/slider repertoire fit nicely.

Zavala sat out his sophomore year at San Diego State as he recovered from Tommy John surgery, then returned as the Aztecs' regular left fielder in 2014. He moved back to catcher in 2015 and hit 14 home runs while showing enough defensive potential to warrant a 12th-round selection by the White Sox. Chicago assigned Zavala to the Rookie-level Arizona League after signing for $100,000 because his skills behind the plate required polish. He dominated younger competition by leading the circuit with 26 extrabase hits, then played for Mexico in the Premier 12 in the fall. Zavala offers a bat-first profile with the sort of all-fields approach that should enable him to hit for average and gap power. He runs OK for a catcher. Zavala possesses agility behind the plate and has soft, quiet hands when receiving the ball, though he has tick below-average arm strength. Scouts who like Zavala see him as having a ceiling as big league backup.

Cruz signed for $450,000 in September 2012, then proceeded to hit a cumulative .177 in his first 407 at-bats in the Dominican Summer League and Rookie-level Arizona League in 2013 and 2014. An offseason of conditioning work prepared Cruz for the daily grind at Rookie-level Great Falls in 2015, and he met the challenge by hitting .312 and ranking eighth in the Pioneer League batting race. He stood more upright in his stance in 2015 and frequently squared the ball with a sound righthanded swing he used to drive both gaps. He has occasional loft power to his pull side but profiles more as an average hitter with fringe power. Cruz played mostly third base for Great Falls in 2015 in deference to college senior Grant Massey, a 26th-round pick, but scouts like him best at shortstop, his natural position. While he is a no better than average runner, Cruz has good hands and double-plus arm strength, with an ability to throw from all angles and a great internal clock that ensures he never rushes a throw. Lacking in power and speed, he must continue to shine defensively and collect his share of hits to profile as utility infielder.

Despite signing as a 24-year-old nondrafted free agent in 2014 after dedicating his early 20s to speed skating, Alvarez's roots are planted firmly in baseball. He played at Miami's Columbus High through 2008 and nearly followed his older brother Nick, an outfielder who played professionally, to St. Thomas (Fla.). In the end, Alvarez dropped baseball to concentrate on speed skating. He nearly made the U.S. Olympic team in 2010, but when he didn't, he shifted his focus back to baseball and walked on to the Salt Lake CC team in 2011. Alvarez had a surgical procedure in March 2012 to repair 12 tears in the patellar tendons of both knees. Despite being immobilized for four weeks, he recovered to qualify for 2014 Olympic team and won a silver medal in the 5,000-meter relay. In his first full baseball season in 2015, Alvarez hit .296/.409/.424 with 88 walks and 53 stolen bases at two Class A levels. Because he is 5-foot-9 and has well below-average power, he has mastered the small-ball arts of bunting, hitting behind runners, stealing bases and working walks, and he rarely strikes out. While his arm is a bit short to play shortstop, he positions himself well and converts routine plays to profile as a second baseman. Alvarez will be 26 in 2016 and has no standout tool, but his competitive makeup has won over most everybody who has seen him play.

Hayes walked more than he struck out in a four-year college career at Oregon State, and an elite batting eye continues to be his trademark. He led the South Atlantic League with 73 walks while at low Class A Kannapolis in 2014 and then paced the Southern League with 98 free passes at Double-A Birmingham in 2015. The lefthanded-hitting Hayes has sneaky pull power but prefers to work the count and hit to the middle of the field. His plate discipline gives him a chance to project as an average hitter, though he must produce more power to profile as a regular at first base. Southern League managers regarded him as the circuit's best defensive first baseman in 2015. He throws well but is a non-factor on the bases. Unless he improves upon his below-average power, Hayes probably won't profile as a regular first baseman for most clubs, though he could develop into a nice pinch-hitter/defensive replacement option.

The White Sox traded young closer Addison Reed to the Diamondbacks following the 2013 season because they believed in Davidson's upside. Then 22 years old, Davidson was coming off a season in which he won MVP honors at the Futures Game, smacked 17 home runs at Triple-A Reno and earned a September callup. Since then he has scuffled through two straight seasons at Triple-A Charlotte and received September callups neither time. Davidson has plus raw power to his pull side and led the International League with 23 homers in 2015--though 18 were hit at Charlotte's band box-- and he has hit .201 with a 31 percent strikeout rate as a White Sox farmhand. Davidson's glove work has improved as his bat has regressed, and he has the requisite quickness and arm strength to play the position.

Plus raw power is difficult to disavow, and 2012 supplemental first-round pick Barnum generates plenty of thump from his 6-foot-5 frame and leveraged, lefthanded swing. The trouble, as it is for many young power hitters, is making enough contact for the power to play. Barnum has spent two seasons and nearly 1,000 plate appearances at high Class A Winston-Salem and has hit just 17 home runs in that time with a .376 slugging percentage. He did, however, establish a career high for homers (nine) and a career low for strikeout rate (26.2 percent) in 2015, giving the White Sox hope that his approach is maturing. He hits the ball hard when he connects, but he needs to find a way to shorten his stroke and close holes for pitchers to exploit. Working his way into more fastball counts would certainly help, too. Barnum is surprisingly nimble around the first-base bag and has an average arm, though he's a well below-average runner. Natural progression could carry him to Double-A Birmingham in 2016, where the pressure to play well and contribute to winning will intensify.