TUCSON, Ariz. -- President George W. Bush, the ill-fated Chevy Chase talk show and any movie starring Jessica Simpson or Dane Cook seem to be the only known bodies of work with a lower approval rating going back a few years than the current White Sox Minor League system.

As an example, MILB.com ranked the top 50 prospects in baseball during this past offseason. Left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez, the only White Sox entry on that list at No. 24, now is competing for mound time with the Oakland A's following a Jan. 3 trade.

Yes, the days of top homegrown products such as Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Jack McDowell, to name a few, coming up and making an immediate big league impact appear as nothing more than a distant memory. But those closest to the White Sox organization's lower levels of baseball don't see quite the dire straits as many on the outside have found.

"There are a handful of teams out in front of everyone else, and the rest are trying to get to that point," said White Sox farm director Alan Regier of his supposedly depleted Minor League ranks. "When it comes down to it, what's the difference between the team ranked 12 and the team sitting at 29?

"Are we exceptional right now? No. But we want to be in the exceptional category, and there's no doubt we will be."

It's hard for White Sox supporters to travel Regier's path to exceptional status when looking at the system's current makeup. Among position players, middle infielder Chris Getz stands out as the only one primed for Major League assistance in 2008, and he appears to fill more of a utility role at this point. Young catchers behind A.J. Pierzynski and Toby Hall remain a work in progress.

This system also took a direct hit through the aforementioned January trade with Oakland. Top prospects such as right-handed pitcher Fautino De Los Santos and outfielder Ryan Sweeney joined Gonzalez in the move out West.

But as is the case in every somewhat controversial tale, a deeper look at the White Sox farm system has a very distinct caveat to the 'woe is them' depiction. For starters, Minor League evaluation is a very inexact science.

Just ask some of the can't-miss, first-round picks who never reached the Majors to compare notes with someone like Mark Buehrle, a 38th-round pick in 1998. In fact, Buehrle tells the story of how he thought scouts were looking for a highly-touted teammate when they first approached him while pitching for Jefferson Junior College in Missouri.

Oftentimes, it's the sleepers who end making the greatest impact. The White Sox system also runs a bit thin on prospects because general manager Ken Williams has traded away a number of youngsters since taking over the team's reins after the 2000 season.

Williams has a strong belief as to how the Minor Leagues can help a team directly, by calling players up to compete, or help through a slightly less direct route via trades to bring back veterans. Prior to this past offseason, Arizona's Chris Young stands out as the only Minor Leaguer shipped away who has made a difference at the Major League level, and Williams knew that success was on its way when he included the center fielder as part of the Javier Vazquez deal.

Chris Carter, De Los Santos, Gonzalez and Sweeney could come back to haunt the White Sox for other teams. But it's hard to use the word 'haunt' when the White Sox received what they believe to be important pieces pushing the team toward contention in the present.

"One thing I can't get my arms around ... It's hard for me to understand the expectations to win at the big league level and compete for a championship but also wanting to keep every young player who comes along," Williams said. "We are in a lot better shape than others perceive us. Ultimately, it will bear itself out."

The Minor League system also might drop a notch or two in the overall team ratings because of the young talent already worked within the White Sox roster. Bobby Jenks, Danny Richar, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jerry Owens and Josh Fields mark more than a handful of players who figure to make significant contributions to the 2008 effort and beyond. Alexei Ramirez, signed to a four-year deal as a free agent, begins his Major League stint at the age of 26, while Nick Swisher and Carlos Quentin, acquired this past offseason in deals involving White Sox Minor Leaguers, are 27 and 25, respectively.

Don't forget about right-hander Lance Broadway, a first-round pick like Fields, or a potential sleeper such as fellow right-hander Jack Egbert -- a 13th-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. Last year's Draft class, featuring plus-arms ranging from top pick Aaron Poreda to John Ely, Nevin Griffith and Leroy Hunt, stands out as a good first step in replenishing the system.

People on the outside don't hold the White Sox Minor League system, as a whole, in high esteem. Those working their way toward playing for Ozzie Guillen, though, aren't bothered by the lack of respect. They see the talent that others apparently aren't recognizing.

"I know for a fact we really do have a very good system, and have very good players," said Ely, a 2007 third-round pick, who prepped at Homewood-Flossmoor High School some 40 minutes away from U.S. Cellular Field. "Whether they got rid of our top prospects or not, we are still very competitive and have a lot of guys moving up who are going to shock some people."

"A lot of good players are still around in our system, guys who played above and below me," Getz added. "So, I don't think too much about what people are saying."

"Take a couple of the Drafts like we had in 2007 and it really builds up the farm system," Regier concluded.