Why Samuel Zavala Is The Most Valuable Piece Of The White Sox Dylan Cease Trade
When the White Sox traded Dylan Cease the initial reaction to many fans how many top prospects did the White Sox get? The answer was just one, who came in the form of right-hander Drew Thorpe. MLB Pipeline has Thorpe as the 85th-ranked prospect in baseball. While Thorpe drew most of the attention in the Cease trade, 19-year-old Samuel Zavala may be the most valuable piece the White Sox got in return.
Upon arriving at the White Sox organization, Zavala immediately became the White Sox top outfield prospect and No. 6 overall in the organization. Trading for young prospects is risky but can net incredible results. The White Sox learned this the hard way when they traded away a young Fernado Tatis Jr. in a deal to acquire James Shields.
Last season Zavala was one of just seven 18-year-olds since 2016 with a wRC+ of 140 or higher in at least 200-bats in A-ball. The other six include Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Chourio, Jukio Rodriguez, Samuel Basallo, and Wander Franco. From a talent standpoint, that’s pretty good company to be in.
18 year olds who had ≥140 wRC+ in A, min. 200 PAs, since 2016:
— Dylan (@NotCease) March 14, 2024
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Jackson Chourio
Julio Rodriguez
Samuel Basallo
Wander Franco
SAMUEL ZAVALA
The kid is a stud.
While Zavala may not be considered a top 100 prospect yet (which is not the end all be all when evaluating a player), he is on a fast track to be one in the near future. It took the Padres $1.2 million to sign him out of Venezuela in 2021. There is a reason for their big investment.
Zavala was playing in Single-A by the time he was 17 years old. After slashing .345/.412/.621 in the first ten games in Rookie Ball in 2022, he quickly earned a promotion to the Padres Single-A affiliate in Lake Elsinore. In 33 games the teenager hit a respectable .254 with an .863 OPS to close out the season.
The key to the Dylan Cease trade might be Samuel Zavala. In this 6 minute video, there’s big home run power to all fields, clutch hitting, an inside the park home run, scoring from second on a wild pitch, etc.
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) March 17, 2024
He turned 19 in July. https://t.co/qP92ed2rjX pic.twitter.com/NXxBibWc7z
Zavala spent his age 18 season belting 14 home runs and stealing 21 bases in 115 games between two Class A levels. What was most impressive about Zavala’s 2023 season was his plate discipline. The youngster drew a total of 94 free passes between the two levels which were good enough for a 27% walk rate and .420 on-base percentage. He also ranked third among Single-A hitters in walks.
A left-handed bat with power and the ability to draw walks is something the White Sox have been lacking in the last several seasons. They also have a hole in right field that they are hoping Dominic Fletcher can fill. If Fletcher does not pan out, Zavala projects to be a right fielder. He is currently a center fielder, but his arm strength suits him perfectly for a corner spot. His arm strength is graded as a 55 on a 20-80 scouting scale. That is tied with his hitting as his highest-graded tool according to MLB.com.
Zavala will start the season with the Winston-Salem Dash and be a player to monitor throughout the season.