The White Sox are obviously in the midst of a rebuild and one of the points of a rebuild is to develop players into key components of a future contender. This year the White Sox are playing far more better than they were at this point last season and it could have a lot to do with fellow youngsters Tim Anderson, Reynaldo Lopez, Yoan Moncada, and Lucas Giolito having progressed in their development, but also the talent level is much better. However, one thing that has not been talked about is the players who could play a role in the future as depth and on the bench.
There are four players I will highlight as I feel like they could be integral to the future of the White Sox rebuild. Those four players are Jose Rondon, Nicky Delmonico, Charlie Tilson, and Ryan Cordell. All of these players have been considered top prospects at one point in their careers, so having them as depth and on the bench once this team becomes a contender could be crucial.
First, let’s talk about Jose Rondon. Rondon has a lot of upside for multiple reasons. The first reason is his bat as he has pop and any kind of offense is good. The second is versatility as he can play second base, shortstop, third base, and left field, which adds more to his value. While his defense isn’t spectacular, he’s competent enough. He was once in the Top 20 Prospects for the San Diego Padres in 2017, so clearly it would be smart for the front office to keep him around and give him enough playing time to develop his skills and make him a key bench player and depth piece. And who knows, even a trade chip.
Delmonico is a different story. He was actually hailed as a top ten prospect in the Baltimore Orioles farm system and was even a top 30 prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers and White Sox (albeit briefly), but his suspension because of his violation of the drug policy nearly made him quit baseball. He did decide to make a comeback and it paid off. However, his problem is his lack of defensive dependability. He can play at the corners in the infield and can play left field, but he isn’t strong in any of those positions which hurts his value. He might have versatility, but that’s a bit of stretch despite it being technically true. However, what he does have is a great bat and it showed in a brief stretch from August 2017 till the end of that season where he hit nine home runs and 23 RBIs in 43 games. However, he could prove to either be a valuable pinch hitting option off the bench or even a designated hitter for the team in the future. Yes, his “versatility” helps, but his bat should be a big reason he should be playing consistently. Yes, he is currently in Triple-A at Charlotte getting that playing time, but if they want him to develop with all the upside he has, playing time in the majors is a must.
Charlie Tilson is another interesting case. He was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in the Zach Duke trade in 2016, which should have signaled the first step to the White Sox rebuild. Tilson was in the Cardinals’ Top 30 prospects and was even promoted pretty quickly to the majors before injuring himself in the very first game he played for the Sox. That being said, Tilson has all the makings to be a leadoff type of player as he is speedy and excellent defensively. He is also versatile as he can play all three outfield positions. Giving Tilson more playing time would help his value a lot more as he could be a valuable fourth/fifth outfielder on the Sox in the future and a crucial pinch runner off the bench. He could even be a trade chip if need be.
And finally, Ryan Cordell. Yes, Cordell has been getting a lot of playing time, but it can’t be iterated enough that Cordell needs to have a lot of playing time as he is a top prospect. While he has tailed off since his hot start, his upside is the reason why he should be playing consistently. He has a solid bat, speed, and defensively is strong and versatile. He has all the makings of being a fourth/fifth outfielder, even more so than Tilson. He's very athletic and has all the tools to make him a solid MLB player. He also has the ability to be a starter and he provides depth. And yes, even as a possible trade chip, but the Sox might be wise to hang on to him when they start to contend.
It really could pay off for the club if they help develop these players as the team could have them as valuable bench players and depth and possible trade chips to build up the farm system or for a midsummer trade when contending. However, with the upside these players provide, it would be wise for the White Sox to play these four regularly.
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