White Sox fans are well aware of the lengthy list of pitching prospects battling for the five spots in the team’s rotation of the future.
Michael Kopech is one of the top 10 prospects in baseball. Alec Hansen, Dane Dunning and Dylan Cease are also top-100 guys. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are already pitching at the major league level. And Carlos Rodon is nearing his return to the big league mound.
A name that fans might want to add to their rebuild radars: Blake Battenfield.
Yes, despite terrific May performances from Dunning, Cease and other more advanced prospects like Jordan Stephens, it was Battenfield, a 17th-round pick in last year’s draft, who earned the organization’s minor league pitcher of the month honors.