Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath, the first two players the Chicago White Sox selected in this year’s draft, are getting acclimated with the organization, professional baseball and the daily routines that come with it.
Chris Getz, the Sox assistant general manager for player development, likes what he has seen.
“With Colson and Wes, they’ve done a seamless job in transitioning to professional baseball,” Getz said during a conference call Monday. “Very impressive kids, they have a lot of confidence, clearly they’re very talented.”
The team selected Montgomery, a shortstop, with the No. 22 pick in the draft in July. They selected Kath, a third baseman, in the second round. Both are playing with the Arizona Rookie League White Sox.
Montgomery, 19, is slashing .231/.362/.282 with two doubles in 11 games. Kath, 19, is slashing .302/.333/.442 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 11 games.
“We think having those two high school infielders grow up together is going to be a positive,” Getz said. “Colson’s been great at shortstop and Wes has been just as good at third base. Offensively, to have left-handed bats that have the potential to not only hit but have power, and envisioning them on one side of the infield in the future, as an organization that’s very exciting.
“We’ve enjoyed being around those guys out in Arizona. We’ll continue their development in Arizona and eventually we’ll work our way into the Instructional League.”
Montgomery is the top prospect in the Sox organization, according to MLB.com, and Kath is No. 4.
Yoelqui Céspedes is second on the list. The outfielder recently earned a promotion to Double-A Birmingham.
“A handful of players, once we got them to the Double-A level, really upped their game even further and they certainly earned their promotions there, whether it be Céspedes or (infielders) Yolbert Sánchez or Lenyn Sosa,” Getz said. “But Céspedes and Yolbert have taken their game to even another level.”
Céspedes, 23, is slashing .360/.360/.520 in seven games with the Barons. He slashed .278/.355/.494 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 45 games at Class A Winston-Salem.
Céspedes, who is from Yara, Cuba, was ranked as the No. 1 international prospect when he came to the Sox on a deal that included a $2.05 million signing bonus in January.
He represented the organization at the All-Star Futures Game in July in Denver.
“Yoelqui, we were around him the most here in spring training,” Getz said. “He’s got some serious power. We felt he had a fairly advanced approach at the plate. He hadn’t played a lot of games, based on various reasons, and then there was a visa delay that didn’t allow him to get to an affiliate. We wanted to get him comfortable at the Winston-Salem level, and once that happened, transition him to Double A, and he’s really taken off.
“He’s got gap-to-gap power potential. He’s run into some homers and his at-bats continue to get better. He’s got instincts for center field. He’s a sound baserunner. He’s just a good all-around baseball player. To have him now at the Double-A level and showing up every day as a professional, which he has, all signs point in the right direction for Yoelqui.”
Norge Vera, who was ranked the No. 15 international prospect when he signed with the Sox for a $1.5 million bonus in February, has pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts in the Dominican Summer League. Vera, 21, is the No. 9 prospect in the organization.
“He had some shoulder soreness that delayed him getting into those DSL games,” Getz said. “Now that he’s been participating, he’s more or less dominated in those outings. He’s been 96 to 99 mph with signs of a good breaking ball and changeup. There are plenty of indications that we’ve got ourselves a future starter in Norge Vera, and we look forward to continuing his development.”
Among players outside of the top 10 prospects, Getz said shortstop Romy González has taken a “big step forward.” González, 24, has 22 homers and 55 RBIs in 80 games between Birmingham (20 homers) and Triple-A Charlotte (two).
Getz also mentioned Sánchez and infielder José Rodríguez (.299./342/.468 between Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem) among those making waves.
“Kade McClure is a starter that has been impressive at Double A (2-4, 3.82 ERA, 77 strikeouts), now getting a taste of Triple A,” Getz said. “Jason Bilous is another starter that has been impressive along the way (3-7, 5.19 ERA, 95 strikeouts at Winston-Salem and Birmingham). Davis Martin (3-6, 5.23 ERA, 83 strikeouts at Winston-Salem and Birmingham), we’ve got McKinley Moore (1-2, 4.68 ERA, 51 strikeouts at Kannapolis and Winston-Salem).
“Tanner McDougal (seven strikeouts in three innings for the Arizona Rookie League White Sox) is a high school draft pick we took in the draft this past year. He’s up to 96 mph. He’s got 3,000 RPMs on a breaking ball. He’s a guy that I feel like has a chance to really jump. There’s plenty to be really excited about.”