Farm Fortnight: The White Sox farm system winds down

Welcome to the last Farm Fortnight of 2024. With only one week of the regular season remaining for the A-ball leagues, the closing kick for White Sox prospects will be covered in the affiliate season reviews the rest of the way.

Winston-Salem's season will be the first to conclude on Sunday, since Kannapolis will play into the following week in the Carolina League playoffs. Birmingham has two series remaining before the Southern League postseason commences, and the Barons may as well stay in the Knoxville area, because they'll wrap up the regular season with a six-game series against the Smokies, then play Game 1 there the following Tuesday. Charlotte has three full six-game series, calling it a year in Syracuse on Sept. 22.

Speaking of Charlotte...

Charlotte Knights

• Last two series: 3-3 @Memphis; 2-3 vs. Nashville
• Record: 59-69 (26-28 in second half)
• Next two series: @Norfolk, vs. Jacksonville
• Individual stats

Before the number of pitchers and September call-ups were capped, this Charlotte roster might've been ravaged over the final month due to the number of starting pitchers who might end up in the bullpen, and the number of relievers who require 40-man roster consideration. Then again, the state of the White Sox bullpen is such that multiple players can't be ruled out from seeing action in September, even if none of them were picked for the initial extra pitcher spot.

Zach DeLoach did get the nod as the extra position player, so the Knights outfield loses its hottest bat. I still would've preferred seeing the White Sox purchase Mark Payton's contract and giving him No. 34, but that's because I like fun.

One positive development with regards to the Knights? They finally remembered they're hitting in Charlotte, as they finished tied for third among International League teams with 35 homers in August, and fourth in OPS at .803. That makes it a little more glaring that their top prospect couldn't get in on the action, but others managed to find the boost.

Position Players

*Colson Montgomery is consistent, if nothing else. Here's what he's posted over his last three groupings of 50 or so plate appearances:

• Aug. 20-31: .205/.300/.341 over 50 PA
• Aug. 6-18: .195/.327/.366 over 49 PA
• July 9-Aug. 4: .188/.316/.333 over 57 PA

The hope was that Montgomery would force the issue at some point in the second half, but the rigidity of his hit tool eliminated the possibility of even a September call-up.

*Bryan Ramos would probably receive a second chance in September were it not for Miguel Vargas, who plays the same position and demands the same amount of playing time to see if there's anything there. He's riding a 14-game hitting streak, and hit .301/.404/.538 in August with six homers, 12 walks and 22 strikeouts over 110 plate appearances, all of which are what you want to see from him.

*Edgar Quero missed the last two weeks with a back issue he'd hoped was minor, so it sounds like his MLB debut will have to wait until 2025.

*Tim Elko produced admirably around a strikeout rate that remains elevated, as he hit .256/.360/.372 with a homer, two doubles and seven walks over 50 plate appearances. He struck out 17 times during that stretch, so running a .400 BABIP the way he's been doing for the last few weeks doesn't yet seem like a recipe for success.

*Oscar Colás lost out on a September call-up to Zach DeLoach. That's fine, since DeLoach hit .337/.439/.539 in August, while Colás hit .211/.290/.344, but given that he turns 26 this month, it just makes it hard to see any path forward.

Pitchers

*Ky Bush returned to Triple-A, and his fastball showed a little bit more life over 5⅔ innings against Nashville on Saturday, but he's still missing his best velocity. He surpassed 120 innings on the season, so I'm guessing you'll see the Sox let him coast to the finish in Triple-A if his body allows.

*Sean Burke has posted big strikeout numbers over his last several starts -- 35 to eight walks over his last 21⅓ innings. He's also battled inefficiency that's prevented him from completing five innings in any of those five starts, so I wonder if a shift to the bullpen is in his near future.

*Jake Eder bounced back from a disastrous one-third of an inning against Memphis on Aug. 20 with a normal-looking five innings of two-run ball against the Redbirds five days later. Like Burke, he looks better suited for relief, although his problems early in starts might make it harder for a seamless transition.

*Mason Adams came off the injured list and threw three Mason Adams-looking innings against Nashville on Friday, allowing just three singles and zero walks while striking out one. That allowed him to set a career high in innings by one whole out.

Birmingham Barons

• Last two series: 3-3 vs. Biloxi; 4-2 @Chattanooga
• Record: 67-59 (26-31 in second half)
• Next two series: vs. Pensacola; @Tennessee
• Individual stats

The Birmingham pitching staff lost the services of Jairo Iriarte for the good reason, as the White Sox promoted him to Chicago for September. He had already blasted past his career high with 126 innings, and he required a 40-man roster spot since the White Sox acquired him in the Dylan Cease trade, so it costs the White Sox nothing in terms of options or workload to see how his stuff works in short bursts against MLB hitters.

In theory, the Barons have pitching to spare. They posted the Southern League's best August ERA at 3.18. The offense can't quite stop sputtering, but perhaps the addition of another sparkplug will help, as Rikuu Nishida looks like he'll be joining the fray. See Winston-Salem's section for details.

Position Players

*Jacob Gonzalez snapped out of a months-long malaise with 10-game hitting streak, including a two-homer performance that kicked off the series in Biloxi. Remove that game from his line the last two weeks, and he's still hitting .282/.378/.410, which is probably close to what a Gonzalez line looks like in an 75th-percentile MLB scenario. It's a sorely needed uptick, because he's hitting just .232/.292/.326 in Birmingham over 88 games.

*Wilfred Veras hit .293/.380/.481 in August, including two more homers against Chattanooga to give him 16 on the season, and his 14 walks account for nearly half of his season total of 30. His production if shifting shape enough to remain interesting, although I wouldn't put him in my top 10 again.

*Terrell Tatum only played in half of the 12 games against Biloxi and Chattanooga as he winds down his season. He stole only two bases in four attempts during an August where he posted a .347 OBP, which makes it a lot harder for him to stand out.

*DJ Gladney returned from the IL and showed no rust, going 9-for-30 with two homers, two doubles and just five strikeouts over 32 plate appearances. He did leave Saturday's game after taking a fastball off the elbow, and he didn't play Sunday. He's hitting .291/.339/.564 over 13 games in Birmingham despite multiple interruptions.

Pitchers

*Noah Schultz struck out seven over four scoreless innings against Chattanooga on Saturday, giving him a couple of round numbers that everybody would consider a success for 2024: 80 innings and 100 strikeouts. He has only allowed one earned run and one extra-base hit over his last 26 innings, good for a 0.35 ERA and a .399 OPS against.

*Tyler Schweitzer threw three strong starts in three chances against Biloxi and Chattanooga the last two weeks, allowing just two runs (one earned) over 18 innings. That lowered his Birmingham ERA to 3.77 ERA. At 122 innings, he's just four behind Iriarte for the org lead, so he should have the highest workload for the farm system assuming everybody stays where they are.

*Juan Carela drew two starts against Biloxi and struggled with control in both of them, walking six batters and hitting three more over 8⅔ innings. He was able to rebound with eight strikeouts and zero walks over five innings of two-run ball against Chattanooga on Friday.

*Peyton Pallette continues to look like an entirely different pitcher in relief. He's started his Double-A career with four scoreless appearances measuring two innings apiece, allowing just three singles and a walk while striking out 11. His line when including his work in Winston-Salem's bullpen: 31.2 IP, 14 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 46 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP.

Winston-Salem Dash

• Last two series: 1-5 @Aberdeen; 2-4 vs. Brooklyn
• Record: 57-69 (26-34 in second half)
• Next two series: @Greenville
• Individual stats

The Winston-Salem Dash have spent the whole season running in place, but it's still weird to see that they have the second-worst ERA in the South Atlantic League whether you're looking at starters or relievers, and it'd probably be worst when accounting for parks. Only Asheville is worse, and Asheville always trails the league thanks to McCormick Field. Former Asheville Tourist pitcher Ethan Katz has some thoughts about McCormick's dimensions.

It's surprising, because the Dash have been able to supply Birmingham with pitchers (Schultz, Schweitzer, Carela), and the new guys are acclimating to High-A pretty well. Perhaps all the weeks devoted to making Pallette and Tanner McDougal work in the rotation sandbagged the numbers, because the lack of offense -- particularly power -- has been more visible throughout the season.

Position Players

*Samuel Zavala homered during the Brooklyn series, but that's his only extra-base hit over his last 14 games, and he batted just .169/.304/.260 over 24 games in August, which looks a lot like his July (.159/.339/.205).

*Rikuu Nishida became the first White Sox prospect since Luis Robert Jr. to score 100 runs in a minor-league season. He's at 104 over 116 games, and after hitting .337/.436/.357 over 26 games in Winston-Salem, the White Sox are apparently promoting him to Birmingham to further stress-test a rather idiosyncratic baseball existence.

*Wes Kath was able to pull out of his nosedive during the second half of the series against Brooklyn, homering in back-to-back games to close out August. It's still a .104/.189/.250 line with 25 strikeouts over his last 54 plate appearances, so he's not out of the woods yet.

*Eddie Park has one extra-base hit over his last 27 games, which isn't enough to support a batting eye that's still above-average. He's hitting .240/.323/.271 over 70 games with Winston-Salem.

*William Bergolla only played in two games of the Brooklyn series before landing on the injured list, interrupting a six-game hitting streak that raised his Winston-Salem line to .316/.386/.368 since the trade for Tanner Banks at the deadline.

*Casey Saucke has done some cool things for Winston-Salem after a slow start. He's hitting .378/.425/.568 with two homers and a double over his last nine games, and he's also racked up a couple of outfield assists. The strikeout rate remains a little higher than ideal, but for a fourth-round pick making his pro debut in High-A, it could be worse.

Pitchers

*Hagen Smith began his professional career with a pair of Saturday starts, one overpowering and one that featured erratic control. It sounds like he'll make one more start in Winston-Salem, but a push to Birmingham for the Southern League playoffs might not be in the cards.

*Lucas Gordon issued a season-high five walks over four innings against Aberdeen, which continued the theme of "not enough strikes" with Winston-Salem, but he recovered with six strong innings against Brooklyn, featuring his best control to date with the Dash (two walks, 50 of 78 pitches for strikes).

*Aldrin Batista is still sailing smoothly, stacking a pair of six-inning, one-run starts against Aberdeen and Brooklyn. His line over four appearances with the Dash: 21 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 23 K, 1.29 ERA.

*Seth Keener was due for a promotion to Winston-Salem before a trip to Kannapolis' injured list on July 4. He returned to action at a new level and got thumped for five runs over two innings against Brooklyn on Friday, but with one week left in the season, a rough couple starts doesn't seem likely to impact his trajectory.

*Shane Murphy clawed his way back onto the board with six one-hit innings against Brooklyn on Sunday. He has a 2.79 ERA over his last eight starts, and while his high-80s arsenal is likely to lower his ceiling, his performance is a good measuring stick for more powerful prospects to meet.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

• Last two series: 4-2 @Fayetteville; 3-2 vs. Fredericksburg
• Record: 67-58 (26-33 in second half)
• Next two series: @Salem; playoffs
• Individual stats

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers finished third in runs scored in August, and fifth in runs allowed. That seems like a pretty good recipe for some success in the Carolina League playoffs, and they'll have home field advantage for the best-of-three series next week, hosting Game 2 on Aug. 12 and Game 3 the following day (if necessary).

Position Players

*Ronny Hernandez hit .256/.360/.302 in August, drawing 14 walks against 15 strikeouts over 100 plate appearances. Three of his four doubles came in one game, so his power is fading at the end of long season (his 399 plate appearances more than doubled his career total), but it has to be considered a success for a 19-year-old catcher otherwise.

*George Wolkow hit .250/.346/.409 over 11 games against Fayetteville and Fredericksburg, and while he had a couple of three-strikeout games that inflated his K rate, he had six games with one or zero strikeouts. He's hitting .247/.351/.443 over 71 games at Kannapolis at age 18, so while plenty of work remains, it seems like the aggressive assignment can't be called a mistake.

*Ryan Burrowes doesn't appear to be taking to a mechanical change involving lower hands. He went just 2-for-35 with 19 strikeouts over 43 plate appearances the last two series.

*Jeral Perez has eased up on his pace of one double every two games, but he continues to produce with his new organization otherwise, hitting .282/.404/.410 over 47 plate appearances the last two series. He mixed in a triple, just to see what it looked like.

*Sam Antonacci continues to distinguish himself over the rest of the 2024 draft picks, which makes sense considering he's the only second-day pick in the group. He started seeing rewards for lengthy plate appearances, reaching base 24 times over his last nine games (eight singles, three doubles, 11 walks, two HBPs).

Pitchers

*Jake Peppers has walked just four batters over his last 29 innings, so the improved control has stuck. He paid for it with seven runs on seven hits over four innings against Fayetteville on Aug. 21, but it's his only rough outing since the All-Star break.

*Tanner McDougal only started one game over the last two weeks, once again struggling with control against Fayetteville. He walked four batters and plunked two more over 4⅔ innings, but he managed to limit the damage to two runs.

*Aaron Combs ended his month retiring the last 10 batters he faced over two outings, whereas Pierce George started his career with a perfect inning, but has only thrown half of his pitches for strikes since. It's early.