Jordan Danks

Danks received his largest cup of MLB coffee in 2013, receiving more than 100 plate appearances than he did in 2012. Much of that playing time came in August and September after the Alex Rios trade thinned the White Sox's outfield, and he had a .352 OBP over his 113 at-bats as the team's fourth outfielder. Danks never showed much contact ability in his six minor league seasons, but his glove and underrated speed should be enough to put him in the running for a reserve outfield spot on the 2014 squad.

Danks made his MLB debut in 2012, serving in a reserve capacity over the last four months of the season. He showed plus skills on the basepaths during his minor league career, but he was only given the green light four times in 45 stolen-base opportunities. It would take a few injuries to players ahead of him on the depth chart for him to carve out a more substantial role in 2013, and he will likely compete with Blake Tekotte for one of the final bench spots with the White Sox during spring training.

Danks was supposed to be in the majors by now, but it appears as if his stock is dropping quickly. He hit a career-high 14 home runs in 463 at-bats for Triple-A Charlotte in 2011, but he also crossed the 150-strikeout threshold for the second consecutive season and still hasn't cracked the 40-man roster. He could be in the mix for the White Sox's fourth outfielder slot at some point during the regular season, but he'll need to improve his contact rate in order to become an everyday player at the big league level.

Pretty soon the younger Danks won’t just be known as John’s brother. He started the 2009 strong at High-A Winston-Salem (.322/.409/.525) before struggling at Double-A Birmingham (.243/.337/.356 in 73 games). He only had 32 extra-base hits in 402 at-bats between the two levels. However, his strong play in the Arizona Fall League had some in Chicago thinking he could start the season in the White Sox’s vacant right-field spot. Danks will probably have to settle for starting the year at Triple-A Charlotte, but he should finish the season with the big league franchise.

Danks is a 2008 seventh-round draft pick who was a toolsy prospect who was largely a disappointment at the University of Texas. He signed late so it's hard to judge his initial success.