(Note from Grey: Please welcome Scott to the Razzball family. He’s going to be taking over as our prospects writer.  He charted prospects in the Midwest League in 2008, has a sound understanding of player development and said my mustache was robust.  Flattery will get you everywhere!)

Chicago White Sox 2011 Minor League Review

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America:

2011 (27) | 2010 (23) | 2009 (16) | 2008 (30) | 2007 (25) | 2006 (14) | 2005 (12) | 2004 (20)

2011 Affiliate Records

MLB: [79-83] AL Central

AAA: [69-74] International League – Charlotte

AA: [71-69] Southern League – Birmingham

A+: [69-71] Carolina League – Winston-Salem

A: [76-62] South Atlantic League – Kannapolis

R: [24-44] Appalachian League – Bristol

R: [42-34] Pioneer League – Great Falls

The Run Down

In terms realistic fantasy value for 2012, the White Sox farm system has very little.  The system that Baseball America ranked 27th prior to the 2011 season graduated most of its big league-ready talent (Chris Sale, Brent Morel, Dyan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers), leaving it severely depleted and perhaps the worst in baseball.  Starting pitching depth is a major organizational concern, and I suspect Kenny Williams will look to bolster that area during the offseason.  An abundance of promising relief arms in the Minor Leagues and an already deep Major League bullpen should allow for some trading leverage, but not much.  And while the Sox surely have a few exciting athletes in the offensive pipeline (see Thompson & Mitchell), no one appears ready to make an impact with the bat.  Beyond Addison Reed and Dylan Axelrod, I don’t really believe that any of these highlighted prospects will have much fantasy value in 2012.  Maybe Kenny Williams Jr.