Top White Sox prospects to start baseball season with Charlotte Knights

The Chicago White Sox announced Tuesday that prospects Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Carson Fulmer were optioned to the Charlotte Knights, the club’s Class AAA affiliate.

Moncada, MLBPipeline.com's No. 2-ranked prospect in all of baseball, headlines the group. The White Sox acquired Moncada, an infielder, in a five-player trade that sent ace Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox in December.

Baseball America named Moncada its Minor League Player of the Year after he batted .294 with 15 homers, 62 RBIs, 45 stolen bases and a .918 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in 106 games across two levels last season. He played eight games for the Red Sox, going 4-for-19 at the plate.

Chicago also received right-handed pitchers Giolito and Lopez in December, when the White Sox dealt outfielder Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals. MLBPipeline.com ranks Giolito and Lopez the No. 11 and No. 46 prospects in all of baseball, respectively.

Fulmer, a right-handed pitcher, was Chicago’s first-round pick from Vanderbilt in the 2015 MLB Draft. He started four games for the Knights last season, posting a 2-1 record and 3.94 ERA in 16 innings.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Top White Sox prospects to start baseball season with Charlotte Knights."