jeff cohen@TripleAJeff
I just returned from four days in spring training with the White Sox. I’ll be posting my thoughts over the next few days.
But more than anything, I noticed this: there is more talent than ever in camp, with interesting players at every level. Now that the first wave of guys like Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth, Grant Taylor, Davis Martin and others have reached the big leagues, it is essential that the Sox have wave after wave of prospects moving through the system behind them, and they do. Prospects are a team’s primary capital, offering low-cost alternatives to expensive free-agent contracts as well as trade fodder to fill roster holes.
It is hard not to notice the top hitting prospects in the system in Glendale, most notably Sam Antonacci, Braden Montgomery and Caleb Bonemer. All are looking excellent. The rest of the baseball world is watching the World Baseball Classic and learning why White Sox prospect writers are so taken with Antonacci.
But Spring Training is often the first time that less-heralded guys make some noise. And there are several of those so far this year, led by William Bergolla, Jeral Perez, Javier Mogollon, George Wolkow and Jaden Fauske.
All of these guys have caught the eye of Sox player development brass, raising expectations of breakout years. Bergolla may be the biggest surprise. He’s gotten a lot of run lately in Spring Training games in relief of Colson Montgomery, and seems to be one of those guys who makes all the right plays. He told me he spent the off-season improving his bat speed.
For Wolkow, it is all about plate discipline and pitch recognition. He’s a tireless worker in the off-season, and is showing improvement at the plate on both fronts.
