After the absence of a minor league season in 2020, 2021 saw minor league baseball return to action. With our 2022 preseason prospect rankings on the horizon, we are kicking off with position-by-position breakdowns of White Sox prospects. Here’s a look at a the top five right-handed relief pitchers in the White Sox minor league system.
1. CALEB FREEMAN — Ranked 24th overall. Last level: Birmingham (AA)
Caleb Freeman is one of only two relievers (left-handed or right-handed) who made our FutureSox Prospect Top 30 last season, and for good reason. Freeman struggled mightily with his control during his three seasons with Texas Tech, and posted a higher H/9 than K/9. Still, the White Sox liked the raw potential in his arm, and after drafting him in the 15th round of the 2019 Draft, Freeman made the Sox scouting department look really good out of the gates.
While unleashing the power of a thousand strikeouts (okay, 38 in 24.2 innings) onto two rookie leagues and the (then) Sally League in 2019, Freeman displayed some serious upside. After sitting out 2020 due to this whole pandemic thing, the now 23-year old Texan was assigned to Winston-Salem to start 2021. Freeman performed well, striking out 33 in 27.1 innings while walking 14 (3.62 ERA, 1.32 WHIP). He was a bit homerun prone, as mentioned by FutureSox’ Julie Brady, who noted in her Winston-Salem Season Review that “[Freeman] did allow five dongs, meaning he’ll fit in with the big league club just fine”.
A mid-to-high 90s fastball, slider and curveball give Freeman an ideal reliever arsenal, and after a succesful stint with the Dash, he was promoted to Birmingham to finish the season. The fireballer was even better for the Barons. He posted a 2.70 ERA in 14 games and struck out 22 batters in just 16.2 innings. He was once again able to limit the walks (5), but the 15 hits surrendered may indicate that Freeman lives in or too close to the zone a little to frequently. Still, he showed more than enough to rank him as the White Sox number 1 right-handed relief prospect.
2. LUKE SHILLING — Unranked. Last level: Winston-Salem (A+)
Speaking of (potential) nr. 1 right-handed relief prospects: meet Luke Shilling. If you’re wondering who that is, don’t feel bad. Shilling missed three years due to injury, being released, and the pandemic, and made his professional debut just this past season. It’s a rollercoaster story.
After being drafted by the White Sox in 2018, Shilling tore the lat muscle clean off the bone in his second bullpen session as a pro, nine days post-Draft. This ‘Jake Peavy Injury’ was just another one added to a thickening injury file for Shilling, who also dealt with a partial shoulder dislocation, a lat strain and a broken hand while pitching for the University of Illinois. He underwent surgery to repair the lat tear and started rehabbing. Then, the pandemic hit, and Shilling was among 26 White Sox prospects released in May of 2020.
He continued to work out and pitch, and in January of 2021, the White Sox re-signed him to Minor League deal. On May 4, 2021 Shilling made his debut for Winston-Salem, and he pitched 18.1 excellent innings for the Dash: 27 strikeouts, 8 walks, 1.31 WHIP. And let’s be clear about one thing: he looked absolutely nasty. But after 308 professional pitches, the injury bug reared its head again. Shilling underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2022 season in full. He will be 25 years old by the start of the 2023 season, so if you combine his age with the absolute filth he threw in his abbreviated season, don’t be surprised if he is fast-tracked.
3. MCKINLEY MOORE — Ranked 25th overall. Last level: Winston-Salem (A+)
Drafted one round ahead of Caleb Freeman, 6′ 6″ McKinley Moore is the second 2019 Draft pick in this top 5. The hard-throwing Houstonian, who pitched his college ball for Arkansas-Little Rock, made huge strides in 2021. In college, Moore raked in the strikeouts, but walked as many (if not more) batters in the process. After joining the White Sox organization, things have steadily improved for the right-hander. In 2019, he struck out 32 in 22.1 innings in Rookie League, walking 17.
The year off in 2020 must have given Moore time to work on things, because he showed up with improved control in 2021 after working on simplifying his delivery. He pitched 22.2 innings for Kannapolis and collected 35 strikeouts and 14 walks. A promotion to Winston-Salem led to even better results, as Moore notched 24 K’s in 18.0 innings, while only walking 7 batters. The 94-99 mph fastball works as an anchor for his other pitch, a slider, but there is still room for improvement in the control department and the expansion of the arsenal. Baseball American ranked Moore as the #24 prospect in the White Sox system in mid-season 2021, while MLB.com lists him at #25 — as did we.
There is plenty to like in Moore’s arm. He will not turn 24 until August 2022, but he will be Rule 5 eligible in December, so this upcoming season is going to be important to both the pitcher himself and the White Sox organization.
4. TAYLOR BROADWAY — Unranked. Last level: Winston-Salem (A+)
Back-to-back Houstonians in this top, as Taylor Broadway follows McKinley Moore in that department. The White Sox’ 6th round Draft pick in 2021, who played his college ball at Tyler Junior College and Ole Miss, is the second Broadway ever drafted by the White Sox — we all remember Lance, no relation. Taylor pitched well in college, and finished his senior season with a 3.44 ERA in 30 games (29 relief appearances, 16 saves — a program record), 66 strikeouts, 9 walks and 4 home runs surrendered in 49.2 innings.
The White Sox liked Broadway’s stuff enough to pick him up in the 6th round of the Draft, as the third Rebel off the board (following Gunnar Hoglund and Doug Nikhazy), and it’s easy to see why. With a mid-to-high 90s fastball, a sharp slider, and a slower curveball, Broadway has an arsenal fit for a closer. He’ll be 25 in April, so there is a solid chance he will move up the org rankings quickly. He saw three affiliates in 2021: Arizona, Kannapolis, and Winston-Salem. At every stop, he showed the same things he did at Ole Miss: high strikeout totals, low walk numbers. He K’d 15 in 12.2 innings and walked just 2. An agressive assignment in 2022 seems to make sense, and before you know it, Broadway could join fellow Ole Miss Rebel Lance Lynn in Chicago.
Also, Broadway is a frequent recurring character for the White Sox News Bot on twitter, for some reason.
5. WILL KINCANON / TYLER JOHNSON
FutureSox Top 30 ranking: unranked
Last level: Double-A Birmingham Barons / Triple-A Charlotte Knights
Take your pick. Both Will Kincanon and Tyler Johnson are names most White Sox fans are familiar with. Both were also hurt for most of the season in 2021. Perhaps it shows how shallow the pool of good right-handed relievers in the system is, that we have to list two pitched 4.0 (Kincanon) and 16.0 (Johnson) innings in 2021. Kincannon was good for all four innings, Johnson struggled tremendously in Charlotte (12.41 ERA in 12.1 innings) and was even briefly released after undergoing knee surgery. Both pitchers will be looking to go into 2022 healthy. Since both will turn 27 in the second half of next season, the duo is reaching make-or-break time.
Photo credit: Michael Guariglia / FutureSox
Want to know right away when we publish a new article? Type your email address in the box on the right-side bar (or at the bottom on a mobile device) and click create subscription. Our list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time. Also, consider supporting FutureSox on Patreon! You can get early access to special articles and Patreon-only posts, in addition to more benefits.
Shop our exclusive merchandise! Show your support with FutureSox apparel.