Down On The Farm: Who's Hot In Birmingham

After promoting most of their prospects to AA for "Project Birmingham", the White Sox thought it would be good for the player's development. For some, it has worked out well and they are playing at a high level, for others, it hasn't made much of an impact. Here we look to see who has been playing well this season at AA Birmingham.

Jose Rodriguez

The most notable name on this list, as he was recently called up to the White Sox. Unfortunately, the White Sox completely botched his promotion, as he never got a single at-bat. Maybe they thought he wasn't ready, but then you shouldn't call him up and waste a hot streak at the plate for his development. It was malpractice to call up a top prospect and have him just sit on the bench.

But, in AA he is having a good year. He is .247 with 10 bombs and 29 RBIs. He has also added 10 stolen bases to the stat sheet, as speed is a big part of his game. If he can cut down the strikeouts, he could become a legitimate 20-30 threat on a yearly basis.

He has the potential to become the long-term second baseman for the White Sox and is trending in the right direction. If he can keep up a good pace the rest of the year, I would like to see him in a September call-up to let him get some major league at-bats to see what he's got. If he can show potential at this level, then you can let him battle for the job in the spring.

Terrell Tatum

While he has done most of his damage at A+ ball this season, he was recently promoted because of his good season thus far and has made an impact in just a few games in AA. His full-season stats are .271 with 4 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases.

So far in just two games at AA, he is 3 for 9 with a stolen base. Extremely small sample size, but it shows that he is not completely overwhelmed to start.

He has elite speed and can change the game through his speed. At his absolute floor, he is a Billy Hamilton type of player that comes in for defense and speed late in games. If he can continue to show his bat plays at each level, he can be 10 times more valuable.

He is just 23 years old and is on the fast track to be in AAA by the end of the year if he can continue to produce. Considering there is not much competition for the 4th outfielder spot, I would like to see him take the jump in the next year or two.

Overall, there is not much to write home about in AA. Colson Montgomery is still making his way back from injury and there have not been many high-class performances. This is not surprising, as the White Sox have one of the weakest farm systems in all of baseball. If we can get one or two players to be MLB contributors from here, that would be a success.