South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 38: Chase Krogman

If this cannon-armed outfielder can match solid contact with his already-astute batting eye, watch out.

Chase Krogman

Left Fielder
5´11´´
180 pounds
Age: 21
2020 SSHP Top Prospect Ranking: 52
2021 SSS Top Prospect Ranking: 41
SSS rank among all left fielders in the system: 2

Chase Krogman, from the St. Louis area, played ball for Wentzville Liberty H.S. (Mo.). He certainly may have drawn the interest of White Sox area scouts, as he played for the Chi-Town Cream in 2019. According to Baseball Factory, “At the dish, he has a repeatable swing path and stays compact with the barrel. He sprays the ball to all fields and created fast bat speed with his smooth rhythm/timing.”

Krogman has a good arm, but because he doesn’t have blazing speed (he ran the 60-yard-dash in 7.02 per Perfect Game), he may be relegated to corner outfield as a pro. He has performed on the mound in front of scouts and posted an 83 mph fastball, along with a 72-74 mph curveball and changeup according to Prep Baseball Report.

However, it’s with the bat that Krogman’s future lies. When this Missouri State commit was selected in the 34th round by the White Sox in 2019, it wasn’t clear whether or not he’d sign. However, with a $190,000 signing bonus, the White Sox were able to reel him in.

Krogman struggled in what little playing time he had with the AZL Sox in 2019, with four singles, a walk, and six strikeouts in 21 official at-bats in a season that was limited in large part due to a hamstring injury. While he didn’t get into any official action in 2020 due to the pandemic, he did participate in last year’s CarShield Collegiate League; if that sounds familiar, he played on the same team as fellow Sox farmhand Jake Burger. Krogman also turned many a scout’s head during the Fall Instructs with his sweet lefty swing, power, and cannon of a throwing arm.

At the beginning of 2021, Krogman was ranked among the Top 30 White Sox prospects. However, due to his struggles at the dish, he dropped off the list much like another, similarly-regarded left fielder, Benyamín Bailey. In 77 games with the Cannon Ballers, Krogman slashed .200/.350/.348 with seven doubles, 10 homers, four stolen bases, 49 walks (15.8%) and 130 strikeouts (41.8%). It’s easy to get discouraged by the strikeouts, but it was encouraging to see Krogman walk at such a high rate. Krogman’s ability to see so many pitches will only aid his recognition skills going forward. His swing does have an unusually high leg kick, and it remains to be seen if he needs to shorten it against pitchers with higher velocity.

Despite his high strikeout total in 2021, Krogman did post a 100 wRC+, which wasn’t bad for his first full professional season against competition typically 1.2 years older. He’s likely to return to Kannapolis to begin the 2022 season, but should receive an early promotion to Winston-Salem provided he gets off to a strong start.

---

2022 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects

38. Chase Krogman, LF
39. Cristian Mena, RHSP
40. Benyamín Bailey, LF
41. Tyler Johnson, RHRP
42. Andrew Perez, LHRP
43. Tyler Neslony, LF
44. Theo Denlinger, RHRP
45. Hunter Schryver, LHRP
46. Jefferson Mendoza, C
47. Harvin Mendoza, 1B
48. Gil Luna Jr. LHRP
49. John Parke, LHSP
50. Victor Quezada, 3B
51. Haylen Green, LHRP
52. Sammy Peralta, LHRP
53. Yoelvin Silven, RHRP
54. Taylor Broadway, RHRP
55. Noah Owen, RHRP
56. Luis Curbelo, 3B
57. Bryce Bush, RF
58. James Beard, CF
59. Xavier Fernández, C
60. Wilber Sánchez, SS
61. Kohl Simas, RHRP
62. Johan Dominguez, RHSP
63. Jagger Rusconi, 2B
64. Ronaldo Guzman, LHSP
65. Laz Rivera, 3B
66. Adam Hackenberg, C
67. Will Kincanon, RHRP
68. Lane Ramsey, RHRP
69. Tommy Sommer, LHSP
70. Randel Mondesi, RF
71. Shawn Goosenberg, 2B
72. Zack Muckenhirn, LHRP
73. Cameron Butler, CF
74. Godwin Bennett, RF
75. Logan Glass, CF
76. Dario Borrero, 1B
77. Craig Dedelow, RF
78. Carlos Hinestroza, RHRP
79. Gunnar Troutwine, C
80. Kade Mechals, RHSP
81: Caberea Weaver, CF
82. Layant Tapia, SS
83. Homer Cruz, RHRP
84. Kaleb Roper, RHSP
85. Jerry Burke, RHSP
86. Emerson Talavera, RHRP
87. Isaiah Carranza, RHSP
88. Davis Martin, RHSP
89. Tyler Osik, 1B
90. Samil Polanco, 3B
91. Manuel Veloz, RHRP
92. Pauly Milto, RHRP
93. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
94. Colby Smelley, C
95. Manuel Guariman, C
96. Everhett Hazelwood, RHRP
97. Garrett Schoenle, LHRP
98. Kyle Kubat, LHRP
99. Anderson Comas, RF
100. Jake Elliott, RHRP