Chicago White Sox

Blake Rutherford - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW OF 9 45

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
45 40 45 50 55 50 50

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Robert James

Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/R
Acquired: 2016 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Tall, average frame. Still a little room left on his frame but is almost in his "man" body. Prototypical OF body.

Hit: Upright, open stance. Pre-load has his hands just below eye level. Moderate leg kick but actually does a good job staying on breaking stuff and hanging in vs. LHP. Utilizes his lower half. Good bat path. Approach-wise, Rutherford tries to slice line drive contact all over the field. However, Rutherford will pick his spots and try to turn pitches low in the zone and pull them out. There was a tale of two halves in 2019, Rutherford looked terrible in the first and great in the second. I'll split the difference Grade: 45

Power: Rutherford hit only 7HR in over 430AB in 2019 but he does have at least average raw power. I saw him hit a couple of towering balls to the pull field (one out, and one just foul) at the end of the year. So the raw power is there, it's just a question of whether he taps into it. I think he will somewhat since his swing path is decent and the only thing really holding him up is his approach Grade: 50

Field: Rutherford was drafted as a CF but it was presumed he would move to RF once his body filled out. I was actually pretty impressed with his defense, he reads the ball well and gets good jumps. He split time in both corners last year and should be more than proficient in either as well as serving as an emergency option in CF. Grade: 55

Arm: Rutherford's arm is strong enough for RF if not a particular strength. He helps the arm play up by getting into great position to throw. Grade: 50

Run: Although he's not a threat to steal bases he runs the bases well and should be average even as he ages. Grade: 50

Overall: Rutherford was well-known in prospect circles and was in consideration for the top overall pick in '16 (he went 18th overall to NYY). Now with CHW, he's been somewhat of a disappointment, I had watched him a bunch last year and in my memory he was not much of a prospect. However, a funny thing happened on the re-watch, Rutherford was a much better hitter than I remembered. He still slices the ball but was making much better contact as the year progressed and was able to turn on pitches on the inner half. The power doesn't play nearly enough to be an everyday guy in a corner but he should be able to make MLB as a 4th OF platoon type.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: Moderate


Micker Adolfo - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW OF 8 45

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
45 40 45 55 50 60 40

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Rogelio Castillo

Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 225 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2013 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Tall, large frame. Broad Shoulders. Thick, barrel chested; Powerful upper body, has gained significant mass.

Hit: Wide stance; hands at the head; slight crouch with knee bend as he loads up to swing. A small amount of rocking and forth in the batter's box. As he swings, there is a slight front leg lick. Has loft in his swing and can go to all fields. Can get pull-happy. Swings for power. Grade: 45

Power: Drives the ball to all fields. Natural loft power as his swing ideally for power. Ball jumps off bat. Swing plane for power to all fields. His best tool. Grade: 55

Field: Solid average fielder - good defensive habits. Sound defensive actions. Good first step read for a player his size. Reliable fielder. With the added size, right-field is the idea location for him to play. Grade: 50

Arm: Live arm, works right and this was before his elbow surgery. Very good arm strength for the position. Will prevent extra bases with his arm. Grade: 60

Run: Below-average but capable. Enough for the position. Grade: 40

Overall: Adolfo has a power ceiling that is unlimited when healthy. The mass gain has helped him tap into his power. He has one of the strongest arms in the organization and still a treat, post elbow surgery. If he can cut back on his strikeouts, the White Sox will have another power bat in their lineup.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench or Platoon
Risk: Moderate


Jonathan Stiever - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW RHP 7 45

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role FB CB SL CH Ctr/Cmd
45 40 50 50 55 40 50/45

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Justin Lada

Age: 24 yr
Height: 6-2
Weight: 215 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Round 5
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Muscular, athletic build. Medium sized frame that is mostly filled out. Strong in chest and lower half. Appears to have shorter wingspan and legs despite 6-2 height and frame. Athleticism as a high school football player apparent in actions on the mound.

Delivery & Mechanics: Starts from first base side of the rubber with moderate midsection leg kick. Uses leg kick to drive into lower half with good drive into his back half and push leg. Stays stacked well as he moves forward. Gets strike foot down quickly. Drops arm it down behind his back leg before swinging back up and through his 3/4 arm slot. Doesn't get particularly long extension with his legs but drives energy up his body well once he gets his strike foot down quick. Upper back/spinal tilt helps shoulder/hip separation and allows him to work force up to his arm and creates his high 3/4 arm slot. Uses leg kick from the stretch. Has a tendency to lose arm slot at times.

Fastball: Ran 89-93 early in 2019 and then sat 92-95 and topped out at 96 further into the season. Delivery and arm slot allows him to work it downhill well. Locates it consistently in the zone and gets swings and misses with it in the zone. Shows comfort and confidence in working it in all four quadrants of the zone. Has moderate armside run to it. Average spin. Needs consistent mid-90s velocity, command, and good sequencing for maximum effectiveness. Grade: 50

Curveball: 76-80 with power break. Starts out with 12 direction but breaks sharp and tight. Good command of the pitch. Gets swings and misses in the middle of the zone and below it. Manipulates speed and power to change how much vertical break it gets, sometimes slower and dropping deeper. Average spin. Occasionally high arm slot. Grade: 50

Slider: 83-85 with 2-7 shape. Loses shape at times where it doesn't get enough horizontal tilt and hangs in the zone. At it's best, the two plane break dives under bats and comes from the same arm slot as his fastball. Hard pitch for right handers to handle when he has the shape consistent. Blends with his curveball a little at times. Bat missing pitch in the minors but struggled to get consistent shape in brief MLB experience in 2020. Grade: 55

Changeup: 82-85 with some sink and fade. Inconsistent movement. Lacks arm speed for deception. Low usage fourth offering that profiles best as a show-me pitch to left handers. Grade: 40

Control and Command: Control over command total profile. Can throw everything for a strike. Above average fastball and curveball command. Slider and changeup fall behind in command in that order. Shows ability to work north/south as well as east/west with slider and armside running fastball. Should avoid major issues with free passes. Lack of command but good control would leave him homer-prone. Control: 50 | Command: 45

Overall: Has three average to above average offerings and generally avoids free passes. His fastball velocity has waned. His fastball velocity and command will be a big driver of his success. With average spin, up and down velocity, it could leave him with home run issues. His two breaking balls are both effective swing and miss issues but both could improve with more consistent shape. Pitch mix and velo dips might make him a better fit in the bullpen in potential mulit-inning stints. Could work as a back end type starter if fastball velocity holds better and tightens up his changeup.

OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Spot Starter or Low Leverage Reliever
Risk: Low


Matthew Thompson - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW RHP 6 50

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role FB CB CH Ctr/Cmd
50 50 60 55 45 45/40

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Mike Kinsela

Age: 20 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 195 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2019 Round 2
RuleV: 2023

Physical Description: Long, lean, athletic build with frame to continue filling out-has the physical upside of a specimen.

Delivery & Mechanics: The arm speed and athleticism stand out with Thompson, and he'd earned some amateur comps to former 2nd rounder Alex Speas as a result of both. The arm speed is easily plus, maybe plus-plus. High 3/4 slot that works to leverage the ball down in the strike zone, verticality could allow for better projection up in the zone. Athletic and loose.

Fastball: Velocity has never been a problem, Thompson can reach the mid-90's consistently and generally has sat 91-94 mph in the past. The pitch is true but the high slot release gives him some fastball traits up in the zone, and he can blow the pitch by hitters at the letters in the mid-90's with ease. Grade: 60

Curveball: His best pitch as an amateur, a hard downer curveball thrown with 11/5 shape mostly in the low-80's. Is plus often, isn't plus consistently and can get slurvy at times. The pitch has made strides in terms of consistency and is now much better in that regard than his amateur days, but there are still strides to be made to get to consistently plus. Grade: 55

Changeup: Third pitch now, some evaluators have seen flashes of above-average on the pitch, still uses somewhat sparingly and is definitely developing feel. His athleticism and arm action portend to good changeup projection, still somewhat unsure projection. Grade: 45

Control and Command: Thompson's athleticism gives evaluators hope that better command is coming, but as such he's still prone to some wildness within the zone and overall zone loss at times, leading to many believing that he's destined for the bullpen. Control: 45 | Command: 40

Overall: Thompson's athleticism and arm talent are enticing, and he shows the makings of a true plus fastball/plus curveball profile. The story here is the same of many profiles, the third pitch projection and the command concerns lead to some bullpen worry, but it's still far too early to pigeonhole an athlete of this caliber that way. The upside here is likely that of a #3 starter or late-innings reliever, or more realistically a solid backend SP.

OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4 or #5 SP
Risk: High


Michael Kopech - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW RHP 5 50

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role FB CB SL CH Ctr/Cmd
50 50 70 45 55 45 45/40

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Jake Boes

Age: 25 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 225 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2014 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Strong, muscular, athletic build; frame of an outside linebacker. Thick neck, sloped shoulders, and long arms. Solid midsection with a high waist; thick, muscular thighs and legs. Big feet. Gym rat type. Moves well on the mound; impressive athlete at physical projection currently. Injury history includes Tommy John Surgery September, 2018.

Delivery & Mechanics: Electric right arm fires from a high 3/4 slot with high effort. Cheats body closed slightly to start motion; pause during side step; glove starts below the belt before coming to the letters for hand break yielding deception. Glove stays down when pitching from the stretch. Little wasted movement with the arm path; claws back on the reach before coming straight up to release point. Commanding, intimidating presence on the mound.

Fastball: Double-plus fastball; 98-100 t101 post-TJ with tailing life; late arm side run. Heavy usage in the top part of the strike zone that yields both called and swinging strikes. Sinking action down in the zone. Command and velocity waver within starts; may not always be by design. Elite velocity that plays down a grade due to the inconsistencies with the offering. Grade: 70

Curveball: Flashes above-average but sits fringy; 78-81 with 11-5 break; movement overlaps the slider path on occasion. Used as a get-me-over pitch with inconsistent command. Hangers get punished; lacks the teeth necessary to make it a swing-and-miss offering. Grade: 45

Slider: 83-85 with inconsistent desired velocity. Tight, late break that gets slurvy on occasion. Generates swings burying beneath the zone. Pounds low and away to same-sided batters. Overall, an above-average offering with minimal projection left. Grade: 55

Changeup: 88-90 flashing fade; shows feel and average movement but plays down due to the similarities in movement with the fastball. Maintains arm speed well enough to still generate swings and misses, but not likely to be a weapon long-term. Grade: 45

Control and Command: Fringe control with below average command; inconsistencies with both that come and go even within starts; has made an effort in the past to back off of velocity in exchange for improved control with mixed results. Leans heavily on the fastball which limits his ceiling if adjustments are needed. Control: 45 | Command: 40

Overall: In terms of pure power, Kopech possesses one of the strongest arms in the game. After opting out of the 2020 season, it remains to be seen if he can maintain the regular triple-digit velocities he was displaying during spring training through an entire season. I have pitch-mix concerns with Kopech--despite the impressive velocity and spin with his fastball, the movement profiles of the fastball/changeup and the slider/curveball are too similar; but because of his velocity, he could still succeed as a high-leverage relief option out of the bullpen in a worst-case scenario.

OFP: 50
Role: 50 - #4 or #5 SP or High Leverage Reliever
Risk: High


Jared Kelley - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW RHP 4 55

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role FB SL CH Ctr/Cmd
55 60 70 50 60 60/50

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Mike Kinsela

Age: 19 yr
Height: 6-3
Weight: 215 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 2
RuleV: 2024

Physical Description: XL frame with extremely physical, broad build. Durable and strong with look of MLB starter who can hold up under 200+ inning workload.

Delivery & Mechanics: Absurdly easy operation for someone who throws as hard and is as physical as Kelley. Balanced and fluid with good direction downhill, minimal effort at release with no recoil, repeats well. Starter operation.

Fastball: Pitch has peaked at 100 mph to date, sits in the mid-90's currently and will get into the upper 90's in most outings. Explodes out of his hand, easy gas with command of the offering, somewhat limited life but the pitch is still a plus-plus offering. Grade: 70

Slider: The biggest question surrounding Kelley's profile is his feel to spin the ball. The pitch was hit-and-miss on the summer circuit with flashes of above-average but more often than not being in the 40-45 range. Tightened it up and was showing more consistency in spring pre-COVID, scouts are optimistic that an average offering exists here. The profile rests quite a bit of it's projection on this outcome. Grade: 50

Changeup: Best CH in the prep class coming out, has always been his best secondary, thrown in the low-mid 80's with fantastic sell and arm speed, turns it over and generates fade on pitch, tunneled well off of fastball release. Grade: 60

Control and Command: Kelley throws a lot of strikes, and moves his fastball/changeup combo around the zone innately and successfully. The ease of operation in terms of his mechanics allows for extreme repeatability, which leads to this command level. Above-average projection overall. Control: 60 | Command: 50

Overall: Kelley is a polished prep righty with track record of success on the circuit, a starter's operation and command projection, a strong/durable build, and two plus pitches; but his questions surrounding his feel to spin the ball hold back the profile from ace caliber. Should the slider come along to solid-average, he's a very nice #3 starter, with variance depending directly on the breaker.

OFP: 55
Role: 60 - #3 SP
Risk: High


Nick Madrigal - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW 1B 3 55

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
55 60 70 30 60 50 60

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: James Chipman

Age: 24 yr
Height: 5-8
Weight: 175 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2018 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Small; compact frame and average build. Broad shoulders that slope; average upper body with strong forearms. Sturdy frame thanks to thick, muscular thighs and legs. Athletic with impressive instincts and feel for the game. Not much room for further development physically. Recently had left shoulder surgery in October '20.

Hit: Closed stance; hands high at the head; body upright with feet shoulder width apart. Active hand load and hitch; sizable leg lift timing mechanism. Average bat speed but quick from the trigger to the contact point; not much drive or torque; swing is more hands than bottom half. Exceptional bat to ball skills. Advanced approach; shows patience and the ability to make adjustments between at-bats. Solid two strike approach; tracks the ball well; shows the ability to work deep counts and grind out at-bats running up pitch counts. Innate ability to make solid contact; line drive machine that utilizes the entire field; good bad ball hitter. Extremely polished on draft day; has made significant gains with pro instruction. A potential double-plus impact tool. Grade: 70

Power: Shows fringy raw in BP; plays well below-average in game due to contact oriented line drive approach. Utilizes the entire field; limited over-the-fence power predominately pull side. Has decent bat speed; power mostly of the line drive variety as bat path lacks significant loft; extra-bases predominately a result of speed and hustle. Limited over-the-fence pop, likely from mistakes left in the heart of the zone. Grade: 30

Field: Plus defender with great instincts. Quick first step, impressive lateral movement and range. Enough skill and feel to adequately play anywhere on the infield dirt; the arm strength however pigeonholes him to 2B. Quick feet; soft hands; quick transfers and feeds. Ranges well to both sides; reads hops well regardless of their difficulty. A sure-handed defender that's automatic with routine plays, and able to execute the occasional impressive play. Grade: 60

Arm: Adequate arm strength. Enough to handle the keystone. Good throwing mechanics; sets feet nicely. Makes expected plays with accuracy. Clean, quick transfers from the glove; capable of making throws on the run. Grade: 50

Run: Borderline double-plus straight line speed with regular clock between 4.16 and 4.23 H-1st. Quick out of the box; easy acceleration from short but effective choppy strides. Aggressive, but smart and instinctual runner: will go first to third and swipe extra hustle bags. Enough of an impact tool to rush throws from infielders and steal infield hits with his legs. Speed will pad extra-base hits. Always hustles; doesn't take plays off. Grade: 60

Overall: Lack of power and arm strength ding the profile limiting the upside in the lineup and likely pigeonhole Madrigal to 2B. Regardless, the hit tool is loud enough and the feel for the game advanced enough to yield realistic above-average regular upside. A solid potential table setter with solid defense and impact speed.

OFP: 55
Role: 60 - Above-Average Regular: Occasional All-Star
Risk: Low


Garrett Crochet - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW LHP 2 55

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role FB SL CH Ctr/Cmd
55 60 70 60 45 50/45

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Geoff Pontes

Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-6
Weight: 218 lbs
Hits/Throws: L/L
Acquired: 2020 Round 1
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster

Physical Description: Tall and extremely athletic lefthander with a high-waisted build that should add good weight over the years. Close to physical peak already, high level athlete and conditioning. Repeats his mechanics well, and uses his athleticism to create deception.

Delivery & Mechanics: Athletic but offbeat mechanically, big leg kick that closes off his front side to the plate as he pushes off from the third base side of the rubber before exploding toward home. The motion is violent but it works for him as he extends well and drops down to deliver from a low three quarters slot. There's some inconsistency in his back leg but he's able to repeat his motion for the most part landing on-line with the target at release. Serious stress on the arm and shoulder have led to frequent injuries.

Fastball: Sits 97-99 mph touching 100. Like all of Crochet's pitches everything breaks gloveside. The angle he creates with his arm action and release point play up his fastball. Not that he needs it with elite velocity. His command of the pitch particularly to his gloveside was tremendous as he fooled right-handed hitters consistently despite living on the inner-half of the plate. That's a double-edged sword as right-handed hitters with elite bat speed should be able to turn on it to their pull-side. Still a tall order. Average 100 mph at the major league level out of the draft. Grade: 70

Slider: Averaged 85 to 87 mph on the pitch as an amateur, but sat 86.9 mph out of the pen in 2020. Much like his fastball the slider breaks gloveside heavily, but he shows advanced feel for the pitch. Adept at manipulating break and backfooting it to right-handed batters. The tremendous sweep on the pitch is tough to lay off for left-handed hitters as it looks like it's headed to the outside portion of the plate before dropping with late tail to the gloveside. It moves on a very similar tunnel to his fastball but with late vertical tail. His best secondary, and an elite swing and miss pitch. High usage rate typically, but was only thrown around 10% of the time in his MLB debut. It's a plus pitch. Grade: 60

Changeup: Initially I mistook a few of them for the curveball but on second look it's clearly a changeup as the pitch runs armside with nice fade. He does a good job of selling the pitch with his arm speed and the early movement on the pitch which starts off with the sweeping angle before pulling the string and watching it run armside. With his infrequent use of it I'd only be comfortable grading it 45 present, but it's clearly a potential swing and miss pitch. Solid velocity separation from the fastball averaged 91-92 mph. Grade: 45

Control and Command: Did not walk a batter across six major league innings in 2020 fresh out of the draft. Displayed average strike throwing as an amateur in a starter's role and his control and command seemed to tick up in relief with the White Sox. His stuff has enough intense movement that elite pinpoint precision is unlikely to manifest but it's an average control with fringe-average command profile. Crochet is the type of arm where it's less about hitting spots and more about getting it in the zone. Think Tyler Glasnow. Control: 50 | Command: 45

Overall: Perhaps a future bullpen ace if the White Sox decide to go that way. The dreaded forearm tightness reared its ugly head in 2020, but it turned out to be a mild flexor strain. Due to Crochet's mechanics and injury history there's a fair amount of risk in the profile despite his ascent. It's unheard of that a player would join a major league club out of the draft, but the unusual circumstances of 2020 and Crochet's unique arsenal were the perfect combination. We know what he can be in a bullpen role already, but there's many that view Crochet as a capable starting pitching prospect. Despite the injury risk we're comfortable labeling Crochet a high leverage relief arm. Which by all accounts is not a tremendous leap. There's still an outside shot the White Sox develop Crochet as a starter, but frankly the injury risk coupled with his impressive debut might make it too difficult to remove him from the backend of the pen.

OFP: 55
Role: 60 - High Leverage Reliever
Risk: Moderate


Andrew Vaughn - Scouting Report


Rank History
Year Team Position Team Rank OFP
2021 CHW 1B 1 60

Grades Update: Dec 2020
OFP Role Hit Power Field Arm Run
60 70 60 70 40 45 30

Dec 2020 Report

Evaluator: Geoff Pontes

Age: 23 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 215 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2019 Round 1
RuleV: 2022

Physical Description: Built like a cannonball. Round barrel-chested middle, but not soft. Shorter levers but strength throughout his frame. Vaughn isn't a specimen but it all works, an average or maybe a tick better athlete. Unique twitch at the plate.

Hit: Easy plus hit tool as Vaughn possesses all of the characteristics we look for in a hitter. He has plus bat to ball skills, displaying the ability to make contact with a variety of pitches across several looks. The data in pro-ball backs this up, as his 84% contact rate in class-A advanced sticks out. He has elite on-base skills, working deep into counts spoiling junk on the edges and working himself into hitters counts as he hunts for pitches to drive. Which brings me to my final element, Vaughn's quality of contact. His innate strength and elite bat speed allow Vaughn to consistently barrel up. He hits for a high rate of flyball and line drive contact and his max exit velocities sit in the 115+ range. Near double plus hit tool, but needs to see the challenge of the upper minors to get there. Grade: 60

Power: Vaughn has a long track record of high end power production throughout his collegiate career. He hit for results with wood on the Cape and is one of the most prestigious power hitters in division one history. Out of the draft Vaughn did not show the elite power he had at Cal, but the data backs up the elite power grade. With max exit velocities sitting 116+ mph with an average launch angle of 12 degrees. Vaughn makes consistent contact and due to his elite bat speed and powerful hands can drive balls with ease. There are few players outside of Spencer Torkelson or Tristan Casas with the level of power Vaughn packs. Grade: 70

Field: Below average fielder limited to first base, likely capable of fringe average defense everyday at first. Good hands and infield actions, limited range and ability to move around the bag. Not a determinant in the field but limited in terms of upside there. Might get to average with work. For now a below average defender. Grade: 40

Arm: Good arm for a first baseman, former shortstop and his arm still has some carry left. Not capable of playing anywhere else so the discussion of how his arm fits elsewhere is moot. Grade: 45

Run: Poor base runner that's essentially station to station. Lacks some feel at times on the bases and will be caught flat-footed. Grade: 30

Overall: One of the strongest bats in the minor leagues, Vaughn must hit to maintain his right handed hitting right handed throwing first base only profile. Lucky for Vaughn and the White Sox the bat is legit. His combination of contact, approach, and power is rivaled by only the elite prospects in the game. In his own right Vaughn defines the type of bat you want everyday at first base (or DH) in the middle of the lineup, hitting for average, getting on base, and driving in runs. A future All-Star first baseman in the making.

OFP: 60
Role: 70 - Impact Player: Perennial All-Star
Risk: Moderate