The rebuilding Chicago White Sox had to be pleased with how the All-Star break started out for the franchise.
While prized prospect, Yoah Moncada finished 0-for-2 for the World team, it had to be encouraging watching the Cuban product finish his second Futures Game appearance with a strike out to fellow prospect, Michael Kopech, who hit 101 MPH on a hot Marlins Park radar gun in a scoreless inning of relief for the American squad.
Both Kopech and Moncada were key pieces in the offseason trade that sent American League All Star game starter, Chris Sale to Boston.
And so goes the theme to the White Sox 2017 season. Reloading the farm system was the theme of the 2016 offseason and now in 2017, the rebuild is on.
The parent club is struggling, last place in the AL Central (38-49) and will send Avisail Garcia to Miami for this week's All Star festivities.
Garcia is having a break out campaign after injuries had shortened his 2014 and '16 seasons, sandwhiched by an underwhelming 2015 campaign. Hitting .310 with an .850 OPS, Garcia is already within two home runs of his career high 13, set in 2015.
His team high 2.6 WAR (wins above replacement) are followed by Cuban slugger Jose Abreu, who's .871 OPS would be the best of his career since he was rookie of the year in 2014.
3B/DH Matt Davidson leads the Pale Hoes with 18 home runs with slugger Todd Frazier having been underwhelming to this point, with a .213 average and .779 OPS while hitting 16 home runs.
On the farm, the White Sox will be watching more than their two future stars that participated in Sunday's Futures game in Miami. Moncada and Kopech highlight a terrific system, recently signed Cuban star Luis Robert is maybe the farthest from the big leagues of any of their top prospects.
Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez rank as the organization's 4th and 5th best prospects according to mlb.com. Both came over in an offseason trade with Washington centered around Adam Eaton.
Carson Fulmer has a cup of coffee in the big leagues. Fulmer, at worst, profiles for a hard throwing bullpen arm, however, Chicago remains committed to making all three as starters, as none have relief appearances in Triple-A Charlotte this year, each making 17 starts.
Last year's tenth overall selection from Miami, Zack Collins, is the top ranked catching prospect in the system and is tabbed as the team's future catcher.
Collins, now at High-A, has 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 38 RBI to go with a .781 OPS and an estimated debut expected next season.
All seven prospects show up in MLB.com's top 100 prospects list.
