• Ian Hamilton is the most exciting of this group.  Acquired 10 rounds later than Burdi in the 2016 draft, Hamilton’s progress has gone virtually as well one could possibly imagine.  He boasts a fastball touching triple-digits and pairs it with a vicious low-90s slider.  In the two years since he was drafted, Hamilton has used that arsenal to emphatically suplex minor league hitters into the dumpster.  2018 saw him throw 51 2/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A wherein he posted an ERA of 1.74 with 52 strikeouts against only 8 walks and one home run.  It took major league batters to finally challenge him, as he did give up two homers in Chicago in only eight innings, and his strikeout rate was middling in that brief audition.  Hamilton had mentioned his slider occasionally not behaving the way he wanted it to, but there’ are plenty of reasons to pencil him into the high-leverage portion of the 2019 bullpen right out of the gate and to expect him to thrive.  One negative corollary here is that an 11th round pick basically did what you wanted your first rounder to do.  Second, it shows that even when a relief prospect hits his 80th or 90th percentile outcome (at least so far), it doesn’t really change the organization’s overall outlook.  That said, finding stud relievers after even the second round is a huge bonus, and as we can see in Milwaukee, if the starting pitching is even OK, you can get a lot done with a plus bullpen.
• Ryan Burr must be named alongside Hamilton, but his timetable has basically matched his flashier 18th century counterpart.  Like Hamilton, Burr was acquired relatively cheaply in a trade for international free agent pool money sent off to Arizona.  He doesn’t throw as hard as Hamilton, and his results were not nearly as shiny at pretty much any level.  He also changed his pitching style to work more up in the zone at the White Sox’s request, and had an adjustment period before breezing through Charlotte to make his debut at the end of the 2018 season.  Renteria used him sparingly once he arrived on the South Side, and he certainly had a rocky time of it in his first look at the majors.  He may not be the closer/elite-eighth inning fireman type Hamilton and/or Burdi look like they should be, but the White Sox got him essentially for free and can just plop him into the heart of what is looking like a really strong home-grown bullpen.
• Caleb Frare is one of an increasingly large fraternity of pitchers: relief prospects the Yankees found out of nowhere who they have to get rid of because they have too many to protect on their 40-man.  The Yankees got Frare out of Custer County High School in Montana in the 11th round of the 2012 draft. Throwing in the mid-90s from the left side with a nice slider, Frare also got a brief look at the majors in September.  While he slots in behind Jace Fry as the best lefty in the bullpen, Frare should also break camp with the major league team barring another Jake Peter-for-Joakim Soria-and-Luis Avilan style trade over the winter.  Between Jace Fry, Frare, and Aaron Bummer, the White Sox now have three lefties who look like credible assets and … well are you noticing the trend here? Frare was acquired for IFA money the White Sox couldn’t use and he may be part of a really strong bullpen as soon as 2019.

Given how shaky the position player group has looked and how downright terrifying the starting pitching situation is, it really isn’t hard to see that 2018 saw the tip of a potential flood of really strong relievers who may be an organizational strength over the coming years. This trio rates highly among them.

• It’s hard to imagine Eloy Jimenez will be facing Triple-A pitching for too much longer. After a 2-HR performance on Friday, the 21-year-old is hitting .351/.400/.622 in 20 games since being promoted to the level, and has shown no signs of being slowed by the left adductor strain that sidelined him at the beginning of the month. Jimenez’s presence is one of if not the most obvious reasons the second half of 2018 is compelling despite the White Sox standing, as a solid two or so months of a lineup featuring him, Yoan Moncada, and Tim Anderson will offer a further glimpse into the future.
• Speaking of exciting players who might soon be in Chicago, Michael Kopech has put together two really good starts in a row, which is something we haven’t been able to say much this season. The 20 strikeouts in 12 innings across two starts is cool, but nothing new. What is new is that he only walked one batter a piece in those two outings, which is certainly a good sign for a pitcher whose struggled with command throughout the season. Kopech’s struggles certainly gives credence to those who think he’s more late-inning reliever than ace-level starting pitcher long term, but we’re a long way from that becoming a reality. It would be surprising if he doesn’t get his first crack at facing a major league lineup at some point before this summer ends.
• While BP’s Midseason Top 50 doesn’t include this year’s draft class, first-round pick Nick Madrigal was ranked No. 33 on Baseball America’s Midseason Top 100, and he was the White Sox third highest ranked behind Jimenez and Kopech. Since joining the organization, Madrigal has been to the plate 36 times between the AZL and Low-A Kannapolis and he’s reached base 17 times. He’s walked twice, been hit by a pitch four times, and has struck out zero times. That Madrigal has found immediate success as a polished college bat at the lowest levels of the minor leagues isn’t exactly surprising, but him doing exactly as expected is certainly better than the alternative.
• James Fegan of The Athletic profiled minor league reliever Ian Hamilton, whose success this season has him knocking at the door of a major league opportunity. Hamilton dominated Double-A during the first two months of the season and has put up zeros across all but one of his 11 appearances since being promoted to Triple-A Charlotte last month. Hamilton was an 11th round pick after spending his senior season at Washington State as a closer, so his trajectory as a reliever has never been in question. But him ascending to the majors for the White Sox would be a solid developmental win.
• Dylan Cease has been the biggest bright spot among White Sox prospects this season. The 22-year-old has pitched to somewhat mixed results in his four starts since promotion to Double-A, but has at the very least showed the type of swing-and-miss stuff that’s worth dreaming on. Perhaps more importantly, Cease has stayed healthy throughout the season, and after his last start sits at 93 1/3 innings on the season, which is tied for a career high with another month and a half or so left in the minor league season.
• Not that this would necessarily be considered a “success,” but the White Sox finally made the move to put Carson Fulmer in the bullpen after the 24-year-old’s struggles continued even after his demotion to Triple-A. It’s a disappointing but not unexpected outcome for the 2015 first rounder, and while it’s far from a guarantee, the hope is that he can reinvent himself as a reliever to still be a reliable part of the next White Sox contender. He’s made five appearances since the transition, giving up a pair of runs in one of them but zeros otherwise. He’s walked three and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings of work. That’s very much a “scouting the stat line” report, but it will be interesting to see what’s said about Fulmer once scouts get a look at how his stuff plays out of the bullpen.

Lead Photo Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

I can’t prove the injury is the cause for the slump, I suppose.  It’s based on my observations.  When he is going badly, he gets caught looking, or when he does get into a good count and gets a pitch he wants to drive he tries to unload and fouls it back.  When he’s been locked in, you can see him crushing first pitches, blasting the pitches he wants in play instead of backwards, and spitting on balls outside of the zone.

So, because this season is cursed, when he started to get back in sync—he’s hit .317/.417/.537 in his last eleven games—he gets hurt again, banging his knee on a pickoff play while running the bases.  He’s listed as day-to-day, but one has to hope against hope he not only comes back quickly, but shows he can hold his timing for more than short stretches.

In the era of prospects hitting the ground running as fully formed stars, it’s easy to forget that’s still unusual.  Moncada is muddling along as a roughly league-average player when you net out his performance, but he’s shown there’s more in there.  It just keeps getting interrupted.

Other notes:

• Bruce Rondon was designated for assignment in favor of Jeanmar Gomez. As he has for his whole career, he showed an intriguing skillset with plenty of velocity and a frequently-nasty slider, but after nearly 30 innings of walking virtually a batter an inning the White Sox pulled the plug on the experiment.  Rondon is the type of experiment they should be conducting in a season like this, but that doesn’t mean they’re all going to work.
• Gomez as the call-up is a somewhat surprising choice. The veteran scrap heap pickup has closing experience and has had extended periods of success in the majors in the past, despite not missing any bats.  It’s good to show priority minor league free agents and NRIs they’ll get a shot with your organization, but this profile isn’t really the kind you’d expect to mean anything at the trade deadline.
• The reason Gomez was a bit of a surprise callup is that Ian Hamilton is actually a prospect who is also in Charlotte and has now gone 8 innings there without allowing a run. In fact, he has more strikeouts in that time (10) than he has allowed baserunners (6).  When it comes to pitchers I still am of the opinion the White Sox know their business, and maybe they’re a little gunshy after Aaron Bummer’s Race to the Majors resembled a mad prospect rush.  But Hamilton is what it looks like when a relief prospect is Ready with a capital R.
• The White Sox outfield might get very crowded in the near future. Avisail Garcia isn’t expected to be out very long, Leury Garcia is hitting well, and Nicky Delmonico has begun a rehab assignment in Triple-A.  Given Avisail’s repeated lower body injuries this year, it may make sense to use him at DH a little more often, and obviously you can find other spots for Leury Garcia to play, but there are only so many plate appearances to go around.  The organization seems to love Adam Engel, despite another 270 PAs of sub-.600 OPS baseball, but at a certain point Engel, Charlie Tilson and Daniel Palka are going to feel the squeeze.

1. Jose Abreu was voted as the starting first baseman for the AL All Star team, the first White Sox player voted to start the game since Frank Thomas in 1996. Ironically, it comes as he is having the worst year of his career, but given that there aren’t really any other standout years of consequence, it’s perfectly fair to give the nod to the steady and much-loved Abreu.

2. Dylan Cease and Luis Alexander Basabe were also selected for the Futures Game. Basabe has cooled off somewhat in the weeks before his promotion to Birmingham, and continued to scuffle in Double-A.  Still, he is an exciting athlete who got off to a good enough start, and one can easily imagine him putting together a highlight or two in the game itself.  As for Cease, five more innings and he will match his single-season career high in pro ball.  After being brought along very cautiously by the Cubs, Cease carved through his first look at High-A and has gotten off to a strong start in Double-A.  That Cease is putting himself in the picture for a big league arrival in 2019 is a pleasant surprise, particularly given how many other White Sox prospects have been derailed by injury.

3. Between James Shields always pitching at least six innings a game and the White Sox losing so much on the road, their bullpen is still only 17th in the majors in innings pitched. Still, as the season has gone on, Rick Renteria has leaned more and more heavily on Jace Fry and Xavier Cedeno.  They’ve acquitted themselves well, but Bruce Rondon, Chris Volstad, and Hector Santiago have struggled.  All of this brings me to Ian Hamilton, as the 2016 11th round pick continues his march to the majors.  After 25 dominant innings in Double-A, he has yet to allow a run in 6 2/3 Triple-A innings, boasting a K:BB ratio of 9.00. As much as I appreciate the White Sox giving run to a loyal organizational soldier like Volstad, Hamilton and others not far behind him may squeeze him out before we get to September.

4. After 2016, we thought we had a good idea of who Avisail Garcia was. Then in 2017 he went nuts and challenged for the batting title and seemed to cash in on his massive potential, although he did so in a different shape than we’d thought, as his raw power indicates a classic corner outfield masher rather than an off brand version of Tony Gwynn. So 2018 was a chance to get an answer to the question: Who is Avisail Garcia? We may still not know! He was horrible and then hurt … and then since he got back from the DL he just started hitting for all of that massive power we knew was in there but seemed inaccessible. Coming into Sunday’s game, Garcia had hit .333/.348/.803 with eight home runs in his 16 games post-hamstring strain. Sure. Why not?

5. Omar Narvaez has also thoroughly broken out, following a June where he hit .391/.440/.522 with a scorching start to July as well. Unfortunately, our framing metrics still have Narvaez as one of the worst in the majors, but this is the most power he has ever shown (a low bar, but still) and he’s coming up on 600 PAs as a .273/.360/.352 hitter. Neat trick for a catcher. Maybe he can pull a Welington Castillo and randomly fix his framing in his late 20s. Not the steroids thing.

Lead Photo Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

But the MLB Draft is, for some reason, 40 rounds long. Did you know that a few years ago it was 50 rounds? And even further back, it was 74 rounds. Mike Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round. The White Sox got Mark Buehrle in the 38th round and Mark Buehrle was awesome. You probably knew that already. You’re smart. But how much do you know about the late round draft picks of the White Sox in 2016? Not much, I bet.

That’s where I come in. I put on my investigative journalism hat — it’s a really cool hat, with a feather in it and everything — and typed the names of every player the White Sox drafted in Rounds 11-40 into Google to find out everything I could. Turns out, that wasn’t very exciting. There’s not much information out there. So little, in fact, that the photo at the top of this article is just a boring file image of Rick Hahn because I couldn’t find one I could use of any of these guys.

There’s good reason for this. It’s not like these players were drafted late by accident. Either they’re easy signs who will be used as organizational depth, or they’re younger and unlikely to sign, opting to go to college if they’re a high schooler or stay in college if they’re an underclassmen with hopes to improve their draft stock for another year.

Nonetheless, I decided to spice things up a bit. It’s up to you to figure out which of the following facts is real and which is not.

Round 11 (326) — Ian Hamilton, RHP, Washington State University

• Entered the season as a Top 100 draft prospect by Baseball America
• Transitioned from relief to starting in 2016 and faired poorly
• Had a 4.86 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 87 innings as a junior
• Definitely the most intriguing prospect on this list
• Baseball Prospectus’ Chris Crawford sees him as a potential steal
• A descendant of that guy they wrote that musical about

Round 12 (356) — Mitchell Roman, SS, Wright State University

• Had a .401 on-base percentage for Wright State
• 26-of-29 on stolen bases
• Knows all the lyrics to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel

Round 13 (386) — Michael Hickman, C, Chipola College

• Batted .345 with 10 home runs as a freshman at Chipola
• Drafted in the 36th round by the White Sox a year ago
• Celebrity dream date is Tina Belcher

Round 14 (416) — Bryan Saucedo, RHP, Davenport University

• One of four players drafted from NAIA school Davenport
• Davenport had never had a player drafted prior to this season
• That’s pretty crazy

Round 15 (446) — Jake Elliott, RHP, Oklahoma

• Had a 6.02 ERA in 46.1 IP as a junior
• Grandfather played in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system
• Grew up on a farm and had a pet goat named Albert

Round 16 (476) — Ben Wright, RHP, UNLV

• Was the Rebels’ closer in 2016, accumulating 11 saves
• Oh, he also had a 5.49 ERA
• From Utah
• Blackjack dealer on the weekends

Round 17 (506) — Brad Haymes, RHP, Gardner-Webb University

• Threw 110.2 IP as a junior; that’s a lot
• 115 strikeouts against just 16 walks in those innings
• Twitter handle is @HollywoodHaymes
• Grew up down the street from the “Full House” house

Round 18 (536) — Lane Hobbs, RHP, Concordia University (TX)

• Struck out 91 batters in 81 IP as a junior with a 1.44 ERA
• Is 6-foot-5, 235 lbs, so you’re legally allowed to call him a Big Texan
• Has the most Texas name ever

Round 19 (566) — Anthony Villa, 1B, Saint Mary’s College

• 12 career home runs in four years of college
• 69 hits during his junior season
• Father was a quarterback who signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 1985
• Best friends with actor Michael B. Jordan

Round 20 (596) — Matt Foster, RHP, University of Alabama

• A junior college transfer who has played one year with the Tide
• Threw 40 innings in relief his junior season, striking out 49 and walking 16
• Did not allow a home run all season
• Will probably get drafted into the NFL, despite not playing football collegiately

Round 21 (626) — Michael Horejsei, LHP, Ohio State University

• Pitched solely in relief during his Buckeyes career
• Struck out 62 batters in 58 career innings
• Gave up only three home runs during his collegiate career
• Can contour his tongue in that weird way people always brag about

Round 22 (656) — Joel Booker, University of Iowa

• First team All-Big Ten as a senior
• 23-of-25 in stolen base attempts
• Has beaten Tony Hawk Pro Skater for Nintendo 64 at least a dozen times

Round 23 (686) — Sam Dexter, SS, University of Southern Maine

• D3baseball.com’s national player of the year as a junior
• Hit .404/.474/.652 during his senior season
• Struck out 58 times in 806 career at-bats, including just 11 times as a senior
• Nationally-ranked Pokemon player as a child

Round 24 (716) — Brady Conlan, 3B, Cal State Dominguez Hills

• Played for the Philippines National Team in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier
• Finished second in his conference in batting average at .413
• Favorite team is the New York Mets
• Would like to meet The Rock one day
• Has an overly active sense of smell

Round 25 (746) — Charlie Madden, C, Mercer University

• College teammate of first-round pick Kyle Lewis
• Threw out 24 percent of potential base stealers during his junior season
• Favorite athlete is Josh Hamilton
• Favorite team is the Atlanta Braves
• That last one seems like a joke, but it’s not

Round 26 (776) — Zach Farrar, OF, Carroll HS (TX)

• Highly-recruited high school wide receiver signed to play football at Oklahoma, where he told the Dallas Morning News he plans to remain
• Probably a good decision

Round 27 (806) — Mike Morrison, RHP, Coastal Carolina University

• Closer for the Chanticleers
• First team All-American
• Pre-game superstition is gargling hot sauce

Round 28 (836) — Aaron Schnurbusch, OF, University of Pittsburgh

• Uncle was a minor leaguer in the Cincinnati Reds farm system
• Hit a home run at Busch Stadium as a high schooler
• Favorite song is “Summer Girls” by LFO

Round 29 (866) — Earl Henderson, 1B, Central Arizona College

• Real first name is Caleb. No idea why he goes by Earl
• Hit .406/.493/.667 at this college I’m hearing about for the first time
• Committed to play at New Mexico State University next season
• Favorite TV show is “My Name is Earl.” Ah, that explains it.

Round 30 (896) — Pat Cashman, RHP, Southeastern Louisiana University

• Born in Itasca, Ill., and went to Plainfield North High School
• Went 4-4 with a 5.26 ERA, 52 strikeouts and 15 walks in 51.1 IP his senior season
• Juggled chainsaws in a traveling circus during his youth

Round 31 (926) — Brandon Bossard, SS, Nazareth Academy (IL)

• Son of White Sox groundskeeper Roger Bossard
• Committed to play at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.
• Nickname is “The Sodson”

Round 32 (956) — Sean Renzi, RHIP, Central Michigan University

• Originally from Plainfield, Ill.
• Went 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 19 appearances (11 starts) during his senior season, striking out 75 and walking 49
• Favorite player growing up was Kerry Wood
• Competed in the Lumberjack World Championships, finishing fifth in the Springboard Chop

Round 33 (986) — Ryan Boelter, LHP, Gardner-Webb University

• Originally from South St. Paul, Minn.
• Lowered his ERA from 6.59 down to 3.25 ERA from his sophomore to junior seasons
• Has skipped a rock upwards of 20 times across a lake

Round 34 (1,016) — Jaxon Shirley, 2B, Frankton-Lapel HS (IN)

• Hit .443 with five home runs during his senior season
• Committed to play collegiately at Indiana
• Favorite player of BP South Side editor James Fegan

Round 35 (1,046) — Garrett Acton, RHP, Lemont HS (IL)

• Signed to play collegiately at Saint Louis
• Fastball supposedly tops out at 93 mph
• Won a high school state title this season
• Can walk in a handstand for up to one mile

Round 36 (1,076) — Reese Cooley, CF, Chipola College

• Favorite food is Mac and cheese
• Favorite musician is Lil Wayne
• Favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Does a mean Steve Urkel impression

Round 37 (1,106) — Leo Kaplan, OF, Harvard-Westlake HS (CA)

• Signed to play collegiately at Northwestern
• Hit .345/.398/.464 during his high school career
• Apparently runs or at least writes for a website called HoopsAnalysis.com
• That last one is interesting enough that I don’t need a joke one

Round 38 (1,136) — Tyler Gordon, C, Simeon Career Academy (IL)

• Local kid and graduate of White Sox ACE program
• Signed to play collegiately at Prairie View A&M
• Favorite player is Bryce Harper
• Favorite team is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Can fit 26 marshmallows in his mouth at once

Round 39 (1,166) — Justin Lavey, SS, Tremper HS (WI)

• Had a 1.268 OPS as a high school senior
• Played his high school ball in the same town as first-round pick Gavin Lux
• Favorite player is Mike Trout
• Favorite team is the Milwaukee Brewers
• Takes his coffee with six creamers and 12 sugars; has a thing about divisibility

Round 40 (1.196) — Drew Puglielli, 3B, Gulf Coast HS (FL)

• Played infield, outfield, and pitcher for his high school team
• Originally from Frisco, Texas
• That’s it. I can’t find anything else

Lead Photo Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports