Sure, he’s a long shot, but De Guzman is already playing with found money
Cristopher De Guzman
Shortstop
5´11´´
185 pounds
Age: 24
2023 High Level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level +0.8 years
SSS rank among all shortstops in the system 5
Overall 2023 MiLB stats 21 games ⚾️ 0 HR ⚾️ 3 RBI ⚾️ .178/.302/.244 ⚾️ 5-of-5 (100%) SB ⚾️ 7 BB ⚾️ 19 K
Cristopher De Guzman is primarily a shortstop, but he got a sizable amount of playing experience at second base and third base in 2023, his first year of professional baseball. De Guzman joined the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers this season after lighting up the Pioneer League with old friend-affiliate the Great Falls Voyagers, making his MiLB debut on June 15. In 18 games with Kannapolis, De Guzman slashed .175/.283/.225 (56 wRC+, 0 HR, 3 RBI), stealing five bases in five attempts. In September, De Guzman got a promotion to Winston-Salem, but he only appeared in three games, slashing .200/.429/.400 in that tiny sample.
De Guzman’s defensive flexibility is something that the White Sox have lacked in recent years, and they would benefit more than most teams from a player who is capable of playing as many positions as De Guzman. However, the native of Puerto Rico just turned 24, and he is quite far from being ready to compete at the major league level. Across the two levels of MiLB, De Guzman struck out in 35.2% of his plate appearances, so his hit tool is a major issue. Some good news is that De Guzman had a 13.0% walk rate, but when the power and hit tools are lagging that much at the Low-A level, it is difficult to see much MLB potential.
De Guzman’s Baseball Cube player ratings
Durability 73
Contact 69
Speed 65
Runs 63
Hitting 60
RBIs 50
Power 32
XBH 32
Team Winning Percentage .574
De Guzman’s back will be up against the wall quickly in 2024, as he’ll have to prove an ability to cruise through A-ball in order to stick in the organization; if his numbers are thin approaching draft time, he’ll be released in order to free up space for that summer’s draftees and UDFAs.
2024 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
94. Cristopher De Guzman, SS
95. Tyler Neslony, LF
96. Drew Dalquist, RHSP
97. Jason Matthews, SS
98. Jonathan Stiever, RHSP
99. Tommy Sommer, LHSP
100. Daniel González, LHRP