Farm Fortnight: The 2025 White Sox farm system at first glance

Welcome to Farm Fortnight, the only White Sox minor league review heavily emphasizing the word "fortnight."

If you're new to our in-season coverage, we survey the progress of White Sox affiliates and their prospects of note every other Tuesday. Two full series is still a small-enough sample to invite overreactions -- especially when we're examining the first two series of the season -- but it only takes two of these samples to account for a month, and that's enough time for a guy to play his way into or out of immediate plans.

Here's what we have to work with so far:

Charlotte Knights

• Last three series: 3-0 vs. Gwinnett; 3-3 vs. Norfolk; 0-6 @Jacksonville
• Record: 6-9
• Next two series: vs. Nashville, @Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
• Individual stats

At one point, the Charlotte Knights were in first place in the International League, but going winless against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp truly gives Sergio Santos an idea of the task at hand.

It doesn't help that White Sox regulars keep getting injured, which takes away guys who should have been helping the Knights for even a little bit longer (Chase Meidroth, Greg Jones, Joshua Palacios), though the arrival of Bryan Ramos from rehabbing his elbow should lengthen the lineup. It also doesn't help that Charlotte pitchers are leading the International League in walks, with 73 over 125⅓ innings.

To be fair, the Knights only have the second-worst walk rate at 13.2 percent, and they've allowed just 4.6 runs per game, which is better than the league average. They've just played in a lot of close games -- they're 3-4 in one-run games already -- and free passes shrink the margin for error.

Position Players

*Colson Montgomery has been the subject of intense scrutiny early. He went from having a clear track to the Opening Day shortstop job to striking out 48 percent of the time in Triple-A, which is the sort of thing that makes it difficult for fans to get an honest read.

*Kyle Teel would be the starting catcher right now if judged solely by his opening series against Gwinnett, during which he went 6-for-12 with nine RBIs. He's mired in a 4-for-40 slump, but he's drawn a walk in his last four games, which could be a sign he's seeing pitches better.

*Edgar Quero would be the starting catcher right now if judged solely from what came after the opening weekend. There are no signs of last season's back issue here.

*Tim Elko wasn't the reason the Knights were swept in Jacksonville. He hit safely in every game, finishing 7-for-17. He's still striking out at an elevated rate (34.8 percent) and his production is propped up by a .583 BABIP, which are two reasons why it's worth letting his season play out in Charlotte for the rest of the month before thinking about his chances of replacing Andrew Vaughn.

Pitchers

*Nick Nastrini was able to complete five innings against Jacksonville, but the efficiency issues that jeopardize his future as a starter remain present. The damage he's suffered has come entirely against lefties, because righties are just 1-for-18 against him.

*Jairo Iriarte had a habit of rocky starts during an otherwise successful season in Birmingham last year, and that's followed him into 2025 with more severe consequences. He walked four batters during a 37-pitch first inning against Jacksonville, which turned out to be his only inning.

*Owen White has issued his own share of walks, but he's managed to pitch around them for the time being. If the White Sox needed a starter, he'd have the best case from the 40-man roster, which isn't saying much.

*In the bullpen, Adisyn Coffey, Steven Wilson and Jared Shuster are all off to a strong starts, but Shuster is the only one with a 40-man spot.

Birmingham Barons

• Last two series: 1-1 vs. Knoxville; 4-2 @Chattanooga
• Record: 5-3
• Next two series: vs. Biloxi, @Rocket City
• Individual stats

The Birmingham Barons don't look as solidly built as the previous year's version, at least in terms of prospect excitement. The blue-chippers are all on the pitching side, while the offense is a mix of older professionals and younger players who are repeating the level for a reason. Still, that can be a recipe to win some games in Double-A, and so far the Barons are third in runs scored and third in runs allowed. In an eight-team league, that is the definition of above-average.

Position Players

*Jacob Gonzalez had an 0-for-10 skid spoil his early-season numbers, but he finished the series against Chattanooga with a three-hit game.

*Wilfred Veras brought the increased patience he suddenly developed over the final two months of 2024 into the first weeks of 2025.

*DJ Gladney is running a .474 BABIP in the early going.

*William Bergolla struck out three times in the second game of the season, and just once over the other six games he's played. He's also playing mostly shortstop, even on a roster that includes Gonzalez.

*Rikuu Nishida opened the season on the outside of both the middle-infield and outfield mixes, but he's off to the same kind of start he had last year.

Pitchers

*Noah Schultz officially broke contain from his prior restrictions by pitching five innings against Chattanooga, and five scoreless innings at that.

*Hagen Smith has struggled throwing strikes in the first inning of his first two Double-A starts. He battled through it to strike out 10 over four innings against Knoxville, but when he repeated the slow start in his second outing, he hit his single-inning pitch limit before getting a third out against Chattanooga.

*Grant Taylor will be limited to three innings per start until otherwise noted, and it went well enough in his Birmingham debut.

*Riley Gowens picked up where he left off with a pair of respectable five-inning starts against Chattanooga, lowering his ERA to 3.06 over 14 starts at 61 ⅔ innings at Double-A.

*Wikelman González also plunked two batters along with his three walks in 3⅓ innings against Chattanooga, so there's room for improvement with his control.

*Tyler Schweitzer will be Taylor's tandem partner for the time being, and while that seems like a demotion after leading the White Sox minor leagues with 132 innings last year, he could benefit from facing lineups that are tailored to confront a high-powered righty.

*Peyton Pallette gave up a walk-off grand slam his last time out, so that put his numbers in an early hole.

Winston-Salem Dash

• Last two series: 2-1 @Rome; 1-5 vs. Greensboro
• Record: 3-6
• Next two series: @Greenville, vs. Rome
• Individual stats

The Winston-Salem needed a Sunday victory to avoid a six-game sweep at the hands of the hated Greensboro Grasshoppers, and while minor league rivalries are often overstated for the effects of marketing, the first I-40 Series of the season did involve a bench-clearing incident at first base.

That said, the season is still young enough that small samples are working themselves out. Most notably, the Dash are tied for the worst record in a 12-team league despite a +10 run differential. Their three wins have been 10, eight and six runs, so perhaps you could call them the most 2025 White Sox affiliate so far.

Position Players

*Sam Antonacci got hit by 27 pitches in the final 61 games of his Coastal Carolina career, and he's up to four in eight games with the Dash. Pair it with the hits and walks, and that's how he's getting on base more often than not.

*Jeral Perez is more or less replicating his production at Kannapolis, which is a selling point for a 20-year-old. He's playing more second base than shortstop in the early going.

*Samuel Zavala drew 83 walks against just 70 hits with Winston-Salem last year, and he's starting with eight walks against three hits over his first 32 plate appearances this year, which isn't the right direction.

*Jackson Appel is a Texas A&M product who is old for the level, but he's hitting the way one is supposed to hit, and there's plenty of room under the Quero/Teel tier for a catcher to stand out.

Pitchers

*Lucas Gordon is more aggressive in the strike zone this year, and he's getting hit a little more in the early going, but a guy like him wouldn't be able to carry a 13.5 percent walk rate up the ladder.

*Aldrin Batista was placed on the injured list for "precautionary reasons" after one start, but the team has yet to announce anything more. James is hearing that Batista is dealing with a right elbow strain.

*Seth Keener also took his lumps from the Grasshoppers in his first start of the season, which was his third overall in High-A.

*Tanner McDougal is probably on his last life as a starter, and he responded with one of his better outings against Greensboro, allowing just a solo shot and three other hits over five walkless innings while striking out six.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

• Last two series: 1-2 vs. Hickory; 4-2 @Lynchburg
• Record: 5-4
• Next two series: vs. Columbia, @Myrtle Beach
• Individual stats

Through nine games, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers offense is living up the preseason hype. Or if "hype" is too strong of a word, they're living up to the preseason noticing that this Low-A outfield had serious pedigree and the infield wasn't bad, either. The Ballers are averaging 6.67 runs per game, which is second in the Carolina League to the Carolina Mudcats.

The Ballers are also allowing 6.11 runs per game, the second-highest average in the league. Control is the biggest issue, but it's not necessarily evident in the first place you'd look. Kannapolis pitchers are walking 14.9 percent of batters faced, and while that's pretty ugly, four CL teams are worse in that regard. This brand of pitching is what short-season leagues were protecting us from.

However, Kannapolis pitchers have plunked 16 batters in nine games, and if you count those as walks, the Cannon Ballers have issued a free base to nearly one out of every five batters:

BB+HBP rates:

1. Kannapolis, 19.4%
2. Hickory, 19.1%
3. Fayetteville, 18.9%

Pitching coach Jacob Dorris has his work cut out for him.

Position Players

*Braden Montgomery is off to a decent start, considering these are his first professional games and he opened the year going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He turns 22 on Wednesday.

*Caleb Bonemer is off to a decent start, considering these are his first professional games and he opened the year going 0-for-5. He's 19 all season, and he's bouncing between shortstop and third base.

*Javier Mogollón has been the standout performer in the early going, not just because of the slash line, but because the late-season improvement he showed in taming his strikeout rate in the ACL has carried over to full-season ball thus far. He's been playing second base almost exclusively.

*Ronny Hernandez averaged an extra-base hit every 5.6 games last year, so two in six games represents progress, even if they're both doubles.

*George Wolkow was pushed out of top-10 prospect consideration thanks to the Garrett Crochet trade, and less attention is probably beneficial as he tries to figure this whole thing out.

*Nick McLain is another guy who didn't play games in his draft year, and he dug a hole with a 1-for-15 start before the hits started dropping.

*Casey Saucke has been limited to DH and has been in and out of the lineup, so it seems like he's operating well short of 100 percent.

*Ryan Burrowes is in the shortstop rotation with Bonemer (and Mogollón to a lesser extent), and it'll be worth watching to see whether the playing time shifts if Burrowes' return engagement at Kannapolis can't be distinguished from his first.

*Lyle Miller-Green hasn't pitched yet, but everybody's favorite Siberian-born two-way player is doing enough offensively, at least in terms of power, to not force the issue.

Pitchers

*Christian Oppor posted the most eye-opening outing of the season in his Kannapolis debut. It's not an entirely out-of-nowhere performance, because he did it a couple times in the ACL, and he has the stuff to make himself more interesting in a hurry.

*Luis Reyes didn't make it out of the first inning in his second start, walking three batters and throwing 33 pitches over two-thirds of an inning.

*Pierce George has plunked a batter in all three of his appearances, so the walk rate is designed to mislead.

*Blake Shepardson has thrown just 31 percent of his pitches for strikes, making him the subject of early morbid fascination.