2025 Chicago White Sox Affiliate Preview: Winston-Salem Dash (High-A)

The White Sox have an interesting affiliate in Wonston-Salem. Coming off a 31-35 season in 2024, the Winston-Salem Dash have familiar faces returning, along with new names moving up the organizational ladder. Not only on the field, as manager Pat Leyland gets a promotion to High-A after he led the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers to the Carolina League Championship series last summer.

Managing winning teams is in his blood, Leyland is the son of Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland, who won 1,769 games and a World Series ring across 22 seasons at the helm of the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers. Joining him in the dugout will be bench coach Pat Listach, hitting coach Cam Seitzer, pitching coach Blake Hickman, and performance coach Logan Jones. 

The roster is lacking compared to the other three in the system, but there are four names on the FutureSox top 30 on the Dash: righty Aldrin Batista slots in at 15th, second baseman Jeral Perez is ranked 18th, outfielder Samuel Zavala is 22nd, and infielder Sam Antonacci rounds out the list at 30th. The squad figures to one of the most changed rosters at the end of the year, however. With the loaded Kannapolis squad and another crop of MLB draftees, the majority of the lineup and rotation should change as players get promotions. Batista and Perez both rank on the list at MLB Pipeline as well.

Here is the full roster:

Pitchers

• Frankeli Arias (LHP)
• Aldrin Batista (RHP)
• Luke Bell (RHP)
• Jake Bockenstedt (RHP)
• Phil Fox (RHP)
• Lucas Gordon (LHP)
• Clete Herzog (RHP)
• Carson Jacobs (RHP)
• Madison Jeffrey (RHP)
• Seth Keener (RHP)
• Jared Kelly (RHP)
• Tanner McDougal (RHP)
• Mark McLaughlin (RHP)
• Shane Murphy (LHP) 
• Jake Peppers (RHP)
• Tommy Vail (LHP)
• Joseph Yabbour (RHP)

The rotation figures to be headlined by Aldrin Batista. Rounding out the stack, Tanner McDougal got the ball on Opening Night while Lucas Gordon, Seth Keener and presumably Jake Peppers and Jake Bockenstedt will pitch in the rotation as well. The bullpen features some interesting arms like Phil Fox, Clete Herzog, and Carson Jacobs. The pitching may be slow to mix in, as the Birmingham rotation above them is loaded with talent. Once a promotion happens above them, Batista seems like the logical guess to follow the stream.

Tanner McDougal bounced between the rotation and bullpen last year, and has big time stuff but struggles with command. Lucas Gordon is a soft tossing lefty who limits damage, with solid control. Seth Keener is still learning to be a starter, after primarily being a relief pitcher at Wake Forest, but he has good stuff with a low walk rate.

Jake Peppers could be more suited for a relief role, but his stuff is intriguing enough as a starter to keep him there. It’s a mid-90s fastball with two breaking balls capable of inducing some pretty bad chases. If he shifts to the bullpen, look for him to dominate, however. Jake Bockenstedt saw a starter’s job last year, and threw well enough to earn a spot in a six man rotation. It should be a pretty interesting group, especially if McDougal can limit the walks.

In the bullpen, Phil Fox had perhaps one of the best fastballs in the entire 2024 draft class, in terms of metrically. It’s not hard, but it is very flat and coming from such a low release point it almost looks like it rises as it gets closer to home plate. Carson Jacobs and Clete Herzog were standouts in the Kannapolis bullpen late in the year, both posting ERAs under 2.40. Jacobs is a big dude, 6 feet 9 inches tall, and his velocity matches his size. His best pitch is a splitter that falls from the heavens that is Jacobs’ overhead release point. 

Infielders

• Sam Antonacci
• Ryan Galanie
• Arxy Hernandez
• Wes Kath
• Alec Makarewicz
• Jeral Perez
• Wilber Sanchez

A wide array of names and play styles scatter the Dash infield. Sam Antonacci was a 5th round pick in last year’s draft, and has perhaps the best contact skills in the organization. He batted .369 in his draft year at Coastal Carolina and over .400 at a Junior College the year before, winning JUCO Player of the Year in 2023. His up the middle partner assumes to be Jeral Perez, with either rotating between second base and shortstop.

Acquired last year from the Dodgers in the Erick Fedde three-team deal, Perez is a short middle infielder with power that is suited for someone much taller. He’s a power-speed prospect, and will be 20 for the entirety of the year. He didn’t show much of that power after switching organizations last year but he’s ranked as the 20th overall prospect currently in the system at MLB Pipeline.

Some of these infielders could find themselves in Birmingham at some point this season as well. Ryan Galanie and Alec Makarewicz could offer some thump to that lineup and Sam Antonacci may ultimately prove to be too advanced for Advanced A. James Fox previewed this year’s roster for the Barons.

Wes Kath heads back to Winston for the third straight year, in what figures to be a make or break year for him. The former second round pick has had issues with the strikeout since being drafted out of high school in 2021. Alec Makarewicz and Ryan Galanie are older college prospects with lots of experience hitting the baseball. Galanie was a 13th round pick in 2023 out of Wofford, AMak was an UDFA from Norrh Carolina State that the White Sox scooped up almost immediately after the draft ended.

Both have power, with Galanie having the better of the two. Wilber Sanchez earned a bump to the Dash at the end of last season, playing the final 13 games in Winston-Salem. Arxy Hernandez gets a promotion, and should be in the mix for 3B and 2B reps. A solid group of hitters, with a mix of both power and contact oriented guys. 

Outfielders

• Matt Hogan
• Drake Logan
• Cole McConnell
• Samuel Zavala

The outfield group is definitely the weak spot of the team, but Samuel Zavala provides enough intrigue to make it better. A piece in the Dylan Cease trade over a year ago now, the 20-year-old has great plate discipline, but struggles to make contact at times. He toned down his massive leg kick this winter to a more manageable one, something that was definitely needed. Zavala is a sheriff in the outfield, tracking down almost everything in the air. Cole McConnell was the 10th round selection of the White Sox last summer out of Louisiana Tech.

Multiple outfielders from the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers could matriculate up to Winston-Salem in short order. Adrian White profiled the White Sox’s Low-A affiliate for us last week.

McConnell is a great defensive outfielder, and has some pop in the bat to go with it. Any combination of Zavala and McConnell together in the same outfield should be a pitcher’s best friend. Drake Logan has struggled with striking out, but has big power when he makes contact. Matt Hogan earns the bump up from Kannapolis and features some wheels, swiping 20 bags last season. It’s a quick group, who should be pretty fun to watch track down balls in the gap. 

Catchers:

• Jackson Appel
• Weston Eberly
• Luis Pineda

The final group of the team is a very solid one. Jackson Appel was the White Sox sixth round choice in this past draft, and perhaps could claim the crown for third best catcher in the system behind Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel. Appel is a pro’s pro, on both sides of the ball. He works very well with pitchers and is well rounded at the plate. The switch hitter should pair well behind the plate with the next catcher, Weston Eberly.

Eberly is a great defensive catcher with a strong arm. Both Appel and Eberly should see innings, with Appel getting about 60-70% of the starts. Luis Pineda spent 2024 in Kannapolis, but opens 2025 with the Dash. He saw 75 games behind the plate, and struggled with the strikeout. Appel is the name to watch from this group, as he’s got lots of college experience that should help with the lower level pitching. 

All in all, while Winston-Salem is definitely the weakest affiliate in the organization, there’s still talent on the roster. As mentioned before, there’s a chance this roster looks drastically different in June or perhaps earlier. Braden Montgomery should force his way up sooner or later, and Casey Saucke should follow him shortly after. Saucke went straight to the Dash after being drafted last summer, but opens this year in Kannapolis. If Samuel Zavala can take a step forward, he could be a treat to watch on both sides of the ball, night in and night out.