White Sox Minor Keys: Aug. 22, 2024

Baseball America surveyed the landscape for young power hitters sporting 90th percentile velocity, and you'll never guess which White Sox prospect made the cut.

On second thought, of course you'll guess which White Sox prospect made the cut. There is but one possible answer, but here are the details regardless:

George Wolkow, OF, White Sox 

90th Percentile Exit Velocity: 108.1 mph (99th Percentile) 

The gargantuan Wolkow stands 6-foot-7, 239 pound and is one of the more fascinating prospects in the lower minors at present. Despite substantial swing-and-miss issues—Wolkow ranks in the bottom five percent in miss and zone-miss—the outfielder has managed to stay productive. Across two levels, Wolkow has slashed .265/.370/.480 with 29 extra base hits despite a 40.7% strikeout rate. The reason Wolkow has managed to stay productive despite bottom of the barrel contact is his power. Wolkow’s 90th percentile and maximum exit velocity both rank in the top three percent, while his xwOBAcon, hard-hit rate and barrel rate all rank within the top 10%. Whether or not Wolkow can ultimately make enough contact at the higher levels will determine his ultimate role. 

Wolkow showed off that power on Thursday by harassing the Fayetteville right fielder with an array of smashes to the right side.

Charlotte 8, Memphis 3

• Bryan Ramos went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts.
• Zach DeLoach homered, doubled, singled, walked and struck out.
• Tim Elko and Colson Montgomery both were 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
• Oscar Colás was 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.

Biloxi 7, Birmingham 5

• Terrell Tatum went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. He was also picked off/caught stealing.
• Wilfred Veras went 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
• Jacob Gonzalez, 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
• Riley Gowens: 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 35 of 47 pitches for strikes.

Aberdeen 9, Winston-Salem 4

• William Bergolla went 3-for-5 with a walk.
• Caden Connor singled twice, walked twice and struck out twice.
• Casey Saucke singled twice, walked once and struck out twice.
• Ryan Galanie was 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
• Samuel Zavala went 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

Notes:

*The Dash went 2-for-13 with 17 left on base. Aberdeen went 5-for-12, which is how they scored seven runs in the first.

Kannapolis 9, Fayetteville 6

• Nathan Archer went 1-for-5 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
• Jeral Perez, 1-for-5 with a walk.
• Ronny Hernandez singled twice, walked once and struck out twice.
• George Wolkow was 3-for-4 with a double and a walk.
• Lyle Miller-Green was 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
• Sam Antonacci went 1-for-2 with three walks.
• Justin Sinibaldi's professional debut: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Pierce George's pro debut: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 of 14 pitches for strikes.

Notes:

*Yes, the Cannon Ballers struck out 15 times, but Wolkow wasn't one of them.