Keep an eye on these Chicago White Sox prospects this season

For the third straight year, Chicago White Sox fans that have been paying attention are going to know how to navigate the season.

Keep one eye on the major-league club - particularly on young players such as Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito.

They are potential keys pieces for the future, and the Sox have been all about looking forward since launching a rebuild in December 2016.

Keep the other eye on the minor leagues, where there still are plenty of prospects making their way toward Chicago.

According to Baseball America, the White Sox's system has slipped to No. 6 in baseball.

"For a team in rebuild mode, Chicago's depth is ordinary," Baseball America wrote. "But the White Sox are rich in high-ceiling prospects."

As the first four games of the major-league season indicate, the Sox (1-3) still need plenty of help.

The minor-league season gets started this week, and here are some prospects to keep an eye on:

Class AAA Charlotte

Dylan Cease is the Sox's top pitching prospect, and he opens the year with Charlotte after combining to go 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 124 innings for high Class A Winston-Salem and AA Birmingham last season.

If he puts up similar numbers at Triple-A, Cease should be in the White Sox's starting rotation at some point in August.

"For us with Dylan's move forward, we're watching him from a distance, allowing him to do what he does," Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Catcher Zack Collins, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is joining Cease at Charlotte after spending the entire '18 season at Birmingham.

Collins batted just .234 with the Barons last year, but he led the Southern League with 101 walks and ranked second with a .382 on-base percentage. The left-hander also had 15 home runs and 68 RBI in 122 games.

Defense has been the biggest concern with Collins, but he has shown steady improvement and should be on the White Sox's roster at some point after the all-star break.

"I think I've gotten a lot better in the couple of years I've been here, offensively and defensively," Collins said. "Obviously, I've been working on defense a lot because that's been the weaker side of my game. But on both sides, I think I'm doing good and I'm a different player now."

The Sox already are showing they need help in the bullpen, and Zack Burdi is an obvious option.

Drafted No. 26 overall in 2016, the Downers Grove native is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and opening the season with the Knights.

Class AA Birmingham

This is the farm team to watch.

In 2018, Omar Vizquel guided Winston-Salem to an 84-54 record while being voted Carolina League manager of the year. Vizquel was bumped up to Birmingham, and he's going to have many of the same players.

"I've never seen such young talent in the minor leagues in some time," Vizquel said. "When I played in the minor leagues, you saw three or four prospects per team but almost the whole lineup was pretty good."

Blake Rutherford, Micker Adolfo, Luis Gonzalez and Luis Alexander Basabe are all outfield options, with the latter still recovering from a broken hand.

Keep and eye on starting pitcher Jimmy Lambert and reliever Tyler Johnson.

Class A Winston-Salem

Center fielder Luis Robert and second baseman Nick Madrigal are going to open the season at high A, but look for them both to advance to Birmingham soon.

As a matter of fact, Robert and Madrigal might make it all the way to the White Sox by September.

The 21-year-old Robert is a remarkable athlete, but injuries limited him to 50 minor-league games last season.

"It's amazing the raw tools that he has, even though that he hasn't played this game for too long," said Vizquel, who managed Robert for 32 games at Winston-Salem last year.

Class A Kannapolis

There are two 2018 draft picks to track at low A this season.

Outfielder Steele Walker was a second-rounder out of Oklahoma, and an oblique injury slowed his professional debut.

Starter Konnor Pilkington, a third-rounder out of Mississippi State, gives the system some needed pitching depth.