Cease is next arm up for White Sox
On paper, the statistics say Dylan Cease is going to slide into the White Sox's starting rotation at some point next season and make an instant impact.
Acquired from the rival Cubs along with top outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez in the Jose Quintana trade on July 17, 2017, Cease stayed healthy this year and blossomed into one of the top pitchers in minor-league baseball.
Splitting the season between high Class A Winston-Salem and AA Birmingham, the 22-year-old righty was a combined 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA, .189 batting average against, 1.06 WHIP and 160 strikeouts in 124 innings.
Not only was Cease voted MLB Pipeline's pitcher of the year, he was on Baseball America's minor-league all-star's first team.
Pretty impressive stuff, on paper.
What was Cease actually like in person?
We asked relief pitcher Jose Ruiz, who was Cease's teammate at Winston-Salem and Birmingham before joining the White Sox's bullpen on Sept. 4.
"He's a very good person," Ruiz said through a translator. "A great teammate and an outstanding pitcher. He pitched very good for the whole year and he deserves all of the honors he's getting. If he keeps doing what he did this year, you're going to be able to see him in the majors next year at some point.
"He's a very aggressive pitcher with great control and command of his pitches. His fastball is above average and he's a very good pitcher."
Cease has had some injury issues - Tommy John surgery during his senior year at Milton (Ga.) High School and an ankle sprain and shoulder strain that limited him to 93⅓ innings last season.
More than satisfied with Cease's performance and workload (124 innings) this year, the Sox shut down the high-end prospect after his Aug. 22 start for Birmingham.
"Fantastic season for Dylan," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. "Not only did Dylan take the ball every fifth day and answer the bell every time when we wanted him to start, he dominated and seemingly got a little bit stronger as the season went on. We did get to the point where we felt he had accomplished everything we wanted him to accomplish this year so we decided to shut him down for those last couple.
"He should enter next spring training feeling very good about what he accomplished and in a very good position to help us in the future."
The Sox are going to need all the help they can get after Michael Kopech was diagnosed with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. The promising starter is facing Tommy John surgery and he's expected to miss the 2019 season.
If Cease picks up where he left off next year, he'll provide a needed boost for the Sox.
"It's obviously a disappointment," Hahn said of Kopech's injury. "But it's one that we tried to prepare ourselves for along the way. You've heard us speak repeatedly throughout this process about the importance of depth, the importance of quality options and the importance of us never feeling like we had enough.
"We do have other quality arms coming up through the system behind Michael that will contribute in the coming years, and we also feel that Michael has a bright future in a White Sox uniform for a very long time. Unfortunately for all of us, we're going to have to wait a little bit longer before we start seeing him on a regular basis on that mound."
Rising arms
Baseball America has released its 2018 minor-league all-star team. Here is the starting rotation:
<b>Dylan Cease, WHITE SOX</b><span class="fact box text bold">Teams:</span> Class A Winston-Salem, AA Birmingham
Stats: 12-2, 2.40 ERA, 160 strikeouts in 124 innings
<b>Touki Toussaint, Braves</b>Teams: AA Mississippi, AAA Gwinnett
Stats: 9-6, 2.38, 163 strikeouts in 136⅓ innings
<b>Justus Sheffield, Yankees</b>Teams: AA Trenton, AAA Scranton/WB
Stats: 7-6, 2.48, 123 strikeouts in 116 innings
<b>Ian Anderson, Braves</b>Teams: A Florida, AA Mississippi
Stats: 4-7, 2.49, 142 strikeouts in 119⅓ innings
<b>Jesus Luzardo, Athletics</b>Teams: A Stockton, AA Midland, AAA Nashville
Stats: 10-5, 2.88, 129 strikeouts in 109⅓ innings