Dylan Axelrod

Axelrod stuck in the White Sox's rotation for the first half of the 2013 season while the team's other starters either struggled or were slowed by injury. He surrendered 18 home runs, allowed a .303 opposing batting average and barely struck out five batters per nine over those 18 starts, and he understandably spent much of the remainder of the season as a long man in the bullpen. His repertoire primarily consists of a high-80s fastball and a hittable slider, which will likely limit him to a role as a relief arm and occasional starter somewhere in 2014.

Axelrod spent much of 2012 bouncing between Triple-A Charlotte and the majors, and between the White Sox's rotation and the bullpen. He showed some promise at Triple-A, striking out nearly three times as many batters as he walked, but that rate narrowed to under two in his 51 innings in Chicago. He should be staring down a long-relief/swing role in 2013, with a long shot possibility to compete for the No. 5 starter role depending on the team's other moves during the offseason.

Axelrod went from being a 24-year-old at High-A in 2010 to starting three games for the White Sox in September of 2011. He walked very few between Double-A and Triple-A (2.09 BB/9IP), and he allowed home runs to even fewer (three total). He rarely touches 90 mph on the radar gun, but his extreme groundball tendencies could keep the home-run totals low, even with his home games at U.S. Cellular Field. He might need another go-around at Triple-A Charlotte to prove 2011 was not a fluke, but he could be in the back of the White Sox's rotation before long.