Minor Leagues Beat Writer
Chicago Sports Online
The top prospect in the Chicago minor league system took home the Pitcher of the Year award from the Beloit Blue Sox on Thursday. Beloit is the AA affiliate of the Chicago Black Sox.
Bernie Stuart
Stuart was drafted in the 10th round of the 2042 draft as a long-shot candidate for the Sox bullpen. Scouts, at the time, assessed his overall potential as 20/45 with so-so skill sets across the board.
Since then, however, Stuart has blossomed into the top prospect in the Black Sox system and now, according to scouts, projects as an ace starting pitcher who could anchor a rotation.
“Bernie has come a long, long way since we drafted him,” said Frank H. Pabodie, director of scouting for the Sox. “Our guys are torn between whether we should groom him as a closer, as a stopper, or as a starter. Right now, we’re leaning towards keeping him on a path towards starting.”
Stuart’s most recent scouting report grades his overall potential at 45/80 as a starting pitcher and 50/75 as a reliever. As a starter, his stuff rates as 9/10; his pitch movement as 7/7; and his control as 7/8. He has a three-pitch repertoire that consists of a 9/10 fastball that tickles the radar at 100 mph; an 8/10 curveball; and a 9/9 changeup that ties hitters up in knots.
“With dominant stuff and advanced feel and control, (Stuart) has the chance to be an ace,” his scouting report says.
Stuart has developed a reputation as a tireless worker who is always the first to volunteer for extra practice before games or on off-days.
That work ethic, he maintains, has paid off.
“Look, I know I wasn’t exactly a top prospect coming out of school, but I also knew if I kept working at it and asking the coaches for advice that it would eventually show itself in my results,” Stuart said. “And now, finally, it has.”
Although Stuart is champing at the bit to move up to the majors, Sox General Manager Benny Vitale said the team doesn’t intend to rush Stuart.
“Mr. Stuart is still a very young man and still has some developing to do,” she said. “We don’t need to rush him. We can afford to be patient, to let our coaches do their jobs, and then bring Mr. Stuart up when he is ready to handle BBA hitters.
“Our plan is to have him pitch this coming season for our AAA team in Carolina, and then shoot for his big-league debut in Chicago sometime in 2046. That should be most exciting – for our team, for Mr. Stuart, and for our fans.”