Brent Morel

Morel was the White Sox's starting third baseman in 2011, but he wasn't even a September callup in 2013. He lost a roster spot battle to Conor Gillaspie in spring training, and Morel's only taste of the major leagues this past season came in July when the Sox needed infield depth. He has not been the same player since back issues arose toward the beginning of the 2012 season, and his plate discipline tumbled in 2013 with a career-high 111 strikeouts. The Blue Jays claimed Morel off of waivers in December, and he'll look to compete for a backup job behind Brett Lawrie in spring training.

Morel entered 2012 as the White Sox's starting third baseman. He finished the season with a big question mark next to his standing in the organization. Back issues limited Morel to 35 games at the major league level, and he failed to hit .200 in the minors after the club acquired Kevin Youkilis to man the hot corner. Lingering back issues may have played into his minor league struggles, but he has yet to prove he can make contact consistently since his first big league stint in 2010. If healthy, he could contend for the White Sox's third base job in spring training, but Jeff Keppinger figures to lock down the at-bats against lefties and possibly handle the job against right-handers as well if he proves to be the better defensive option.

Do you believe in Morel's September? He was awful through the season's first five months, walking just seven times to go with two home runs through 328 at-bats. He even briefly ceded starting duties to Mark Teahen. He then went on to hit eight home runs and post a .340 OBP in the season's final 27 games, wrapping the season with a .245/.287/.366 line. If that late-season surge truly was a representation of getting accustomed to major league pitching, he could be in store for a breakout 2012 campaign. Third base is unequivocally his for the upcoming year, as is a batting spot in the bottom-third of the order.

Morel went from an unknown in the White Sox's farm system to the team's likely everyday third baseman in the span of two seasons. He hopped up the organization's third base depth chart with a strong showing in the 2009 AFL , and he hit .322/.359/.480 between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte during the 2010 season. That performance earned him 65 MLB at-bats in September, and that audition gave him the inside edge for the White Sox's everyday third base gig in 2011. He only hit .231 in those late-season at-bats, but the small sample size must be considered. Morel only hit 13 home runs over his three professional levels, but some of his 37 doubles could turn into home runs in the future. Even if they don't, his glove should be good enough to keep him at third on a regular basis.

Morel scaled the White Sox's organizational depth chart to become their top third-base prospect after hitting 16 home runs and nabbing 25 bags for High-A Winston-Salem in 2009. He caught even more attention after hitting .435/.456/.565 for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League. He's got a nice combination of power and speed for a third baseman, and he doesn't strike out much (66 times in 481 at-bats). He should spend most of the 2010 season continuing to work his way up through the minors, but there is an outside chance he will be a late-season callup.