The group that misplaced 121 video games final season has a powerful farm system. Revitalized by a significant commerce, an especially-promising 2024 fifth-overall draft decide, and the emergence of a 6-foot-9 southpaw, the Chicago White Sox boast certainly one of baseball’s finest prospect pipelines. Six of the group’s younger hopefuls are ranked amongst our new High 100 record: left-handed pitchers Noah Schultz (18th) and Hagen Smith (twenty second), catcher Kyle Teel (forty ninth), shortstop Colson Montgomery (58th), catcher Edgar Quero (ninetieth), and right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor (94th).
As White Sox director of participant growth, Paul Janish performs a key function within the membership’s efforts to provide large league expertise. Employed into his present place in November 2023, the 42-year-old Janish spent 9 seasons as a significant league infielder, from 2008-2017.
Janish mentioned a few of the group’s philosophies and a number of other of its high prospects earlier this month.
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David Laurila: How has participant growth modified since your enjoying days?
Paul Janis: “I believe the easiest way to synopsize that’s sources. There are extra fingers on deck. There’s additionally extra know-how concerned versus the type of old-school eye take a look at, if you’ll. On the finish of the day, you’re nonetheless attempting to assist make gamers higher, it’s simply that participant growth programs are extra strong now than they’ve ever been. After I was enjoying — though, comparatively talking, it wasn’t all that way back — there weren’t as many sources as our guys have.
“Ancillary to the precise participant growth system, there may be what the fellows have entry to when it comes to personal amenities in the course of the offseason. That’s a profit to them, as properly.”
Laurila: What are a few of the stuff you’ve discovered since shifting into your function?
Janish: “A part of what this job entails is administration of individuals. There’s much less baseball stuff, which sounds fairly ironic, however there are quite a lot of logistics concerned. You’re attempting to place folks in the very best place to succeed, and that features the workers. You need to create a system that offers the gamers each useful resource and facilitates each want they could want or need. I do quite a lot of speaking with gamers to get their views on what they’re experiencing inside our system. That’s necessary. You need to take note of that they’re the gamers.
“And so they’re all completely different, proper? It’s not simply run them by way of the road and hope that everyone comes out good. It’s listening to a few of these particulars, a few of the intricacies. You’re additionally coping with each pitchers and place gamers. There are quite a lot of shifting elements.”
Laurila: Piggy-backing on that, are you able to say just a little extra about philosophies? There’s extra to it than sources and communication.
Janish: “With the business on the whole, pitching is just a little farther down the street when it comes to know-how and with the ability to concentrate on what guys are like from a biomechanical standpoint. To start with, we’re trusting our pitching division. In the end we’re attempting to assist guys perceive what they’re good at — what they’re predisposed to being good at — and specializing in that whereas nonetheless attempting to influence what they should work on. We’re ensuring that they’re working biomechanically how their our bodies need. From an arsenal standpoint, it’s using what they naturally do properly versus having all people attempt to chase one particular factor, whether or not that’s the trip fastball or regardless of the case is perhaps.
“On the place participant aspect, one factor we’re specializing in is defensive versatility. Clearly, that has just a little bit to do with the participant acquisition course of. However we’re attempting to assist guys perceive, ‘Look, that is your path to the large leagues.’ Whether or not you’re a pure defensive shortstop however perhaps just a little mild offensively, or when you’ve got an actual energy bat however want to wash up your chase proportion and management the strike zone higher, we need to guarantee that gamers perceive the place they’re at.
“After I was enjoying, the communication from orgs to gamers perhaps wasn’t pretty much as good because it may have been. That’s one factor we actually concentrate on, attempting to guarantee that the gamers perceive their lane, their path to get to the large leagues. What does that seem like? And be sincere with them, proper? We’re not right here to sugarcoat. We clearly need to be tactful and respectful, however on the finish of the day, we need to be fairly clear. That may imply utilizing main league comps. ‘Look, that is type of the place your ability set matches, and the way you would feasibly do it.’”
Laurila: Leaping to the org’s high pitching prospects, how do Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith examine outdoors of certainly one of them being a extremely large dude?
Janish: “They’re truly each actually large; one is only a lot taller. However they’re fascinating to [compare], together with the best way their our bodies work. Hagen is a bit more bodily developed than Noah at this juncture. And whereas he’s not as tall, Hagen is 6-foot-4. Once more, he’s nonetheless a giant dude.
“The way in which their arm swings work and the discharge factors are just a little completely different. Noah is clearly simply so distinctive. And whereas they’re the identical age, they’re at completely different factors when it comes to bodily growth. I believe Hagen is nearer to what he’s going to finish up being, whereas Noah nonetheless has some weight to placed on and power to construct. That being mentioned, their arsenals are each very high finish.”
Laurila: Is Schultz’s uniqueness mainly his measurement [6-foot-9, 220 pounds] and decrease arm slot?
Janish: “That’s it, man. Should you take extra of a macro take a look at guys his measurement, and the place he’s relative to his age… he’s simply such an excellent athlete. He throws so many strikes, and with all of his pitches. It’s virtually exhausting to discover a good comp, given how shut he’s to being prepared at such a younger age. Sometimes, guys with that type of size and measurement take longer to get constant in regard to manage within the zone. He’s fairly near the place you need him to be already.”
Laurila: Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are your high catching prospects. How related are they?
Janish: “Man, this can be a good query. I believe it’s important to acknowledge that they’re coming from two completely different locations. Teel performed at [the University of Virginia] and Quero is of Cuban descent, so that they have two very completely different backgrounds. The apparent commonality is their capacity, however additionally they actually like to play and compete. After all, I do know Edgar just a little bit higher on the sphere at this juncture, as a result of I haven’t seen Kyle up shut and private as a lot.”
Laurila: Which ones is nearer to large league prepared when it comes to offense? Similar query for protection.
Janish: “Once more, I don’t know Teel fairly as properly, but when I needed to decide defensively, Edgar has extra rubber on the street catching, particularly on the professional stage. I assume you would possibly give him the nod there, however I believe they’re very shut. Offensively, regardless of Kyle solely having one full skilled season, he’s carried out very properly all the best way up by way of Triple-A. However I additionally suppose that Edgar being a switch-hitter is advantageous when it comes to the offensive piece. When he will get to the most important leagues, switch-hitting goes to be profit.”
Laurila: Is Brooks Baldwin an excellent comp for Chase Meidroth?
Janish: “You realize who I examine Brooks to? He’s type of a Ben Zobrist kind of participant. He has the power to defend at a number of positions and is a switch-hitter. Chase is perhaps just like the Jamey Carroll, the Nick Punto, or perhaps even a Jason Bartlett-type of participant, Bartlett was extra of a pure defender, however these are the type of comps I might give. Brooks and Chase are each simply actually good baseball gamers. They see the sphere. They’ve superb consciousness and are going to present you aggressive at-bats. They’re perhaps not attractive when it comes to measurement, power, velocity, or energy, however they play the sport properly.”
Laurila: That is in all probability a greater query for [hitting coordinator] Ryan Fuller, however how does Meidroth, or any hitter with plus bat-to-ball abilities, go about bettering his exit velocities with out compromising what he does properly?
Janish: “I believe you’re proper — referring that to Fuller could be good — however for me, the reply is extra that Chase must capitalize on what he does properly. I believe the following transition for him isn’t essentially reaching for extra exit velo, however moderately understanding instances by which he can attempt to do some bit extra. That’s one of many the reason why energy — even for guys which have a bunch of it — might be the very last thing to develop in-game.”
Laurila: Caleb Bonemer didn’t play final yr after getting drafted [out of high school in the second round]. Would he have performed if short-season ball nonetheless existed?
Janish: “For certain. And never enjoying is type of a free approach to say it, as a result of he did play in what we name the bridge camp league, which successfully acts as an tutorial league. We nonetheless performed towards different groups; he simply didn’t play for an affiliate. However to reply the query, he 100% would have gone to short-season.”
Laurila: In an ideal world, would short-season ball nonetheless exist?
Janish: “Growth-wise, sure. I believe it stuffed a void that we now have. A highschool draft decide like Caleb is an effective instance, as are quite a lot of the youthful Latin guys. Brief-season offered an avenue for them to get just a little publicity to affiliate baseball. [Not having it] expedites the timeline for these guys. So sure, in an ideal world… development-wise, I believe it hurts us greater than it helps us.”
Laurila: George Wolkow was additionally drafted out of highschool [in 2023]. Baseball America has known as him the epitome of growth or bust. Is that honest?
Janish: “I imply, that’s an analysis he’s simply going to should get used to. That’s the simplest method for folks to say it, however I believe the ground could also be just a little larger than folks suppose. He’s tremendous intriguing. Once you discuss exit velos, he can hit the ball as exhausting as anyone. The stature catches you off guard each time you see him, as a result of he’s simply an enormous child, however what stands proud to me is the make-up and the need to be actually good. He talks about desirous to be good within the main leagues. He simply turned 19 a pair weeks in the past, and whereas he is aware of the place he needs to go, he additionally understands that he’s not there but. He’s very receptive to teaching.”
Laurila: Jacob Gonzalez profiles very otherwise. From what I’ve learn, he’s extra of a you-kind-of-know-what-to-expect man out of an excellent faculty program.
Janish: “I believe that’s correct. He’s a extremely good baseball participant. He was enjoying shortstop for [Double-A] Birmingham final yr after they gained the championship. He was on a nationwide championship group [at the University of Mississippi]. My level in mentioning these two issues is that he’s a winner. He performs on profitable groups. You don’t win championships with no good shortstop.”
Laurila: Is a 22-year-old Paul Janish an excellent comp for him?
Janish: “Ha. He’s obtained extra offensive potential than that. I believe there may be extra in there than we’ve seen up thus far. He’s obtained a excessive aptitude and could have the power to make a few of these changes, together with, like we had been speaking about earlier, understanding when to take some photographs, when to attempt to hit for just a little bit extra energy at sure instances towards sure pitchers. He’s working exhausting, man. He had a extremely good offseason bodily. You’ll be able to inform he’s stronger than he was coming into final season.”
Laurila: The final guys I need to ask about are the 2 Montgomerys. Let’s begin with Braden Montgomery.
Janish: “A brilliant-motivated man and a really cerebral particular person. He didn’t get an opportunity to play final yr as a result of harm, so relative to his professional profession he’s actually simply getting going. However he’s obtained some distinctive capacity. You watch him go about his work, whether or not it’s defensive work within the outfield or hitting within the cages, it’s very intentional. It’s very thought out. That is one other child who doesn’t need to simply get to the large leagues, he needs to get to the large leagues and be an All-Star.”
Laurila: What about Colson? After I talked to him within the Arizona Fall League, he got here off as assured, but very conscious that he didn’t have the 2024 season anticipated of him.
Janish: “I give him quite a lot of credit score for the best way he’s dealt with that, due to the best way he’s underneath a microscope. He’d be the primary to let you know that he didn’t swing the bat in addition to he can. He’s right here in Arizona, and bodily… that was type of the barometer for the offseason. He’s in actually fine condition. He misplaced just a little weight, in all probability between 10 and 15 kilos, and is shifting round very well.”
Laurila: I assume that optimizing his athleticism in order that he can stay at shortstop was the first cause for his doing that?
Janish: “Sure. I imply, we consider he’s a shortstop. He’s topic to quite a lot of questions on whether or not or not he’s going to remain there, and he’s actually motivated to show that that’s what he’s. We’ve talked to him about optimizing his capacity to maneuver, to go aspect to aspect, and to his credit score he’s labored actually exhausting on that.
“Colson is assured that he’s going to be an excellent main league participant, as are we. And he has that chance in entrance of him. Will Venable has been selling an surroundings of competitors, and all of us need Colson to be good. I do know I’m not going to wager towards him.”