2025 White Sox Preseason Individual Top 30: Sleepy Harold

White Sox Prospects 1-5: Top of the Class

• 1. Noah Schultz, LHP
• 2. Kyle Teel, C
• 3. Colson Montgomery, SS
• 4. Hagen Smith, LHP
• 5. Edgar Quero, C

Noah Schultz is the clear number one in the system and no further explanation is needed there. Kyle Teel grabbed the #2 spot for me as he performed well in his first full professional season at an advanced level (AA Portland & a brief stint with AAA Worcester). Hagen Smith and Edgar Quero create an enticing tandem of top ranked prospect duos in their particular prospect groups. Despite Colson’s down year with AAA Charlotte, he bounced back in the final month (112 wRC+, .815 OPS) and had a strong showing in the AFL before wrapping up his season. I’m still a believer and deferred to him over Smith and Quero in the three spot, as the shortstop position is Colson’s for the taking, he just needs to earn the spot with a strong start for the Knights in the early going. 

Assuming all goes well, all five of these players could/should make their debuts with the White Sox this summer, which is another positive aspect of this strong top tier of White Sox prospects.

White Sox Prospects 6-10: The Next Wave

• 6. Braden Montgomery, OF
• 7. Mason Adams, RHP
• 8. Grant Taylor, RHP
• 9. George Wolkow, OF
• 10. Bryan Ramos, 3B

Upon his acquisition, Braden Montgomery instantly became the top outfielder in the system, with his absolute cannon for an arm and power potential at the plate. I’ve long been aboard the Mason Adams train. Adams caught my eye as he forced his way into a rotation spot after initially piggybacking for Noah Schtulz in 2023 while appearing at three levels in total after a marvelous season. He continued to build upon that in 2024 as he was dynamite for the Barons and got a cup of coffee with the Knights to finish out the season. He won’t blow you away, but possesses fantastic command of his pitches and provides a different look from a stuff-perspective than some of the other notable names on this list.

Grant Taylor has elite-elite stuff and was fantastic in his starts with Kannapolis last season, the only thing that’s held him back to this point has been injuries. If Taylor is able to keep health on his side and accumulate innings, he should rocket up prospect lists in short order. Very large human George Wolkow got an aggressive assignment in Kannapolis last season and held his own as an 18-year-old (.770 OPS, 11 HR), but will need to cut down on the swing-and-miss (40.3 K% in 2024) to take his game to the next level. Bryan Ramos has long been another favorite for me, and while he had a subpar beginning to his 2024, he worked out of that funk only to be thrust to the majors out of necessity, and then get sent back down to Charlotte post-injury. 

White Sox Prospects 11-15: On the Verge

• 11. Caleb Bonemer, SS
• 12. Jairo Iriarte, RHP
• 13. Chase Meidroth, SS
• 14. Ky Bush, LHP
• 15. Aldrin Batista, RHP

Caleb Bonemer received positive reviews after being drafted last summer and could very well begin this year at a full season affiliate. Jairo Iriarte had a nice season, but the command issues were glaring at times and gives him more volatility that brought upon the reliever chatter. Chase Meidroth was an OBP machine in AA/AAA in the Red Sox org last year and is more likely than not a second baseman. Ky Bush was stellar for the Barons, made appearances for both the White Sox and the Knights and was less impressive there, but will miss 2025 after undergoing Tommy John. Aldrin Batista was outstanding for Kannapolis and Winston-Salem in his short-stint there as a 21-year-old.

White Sox Propects 16-20: International Imports

• 16. Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP
• 17. Jeral Perez, 2B
• 18. William Bergolla, SS
• 19. Alexander Albertus, 3B
• 20. Javier Mogollon, 2B

Wikelman Gonzalez is another newcomer to the org and was significantly better over his last 14 appearances (10 starts, 47.2 IP, 2.27 ERA, 56 K) with AA Portland compared to his first 10 appearances (9 starts, 36 IP, 8.00 ERA, 36 K). Jeral Perez, William Bergolla, and Alexander Albertus all were acquired at the trade deadline and saw action at affiliates, outside of Albertus who was injured. Javier Mogollon posted a .930 OPS with a .266 ISO and 22 extra base hits (14 doubles, eight home runs) as an 18-year-old in the complex league. In a similar fashion to George Wolkow, although with about a foot of height difference, Mogollon posted a 38.3K% over that span, which needs to be remedied, and evidence of a late-season swing change saw Mogollon post a 27.9 K% over his final 20 games.

White Sox Prospects 21-25: An Interesting Blend

• 21. Jacob Gonzalez, SS
• 22. Juan Carela, RHP
• 23. Ronny Hernandez, C
• 24. Shane Smith, RHP
• 25. Blake Larson, LHP

Both Juan Carela and 2024 draftee Blake Larson underwent Tommy John surgery so they will be out for the 2025 season. Rule 5 draftee Shane Smith has impressed in Spring Training with his added velocity, but also posted solid numbers between both AA Biloxi and AAA Nashville as a member of the Brewers org while garnering 16 starts in 32 total appearances last season.

Ronny Hernandez has posted above average offensive numbers as a young catcher at every level thus far, although the catching could use refinement and the power hasn’t been very evident. As a 19-year-old, Hernandez walked more (62) than he struck out (59) in 96 games in Kannapolis last season with a 121 wRC+. Jacob Gonzalez is polarizing because he’s a first round pedigree that needs to progress with the bat in order to remain on my radar moving forward. To put it bluntly, since he joined the org the results have been very underwhelming considering where he was picked and the expectations around him.

White Sox Prospects 26-30: The Final Group

• 26. Tyler Schweitzer, LHP
• 27. Seth Keener, RHP
• 28. Casey Saucke, OF
• 29. Sean Burke, RHP
• 30. Samuel Zavala, OF

Sean Burke is another polarizing choice, as his minor league track record left a lot to be desired for me. When he was on he was more than solid, but far too often (and for far too long in my opinion) he battled command issues and ineffectiveness that I wasn’t sold and pegged him as a future reliever. There’s no denying that he was fantastic in his four major league appearances (19 innings), and I’d love for him to prove me wrong, I just need to see more consistency before I buy him as a full time starter at the major league level.

Tyler Schweitzer quietly put together a solid year between Winston-Salem and Birmingham while also logging 132 innings (25 starts). Seth Keener was solid as a starter in Kannapolis and should continue to log big innings for Winston-Salem in the upcoming season. Casey Saucke was a 2024 draftee that got a brief taste of professional baseball last season, while Samuel Zavala posted a 17.8 BB% as a 19-year-old in High A, but could never get into a groove offensively for the Dash.