White Sox
Credit: Birmingham Barons

White Sox Affiliate Visit: Knights Notes

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The White Sox are not very good. But believe it or not, there is a lot to be excited about at the highest and lowest levels of the Minor League farm system.

After spending a week watching games and talking with players in Triple-A Charlotte and Single-A Kannapolis, I wanted to find a way to share thoughts on all of these prospects. This notebook will detail all the prospects I caught up with in Charlotte while the next one will focus on Kannapolis.

I have been posting interview clips with top prospects throughout the week on twitter and they’ll be attached below under each player as well. You can listen to our FutureSox RoundUp episode with Jeff Cohen and myself focused on Charlotte too.

Colson Montgomery’s Struggles

The top prospect in the system until this summer has struggled this season upon an aggressive promotion to Triple-A to begin the year after an injury-hampered 2023 season. However, he has still shown flashes of the star upside we saw from him the past two years. The 22-year-old has posted a 12% walk rate and hit 13 homers with 16 doubles on the year.

Montgomery remains even keeled and focused on growth despite the challenges he has faced. Read my full article about Montgomery’s season and mindset.

Future White Sox Backstop Edgar Quero

One of the best catching prospects in baseball has taken more steps forward of late, especially since arriving in Charlotte. Quero has unlocked his offensive upside on another level due to some setup and swing adjustments made this season featuring a more narrow stance that has allowed him to tap into more power and make more consistent hard contact.

While he’s currently dealing with some back soreness that kept him out of the lineup for most of my time in Charlotte, Quero has been exceptional over the past few months. His approach and ability to work deep counts is beyond his years and his 16 home runs have displayed his power upside from both sides of the plate.

One note from Charlotte is just how much young pitchers like working with Quero. He appears to be very good at game planning and working with young pitchers which bodes well for him to be the starting pitcher in Chicago next year. Another thing I picked up on in the one game he caught in addition to others I have watched previously is the 21-year-old’s knowledge of the zone when it comes to challenging pitches via the ABS system.

White Sox
Credit: Birmingham Barons

As baseball trends in the direction of the ABS system, catcher success rate with challenges will become a factor that matters in the big leagues. Quero is a solid framer, but should be someone who can win his fair share of challenges. Despite the back soreness, he remains focused on improving and should be the Opening Day catcher to start the 2025 season in Chicago.

Bryan Ramos Trending Positively Toward White Sox

Over the past month and change, Bryan Ramos has found his groove in Triple-A and looks much more like the player we have seen over the past two years. He struggled coming off an injury suffered in his brief stint in Chicago but is fully back in rhythm now.

Ramos explained that baseball is such a routine for him and it took time to get comfortable again after the injury. He also believes he’s doing a better job with his approach and picking pitches to do damage with lately. This can be clearly seen by his strikeout rate under 20% in the past month or so and a walk rate over 10% as well. Approach growth is the biggest step for Ramos and if he continues this direction, he’s on a trajectory to get regular major league plate appearances throughout 2025.

Tim Elko Enjoying the Queen City; Eager for Opportunity with White Sox

A player that I had a hard time believing in the success last season is off to a real hot start in Triple-A. Elko feels comfortable at the level and his offensive output has been continually strong since he arrived in Charlotte. Despite being a hitter who has had too high of a whiff rate to this point in his MiLB career, Elko has continued to hit at every stop and has an OPS just under .900 in three weeks.

The 25-year-old detailed how he’s getting used to the big league ball that is being utilized in Triple-A as opposed to at the lower levels. The ball comes off the bat a bit hotter and Elko has had plenty of smoked line drills in his few weeks there. Unfortunately, it may be tough to get playing time in Chicago with Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets in town but the former 10th rounder deserves a shot soon.

He may have some difficulty hitting consistently enough at the big league level, but the White Sox need to at least give him a shot in September or early in 2025. In his brief stint with the Knights, Elko has clubbed five homers while posting a 127 wRC+.

DeLoach Finding Himself; Return to White Sox a Possibility.

Despite minimal success in his time with Chicago, Zach DeLoach has made adjustments and is in the middle of his best stretch in Charlotte this season.

He’s been working on elevating the ball more as he leans into his profile as a high power guy. DeLoach has been productive of late while reducing his strikeout rate and deserves some more at-bats in Chicago soon.

Nick Nastrini on the Rebound

It hasn’t been a great season for Nastrini, but he’s figuring some things out lately due to mechanical tweaks partly thanks to a tweet from our very own Dylan Barnas.

He turned in his best start in some time last week while I was in Charlotte as he was able to work both of his breaking balls more consistently than he has recently while his fastball velocity was up and he controlled the heater better early in counts.

It has not been an easy season, but Nastrini still has the stuff to succeed as a big league pitcher if he can find another notch of command. He’s still going to be given a shot to start as he’s looking better lately, but a bullpen role could also be in place next year if he doesn’t trend the right direction.

Nastrini is one of the smartest pitchers I’ve talked to recently and he’s constantly working to improve his pitching. I still view him as someone who will have a role on this team in 2025.

Sean Burke on the Comeback Trail

Despite typically having one rough inning a start, Sean Burke has been pretty good recently and I witnessed his high-end upside as he carved in the first two frames and of his start. At his best, Burke’s curveball can be untouchable and the fastball gets a lot of whiff when located in the high corners of the zone.

His 21 whiffs were extremely impressive and his slider was working just as well as his fastball and curveball which have been his best in the past. The slider has become a versatile offering he can use in different scenarios which could be big for his arsenal.

Right now, Burke appears ready to make his big league debut soon and his body is in better shape than it has been in a while. His entire 2023 got derailed by shoulder issues and it took him time to work back up this spring but he’s fully back in rhythm now. Sean Burke will require 40-man protection this off-season and should be a candidate to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. He should debut with the White Sox in some capacity during the 2025 season.

Jake Eder in the Doldrums

This has been a frustrating stretch for Eder as he has shown flashes of his upside but hasn’t been able to put together any full clean starts. In his game during my time in Charlotte, Eder could not locate in the first inning and into the second but was excellent in his final three frames.

His start this week was a low for him but Eder has stuff that has shown to be plus previously. At this point, I feel like a move to the bullpen would make a lot of sense but there is general adjustments that need to be made regardless of his role. He’s on the 40-man roster and could get an audition in the Chicago bullpen to close out the 2024 season.

Lefty McGough Could Help White Sox

I spent time getting to know McGough and learning about his arsenal and who he tries to be as a pitcher. He should be in Chicago very soon and you can read all about the recently-acquired left-hander in this full article.

Adisyn Coffey Excelling in Charlotte

One of the top relievers on the farm should already be in Chicago in my eyes and Coffey has continued to impress this season. He was lights out in Birmingham to begin the year and has been consistently solid in Charlotte.

Coffey’s arsenal is not overwhelming and he doesn’t necessarily feature an elite pitch but he has a blend that has worked for him.