They have also done a good job of trading for talent (Konerko, Jon Garland) to go with what they develop themselves. They got lucky, too, when Chris Singleton came out of nowhere to have a fine season. It was out of career context, but even if he fails in 2000, the Sox have other outfielders available to back him up.

The next step is pitching, and Chicago has a ton of it in the farm system. The Sox have invested heavily in pitching during the last few draft cycles, and may have the best collection of power arms in the minor leagues today. The 1999 draft class looks particularly promising.

One downside of the concentration on pitching is a lack of position player depth in the lower minors. Hitting is easier to find than pitching if you know where to look, so in the long run that shouldn't be a problem.

The Sox had two picks in the first round, and two supplemental first-rounders after that. They chose Jason Stumm, a hard-throwing high school pitcher from Centralia, Washington, with the first pick. He ended up in the Midwest League, a huge jump for a prep pitcher, and is expected to move quickly.

Matt Ginter, from Mississippi State, was chosen next. He throws in the low-to-mid 90s, has a good slider, and should also zip through the system.

Supplemental picks were used on Brian West, from high school in Louisiana, and Rob Purvis, from Bradley. West and Purvis are both hard-throwing right-handers who need polish, but have excellent upsides.

Danny Wright, from the University of Arkansas, was selected in the second round. He had a first-round arm, but control problems in college dropped his stock. Third-rounder Jon Rauch, from Morehead State; fifth-rounder Josh Stewart, from Memphis; and 10th-round pick Matt Guerrier, from Kent University, are college pitchers who could also move quickly.

A disappointment was second-round pick Bobby Hill, a shortstop from the University of Miami who held out. The Sox still hold his rights, and if he signs he could be the next shortstop to get a chance in Comiskey.