2021 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 12

Who is the 12th-best prospect in the White Sox system?

If you’re unsure of what this is, read our Top Prospect Vote primer.

We’ve hit the first true crunch of the polling, as this round was an absolute logjam.

On a ballot where just 42 votes separated first place from 10th, Yermín Mercedes emerged the victor, earning 19% (44 of 238 votes), outpacing Benyamin Bailey by eight votes. There was only one bigger gap between competitors on the entire ballot!

Obviously, this sets up another crazy fight in this next round, unless the new entry seizes the day.

Last year, Mercedes finished 14th in our poll. And in the 2020 poll, Micker Adolfo finished as our No. 11 prospect in the vote.

Speaking of Adolfo, he and Blake Rutherford continue to find their fates intertwined, and victory afar, as the two right fielders finished in a tie for fifth this past round, with 25 votes apiece. José Rodriguez and Luis González are the only two players on the next ballot who seem to have no chance at advancing.

Newcomer Jake Burger earned 31 votes and finished a strong third.

South Side Sox Top White Sox Prospects for 2021

1. Andrew Vaughn — 45% (Crochet 26%, Kopech 19%, Madrigal 9%, Kelley 1.0%, Rutherford 0.6%, Adolfo/Sheets 0.2% Stiever/Thompson 0%)
2. Garrett Crochet — 42% (Kopech 19%, Madrigal 14%, Céspedes 4%, Kelley 0.7%, Rutherford 0.4%, Adolfo/Stiever 0.2%,Sheets/Thompson 0%)
3. Michael Kopech — 70% (Madrigal 22%, Kelley 4%, Céspedes 3%, Vera 1%, Adolfo/Rutherford/Sheets/Thompson 0.4%, Stiever 0%)
4. Nick Madrigal — 76% (Céspedes 10%, Kelley 9%, Rutherford/Vera 1.2%, Stiever/Thompson 0.6%, Adolfo/Dalquist/Sheets 0.3%)
5. Jared Kelley — 47% (Céspedes 32%, Stiever 8%, Rutherford 4%, Thompson 3%, Adolfo/Vera 2%, Sheets 1.4%, Bailey 1.2%, Dalquist/0.9%)
6. Yoelqui Céspedes — 59% (Stiever 17%, Thompson 9%, Rutherford 4%, Adolfo/Bailey 3%, Vera 2.2%, Sheets 1.9%, Dalquist 1.6%, González 0.3%)
7. Jonathan Stiever — 41% (Thompson 18%, Vera 11%, Bailey 8%, Burdi 7%, Rutherford 6%, Dalquist 3.2%, Adolfo/Sheets 2.9%, González 0.6%)
8. Gavin Sheets— 29% (Vera 24%, Thompson 21%, Burdi 9%, Bailey 6%, Rutherford 5%, Dalquist 4%, Adolfo 3%, Rodriguez 1%, González 0.2%)
9. Norge Vera— 31% (Thompson 27%, Rutherford 12%, Mercedes 9%, Burdi 8%, Bailey 7%, Adolfo 4%, Dalquist 2%, Rodriguez 1%, González 0%)
10. Matthew Thompson — 49% (Mercedes 10%, Bailey/Burdi/Rutherford 9%, Adolfo 5.3%, Dalquist 4.9%, Lambert 4.1%, González 1%, Rodriguez 0%)
11. Yermín Mercedes — 19% (Bailey 15%, Burger 13%, Burdi 12%, Dalquist 10.9%, Adolfo/Rutherford 10.5%, Lambert 8%, Rodriguez 1.3%, González 0.8%)

Micker Adolfo

Right Fielder
Age 24
2018 SSS poll ranking 10
2019 SSS poll ranking 7
2020 SSS poll ranking 11
2019 High Level Birmingham (AA) (participated at the Schaumburg alternate site in 2020)
Overall 2019 stats 36 games ▪️ 2 HR ▪️ 12 RBI ▪️ .227/.346/.367 ▪️ 21 BB ▪️ 57 BB

Adolfo missed the first half of 2019 recovering from arm surgery and only DHed in the minor league season. All 10 of his Arizona Fall League games were spent in right field, however, with one error and one assist.

Benyamin Bailey

Left Fielder
Age 19
2018 SSS poll ranking N/A
2019 SSS poll ranking N/A
2020 SSS poll ranking 26
2019 High Level DSL White Sox (Rookie)
Overall 2019 stats 55 games ▪️ 2 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .324/.477/.454 ▪️ 10-of-12 SB ▪️ 52 BB ▪️ 40 BB

Zack Burdi

Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 26
2018 SSS poll ranking 7
2019 SSS poll ranking 15
2020 SSS poll ranking 22
2020 High Level Chicago White Sox
Overall 2020 stats 0-1 ▪️ 8 games ▪️ -0.6 bWAR ▪️ 7 ¹⁄₃ IP ▪️ 11.05 ERA ▪️ 11 K ▪️ 3 BB ▪️ 1.909 WHIP

Jake Burger

Third Baseman
Age 24
2018 SSS poll ranking 8
2019 SSS poll ranking 9
2019 SSS poll ranking 21
2017 High Level Kannapolis (A)
Overall 2017 stats 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .263/.336/.412 ▪️ 14 BB ▪️ 30 K

Burger tore his Achilles tendon during spring training in 2018, re-tore it during rehab later that summer, and hasn’t played professionally since the 2017 season. He got back into action in the CarShield Collegiate League in Missouri this past summer, and his success there got him an invitation to play at the Schaumburg alternate site in 2020, as well as fall instructs.

Andrew Dalquist

Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 20
2018 SSS poll ranking N/A
2019 SSS poll ranking N/A
2020 SSS poll ranking 13
2020 High Level Schaumburg alternate site
Overall 2019 stats 0-0 ▪️ 3 starts ▪️ 3 IP ▪️ 0.00 ERA ▪️ 2 K ▪️ 2 BB ▪️ 1.333 WHIP

Stats are for Dalquist’s cup of coffee in the Arizona Rookie League.

Luis González

Center Fielder
Age 23
2018 SSS poll ranking 17
2019 SSS poll ranking 12
2019 High Level Birmingham (AA)
2020 High Level Chicago White Sox (3 G, 1 AB, 1 R, 58 OPS+)
Overall 2019 stats 126 games ▪️ 9 HR ▪️ 59 RBI ▪️ .247/.316/.359 ▪️ 47 BB ▪️ 89 K

González made his (brief) major-league debut in 2020 with the White Sox and otherwise spent the season at the Schaumburg alternate site.

Jimmy Lambert

Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 26
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 19
2020 SSS poll ranking 18
2020 High Level Chicago White Sox
Overall 2019 stats (Birmingham) 3-4 ▪️ 11 starts ▪️ 59 ⅓ IP ▪️ 4.55 ERA ▪️ 70 K ▪️ 27 BB ▪️ 1.500 WHIP

Lambert appeared in two games and pitched two scoreless innings (0.1 bWAR) before having his season cut short with forearm soreness. He had his 2019 season cut short by Tommy John surgery.

Bryan Ramos

Third Baseman
Age 19
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 38
2019 High Level Arizona (Rookie)
Overall 2019 stats 51 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 26 RBI ▪️ .277/.353/.415 ▪️ 19 BB ▪️ 44 K

José Rodriguez

Shortstop
Age 20
2018 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking N/R
2019 SSS poll ranking 32
2019 High Level Arizona (Rookie)
Overall 2019 stats 44 games ▪️ 9 HR ▪️ 31 RBI ▪️ .293/.328/.505 ▪️ 7-of-8 SB ▪️ 9 BB ▪️ 45 K

Blake Rutherford

Right Fielder
Age 24
2018 SSS poll ranking 9
2019 SSS poll ranking 8
2020 SSS poll ranking 10
2019 High Level Birmingham (AA) (participated at the Schaumburg alternate site in 2020)
Overall 2019 stats 118 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 49 RBI ▪️ .265/.319/.365 ▪️ 9-of-11 SB ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 118 K