White Sox
Photo Credit: Arizona Fall League

Chicago White Sox 2024 Arizona Fall League Preview

By / / Minors

The rosters for the Arizona Fall League have been released and the Chicago White Sox will send nine prospects to the desert. There were some interesting player options for the franchise this year and the current list is very intriguing. Shortstop Colson Montgomery is the 25th ranked prospect in baseball at MLB Pipeline and he’ll return to Arizona to headline the group for the Pale Hose. Right-handed pitcher Grant Taylor is participating as well and he could end up being the best pitcher in the league. Eric Adler, Andrew Dalquist, Anthony Hoopii-Tuioneotoa and Peyton Pallette will join Taylor on the pitching side. In addition to Montgomery, the White Sox have decided to send infielder Tim Elko, outfielder DJ Gladney and catcher Michael Turner on the position player front.

The Arizona Fall League begins play on October 7th and some of the best minor league talent in the sport will be on display. There are 14 prospects currently positioned on the top 100 list at MLB Pipeline including Montgomery. Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Ethan Salas and Leodalis de Vries of the San Diego Padres and the Rays’ Xavier Isaac are some of the league’s top prospects this year. Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians will return for the second consecutive year and the Seattle Mariners will send highly regarded infielders Colt Emerson and Cole Young as well.

The annual Fall Stars Game will occur on November 9th at Sloan Park and the third annual home run derby will take place the day before on November 8th. The league will wrap up with it’s championship game live from Salt River Fields on November 16th. The Fall League is considered to be finishing school for top prospects in most cases and many of the top players at the highest level of the sport have played in the league throughout the years, including over 3,000 big leaguers total. The league is comprised of six clubs and five major league organizations send up to nine prospects to fill out the rosters of the clubs. Here are the affiliations for the 2024 season:

White Sox
Photo Credit: Arizona Fall League

Glendale Desert Dogs: Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals
Mesa Solar Sox: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays
Peoria Javelinas: Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners
Salt River Rafters: Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Washington Nationals
Scottsdale Scorpions: Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays
Surprise Saguaros: Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers

Who Goes to the Arizona Fall League?

It used to be pretty standard that playing in Double-A or higher was a requirement but that distinction for qualification has changed. Here are some reasons why clubs typically put players in the fall showcase:

  • Key prospects who missed time due to injury
  • Minor leaguers with imminent or impending roster deadlines in regards to the 40-man roster or Rule 5 eligibility
  • Players who the team wants to expose to better opposing talent
  • Showcasing talent to the rest of the league as potential trade bait

The group of White Sox’s players who are headed to the Arizona Fall League this year will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs and they’ll play home games at Camelback Ranch where the franchise shares a facility with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The White Sox will be represented by nine players that you can read about below but Kannapolis Cannon Ballers pitching coach Blake Hickman will also serve in the same role for the desert dogs.

Eric Adler, RHP

  • Who: The White Sox selected Adler in the sixth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest. He always possessed premium stuff but has struggled with command and control dating back to his time with the Demon Deacons. The 6-2, 190 pounder started the season in High-A with the Winston-Salem Dash and he posted an ERA of 0.00 in nine innings of work. Upon a promotion to Double-A, the 23-year-old posted a 3.31 FIP with 38 strikeouts and 20 walks in 31 innings. The righty’s fastball sits in the high 90’s and he possesses a plus breaking ball as well. He projects as a back end reliever if he can keep the walks in check overall.
  • What: Eric Adler must improve his command. He began to cut down his walk rate in the minors but it increased once again in his time with the Birmingham Barons in Double-A. Adler now gets the opportunity to throw against top competition in this league.
  • Why: Adler is Rule Five eligible this off-season. The White Sox will need to decide whether to add him to the 40-man roster this December and his performance in the Arizona Fall League could be a contributing factor in that decision making.

Andrew Dalquist, RHP

  • Who: Andrew Dalquist was selected in the third round of the 2019 draft after starring for Redondo Union High School in California. The White Sox paid him $2 million and loved his projection and upside. The 6-1, 175 pounder never added the strength and velocity that was necessary to stay in the rotation but he also struggled in a starting role. Dalquist turned himself into a potentially useful piece to the puzzle this past season however. As the organization transitioned the 23-year-old to a relief role, he posted a 3.06 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 27 walks in 47 innings pitched.
  • What: Andrew Dalquist will get an opportunity to pitch in relief against some of the best prospects in baseball. He needs to decrease the walk rate pretty significantly still however and it’ll be interesting to see how his stuff plays in the desert.
  • Why: Dalquist is Rule Five eligible in December and the club has a decision to make in regards to exposing the former third rounder to this year’s version of the Rule Five Draft.

Tim Elko, 1B

  • Who: Tim Elko was a college World Series hero for Ole Miss and he’s revered by that fanbase. The White Sox selected him as a senior in the 10th round of the 2022 draft. The 6-3, 250 pounder hit his way through both levels of A ball and has clubbed 51 minor league homers in 2.5 seasons. The 25-year-old posted a 125 wRC+ with nine homers in 91 games in Double-A this year before playing in 48 Triple-A contests where he posted a 117 wRC+ with nine more homers.
  • What: He needs to continue to produce power while decreasing his strikeout rate and improving his walk rate. If he’s a first baseman, mashing is imperative. Elko generally understands the assignment and he knows that his job is to drive in runs. The strikeout rate has a propensity to get out of and though when he’s not taking his walks.
  • Why: The White Sox likely want to see Elko against top competition and he could be a big league option in 2025.

DJ Gladney, OF

  • Who: The White Sox drafted DJ Gladney out of Illiana Christian High School in 2019. The local product signed for $225K after being selected in the 16th round. The 6-2, 195 pounder has been primarily playing in the outfield of late after kind of bouncing around for a few years. The 23-year-old posted a 106 wRC+ but carried a 31% strikeout rate to start the year in High-A. After a promotion to Double-A however, Gladney slashed .278/.314/.505 with a 138 wRC+. He cut his walk rate to 22% overall but he walked less as well. The outfielder hit 16 homers this year.
  • What: Gladney needs to continue to produce power while keeping his strikeout rate in check and improving his walk rate. He came through the system as a very aggressive hitter without a clear defensive home. He may have found a home in the outfield but there are some questions remaining about the offensive profile.
  • Why: The White Sox likely want to see how Gladney will fair against the best competition but he’s also Rule Five eligible in a system that is shallow in outfield talent.

Anthony Hoopii-Tuioneotoa, RHP

  • Who: AHT is a 24-year-old reliever who made it to Triple-A in 2024. The right hander was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 30th round back in 2019. The White Sox acquired the 6-2, 190 pounder in a trade this past May in exchange for outfielder Robbie Grossman. Hoopii-Tuioneotoa was stellar to start the season with Rangers’ affiliates. In 25 innings pitched with the Birmingham Barons in Double-A, he posted a 3.24 ERA with 23 strikeouts and nine walks. He finished the year in Charlotte where he posted an inflated 13.50 ERA with a FIP of 4.95.
  • What: Anthony Hoopii-Tuioneotoa has good stuff but he’ll need to improve the strikeout rate and continually decrease his walk rate. There are some premium hitters participating in the Arizona Fall League and that should be beneficial for development.
  • Why: The White Sox need to make a decision on AHT in regards to the Rule Five Draft. He’s a candidate to be selected and the franchise could use the AFL to gain some clarity on the situation.

Colson Montgomery, SS

  • Who: The 25th ranked prospect in baseball at MLB Pipeline, Montgomery was the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the White Sox. The 6-3, 225 pounder was a standout, multi-sport star as an Indiana prep and despite missing quite a bit of time due to injuries, he cruised through the minors and spent the entire 2024 season in Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights. He played in 130 games but he really struggled at the plate despite a 12% walk rate and 18 homers. Montgomery started to turn it on in the final month.
  • What: Colson Montgomery is a big framed, left-handed hitting shortstop with a significant offensive ceiling. He was one of the best prospects in the Arizona Fall League in 2023 and he will return in 2024.
  • Why: The White Sox likely want to see Montgomery continue his success from September out in the desert. He’s on the doorstep of the major leagues and more time against some of the best prospects in the sport could be benficial. There are also some hit tool concerns after the shortstop’s rough year in the International League and more at-bats are a plus with so much time missed prior to this season as well.

Peyton Pallette, RHP

  • Who: Peyton Pallette looked like a future top 20 pick in the MLB Draft but he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed his final college season at Arkansas. The White Sox selected the 6-1, 180 pound righty in the second round of the 2022 draft anyway. The 23-year-old signed for $1.5 million and was seen as a very high upside selection. Pallette threw 72 innings as a starter in 2023 in the Pale Hose’ system. He made 12 starts with the Winston-Salem Dash in High-A to open the 2024 season before moving into a relief role. In 15 innings with the Barons in Double-A, Pallette posted a 1.80 ERA with 16 strikeouts and five walks in a relief role.
  • What: Pallette could be dominating in a relief role and pitching in the Arizona Fall League could offer more clarity on that. He’ll need to continue to improve his command against the top competition and it’ll be interesting to see how much his stuff continues to tick up in abbreviated outings.
  • Why: Peyton Pallette doesn’t really need the innings if he’s transitioning to the bullpen but the showcase doesn’t hurt the player or the organization. He’s not Rule Five eligible this winter but the franchise will get to see him against top competition in Arizona and the rest of the league will get to see him as well.

Grant Taylor, RHP

  • Who: The White Sox took Grant Taylor in the second round of the 2023 draft out of LSU after he missed the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Prior to that, he impressed scouts in fall practices and as a starter in the Cape Cod League. The 6-3, 230 pounder looked like a top of the rotation arm when he returned to action this year and he might be the best pitcher in the Arizona Fall League. The 22-year-old has premium stuff with a fastball that gets up to 99 mph. He also deploys a plus cutter in the low 90’s and throws a curveball and slider as well.
  • What: Grant Taylor threw 3.1 innings in the Arizona Complex League before striking out 25 and walking just one batter in 16 innings with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in Low-A. Taylor posted a 1.13 ERA in Low-A and his stuff will be on display for the baseball world out in the desert. Taylor is the 5th ranked prospect in the system currently on our latest ranking.
  • Why: Taylor threw just 19.1 innings last year after Tommy John surgery and he missed the majority of the season with a lat strain. He’s pitching now in Arizona and the White Sox want him to get some innings under his belt against some of the top competition in the minor leagues.

Michael Turner, C

  • Who: Michael Turner is a 26-year-old catcher who split time with Edgar Quero this past season in Birmingham. The White Sox selected the backstop out of Arkansas in the ninth round of the 2022 draft. He’s known for his game-calling, work with pitchers and defensive skills but he had a very solid year at the plate in 2023 as well. The 6-0, 205 pounder posted a 144 wRC+ for the Winston-Salem Dash in High-A last season. In his maiden voyage in the Southern League in 2024 however, he struggled at the plate despite a 13% walk rate.
  • What: Turner will get the opportunity to play against some top competition and catch some of the better pitchers in the league. It should serve as a precursor for him to advance a rung further and play the 2025 season in Triple-A.
  • Why: Turner isn’t Rule Five eligible and it’s likely not a showcase for other clubs either. He split time this year so he could use the plate appearances but the White Sox likely want to see him catching some of the members of their young staff who are slated to throw for the Desert Dogs as well.

2 thoughts on “Chicago White Sox 2024 Arizona Fall League Preview”

  2. Doug Weerts

    I figured they picked Michael Turner mainly so he would catch their pitchers. He will listen to Sox pitching coaches and will know what the pitchers are supposed to be working on! So will call the game in a way that will hopefully help them to develop.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *