FutureSox MiLB Team of the Month for June 2022

As the calendar flips to July, it’s time to look back at some of the standout performances in the month of June across the White Sox farm system. Top prospect Colson Montgomery continued his remarkable stretch at the plate and earned a promotion to Hi-A Winston-Salem, while No. 2 prospect Oscar Colás mashed with the Dash, as well.

Here’s a full breakdown of the FutureSox MiLB Team of the Month for June 2022:

Catcher — Colby Smelley (Low-A)
.418 OBP, 15.2% BB rate, 126 wRC+

Low-A catcher Colby Smelley continued his productive year at the plate and earned recognition in the Team of the Month for the first time this season. The 22-year-old backstop, whom the White Sox selected in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Shelton State CC, posted an impressive .418 on-base percentage, highlighted by his 15.2 percent walk rate. Smelley concluded June by hitting safely in nine of the final 10 games and logged a .361/.465/.472 slash line in that span.

First baseman — Raudy Read (Double-A)
.963 OPS, 16 RBI, 149 wRC+

Former Washington National Raudy Read put on a clinic against Double-A pitching to the tune of a .963 OPS over the course of the month. Read, 28, hit safely in 15 of 18 games in June, which included three homers in the final eight contests. The White Sox signed Read to a minor-league contract in March, and his season-long wRC+ of 159 leads the Barons.

Second baseman — Loidel Chapelli (DSL)
1.153 OPS, 18.3% BB rate, 194 wRC+

Cuban second baseman/outfielder Loidel Chapelli dominated the DSL circuit in his first month within the White Sox organization. The 20-year-old produced an eye-popping 1.153 OPS over 13 games, which included six multi-hit efforts. Chapelli also showed plenty of patience at the plate, as evidenced by his 18.3 percent walk rate in June. The White Sox signed Chapelli for $500,000 in May.

Third baseman — D.J. Burt (Double-A)
.435 OBP, 15 SB, 137 wRC+

Double-A infielder D.J. Burt delivered a standout performance in June and filled the box score in a plethora of ways. The former fourth-round selection of the Kansas City Royals posted a .435 on-base percentage and concluded the month on an eight-game hit streak (.394/.487/.455). Burt, who ranks second on the Barons with 21 stolen bases this season, recorded 15 swipes on 18 attempts in June. He matched his career-high with three stolen bases June 26 in an 8-2 win.

Shortstop — Colson Montgomery (Low-A/Hi-A)
.379 AVG, 1.001 OPS, 178 wRC+

Colson Montgomery continued to show why he is the top prospect in the White Sox system after he terrorized both Low-A and Hi-A after he put on a clinic against both Low-A and Hi-A pitching in June. Montgomery, who earned a promotion to the Dash on June 24, posted a .379/.461/.540 slash line across both levels. The 20-year-old shortstop recorded 11 multi-hit games throughout June compared to just six zero-hit games. Montgomery, who paced Kannapolis in batting average, OBP and OPS at the time of his promotion, holds a dynamic 159 wRC+ in his first full season with the organization.

Outfield — Erick Hernandez (DSL)
.438 OBP, 15.1% BB rate, 140 wRC+

Unranked outfielder Erick Hernandez, whom the White Sox signed for $1 million in January, made an impressive statement in his organizational debut in the DSL. Hernandez, 17, delivered a standout .438 OBP across 16 games in June, highlighted by his 15.1 percent walk rate. He hit safely in each of his first five games with the DSL White Sox, which included three multi-hit efforts. Hernandez also added a bit on the basepaths, as well, and swiped three bags in four attempts.

Outfield — Oscar Colás (Hi-A)
.977 OPS, 17 RBI, 163 wRC+

White Sox No. 2 prospect Oscar Colás mashed against Hi-A pitching throughout the month to the tune of a .977 OPS. The 23-year-old Cuban outfielder hit safely in 12 of the final 13 games in June, and he logged 17 RBI, which ranked second on the Dash. Colás, whom the White Sox signed for $2.7 million in January, owns a solid 128 wRC+ in his first year within the organization.

Outfield — Tyler Neslony (Double-A)
.943 OPS, 9 SB, 153 wRC+

All Tyler Neslony does is hit. The 28-year-old outfielder finds himself on the Team of the Month for the third consecutive time after he continued to dominate Double-A pitching in June. Neslony posted a .943 OPS with a standout 153 wRC+ throughout the month, highlighted by a .423/.531/.654 slash line over the final week. The former ninth-round selection delivered a career-high five hits against his former club (Mississippi Braves) in a 9-4 win for the Barons on June 14.

Starting pitcher — Tommy Sommer (Low-A)
25.1 IP, 1.78 ERA, 12.08 K/9 rate

Unranked left-hander Tommy Sommer logged a 1.78 ERA across five outings in June to earn the Starting Pitcher of the Month honor. Sommer, 23, limited opponents to a .204/.253/.269 slash line throughout the month, and his 12.08 K/9 rate paced Low-A Kannapolis (among qualified pitchers). The 6-foot-4 southpaw struck out a career-high eight batters and earned the win in his final start of June against Myrtle Beach (CHC). The White Sox selected Sommer in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Indiana.

Relief pitcher — Theo Denlinger (Double-A)
3 SV, .069 opp. AVG, 11.00 K/9 rate

Double-A right-hander Theo Denlinger put together a dominant stretch out of the bullpen to earn the Reliever of the Month honor for June. The former seventh-round selection out of Bradley held opponents to a minuscule .069/.250/.069 slash line in June and did not allow a single earned run in seven appearances. Denlinger, 25, also went a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities. The 2022 season marks his first at the Double-A level.

Honorable mentions

• C Juan Oviedo (DSL) — .889 OPS, 22.2% BB rate, 153 wRC+
• 2B/3B JJ Muno (Double-A) — .894 OPS, 8 SB, 141 wRC+
• 2B/3B/SS Lenyn Sosa (Double-A/Triple-A) — .887 OPS, 15 RBI, 125 wRC+
• 3B Wes Kath (Low-A) — .850 OPS, 10 XBH, 135 wRC+
• 3B Arxy Hernandez (DSL) — .925 OPS, 12 RBI, 149 wRC+
• OF Adam Haseley (Triple-A) — .889 OPS, 12 RBI, 131 wRC+
• RHP Andrew Dalquist (Hi-A) — 24.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
• RHP Cristian Mena (Low-A/Hi-A) — 22.0 IP, 1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP
• RHP Jason Bilous (Double-A) — 28.1 IP, 3.81 ERA, 12.71 K/9 rate
• RHP Félix Paulino (Double-A) — 8 G, 1.45 ERA, 0.70 WHIP
• LHP Brandon Finnegan (Triple-A) — 7 G, 0.00 ERA, .148 opp. AVG
• RHP Vince Vannelle (Hi-A) — 8 GF, 0.77 ERA, .182 opp. AVG
• RHP Karan Patel (Hi-A) — 7 G, 0.82 ERA, 10.64 K/9 rate
• RHP Juan Jimenez (DSL) — 5 G, 0.50 WHIP, 11.70 K/9 rate