The White Sox tabbed David Keller to head their international efforts after firing Marco Paddy back in September 2024, giving him only about four months before the opening of his first signing period. Considering the time crunch, the performance of the 2025 Dominican Summer League White Sox didn't suffer from the upheaval.
The team went 29-26, and while the underlying components suggested they overachieved, at least they weren't a casualty of a transition. They could've been flat-out overlooked, because the White Sox are directing most of their attention downfield, whether it's the anticipated opening of a new facility at this time next year, the excitement over the shape of their 2028 signing class, or reports of significant agreements for 2029 and 2030.
Instead, this team had something of an identity, at least on the offensive side, with a lineup that excelled at getting on base.
| Hitters | Age | R/G | BB% | K% | AVG/OBP/SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSL White Sox | 17.4 | 5.35 | 15.2 | 20.4 | .265/.398/.371 |
| League | 17.7 | 5.65 | 14.7 | 20.4 | .246/.377/.353 |
The pitching side had a less to offer, although you can point to the lower number of heavy investments in this area.
| Pitchers | Age | RA/9 | BB% | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSL White Sox | 17.8 | 7.57 | 15.2 | 22.1 |
| League | 18.5 | 6.46 | 14.7 | 20.4 |
As we proceed through the White Sox affiliate season reviews, here's the standard reminder that we'll be reviewing the individual prospects based on where they finished the season, rather than where they played the bulk of the year. This is never really a problem with a DSL roster, although Christian González managed to hit his way off the island and onto the ACL roster for the last couple weeks of the stateside short-season league, so he'll provide the first example of this rule in practice when we catch up with him in the next installment.
Hitters
Alejandro Cruz: The $2 million signing out of Cuba found his footing over the course of his debut season, with the .228/.396/.378 line backloaded by a .367/.500/.600 performance over 40 plate appearances in August to close out the season. He stole 18 bases in 22 attempts and played as much second as he did third, so he's athletic enough to branch out from a corner-only profile for the time being. The question is whether being a Cuban 18-year-old gave him a leg up in terms of competitive experience.
Eduardo Herrera: That González moved to the ACL well before the completion of the DSL season suggests the White Sox would've done the same for Herrera had he stood out in a similar fashion. As it actually played out, while his .236/.379/.397 line represented a massive improvement over his debut, it didn't do much to restore the initial intrigue from a $1.8 million bonus, especially since he hit just .165 over his last 106 plate appearances.
Frank Mieses: The $175,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic was the steadiest performer on the DSL White Sox, at least over the first two months, when he hit .324/.442/.477 over 138 plate appearances. He went just 2-for-17 while limited to nine games in August, with his reduced availability perhaps related to an HBP in his first game of the month. That dragged his numbers down to a still-impressive .285/.410/.415 line that earned him DSL All-Star team honors, although the 24 percent strikeout rate needs some work.
Yordani Soto: Billed as a glove-first shortstop out of the Dominican by Baseball America, Soto lived up to that billing by making 39 of his 42 starts at short and committing just eight errors, which is a pretty good total for the DSL, especially considering he didn't turn 17 until the last week of the season. The $300,000 signing also produced at the plate, hitting .274/.423/.363 with nearly as many walks (28) as strikeouts (31) over 156 plate appearances. The plate discipline helped buoy his value in July, a down month (.154/.371/.192) between two strong ones.
Jose Mendoza: The 17-year-old Venezuelan didn't catch the most innings on the team, but he played his fair share behind the plate and hit well enough to play elsewhere on his defensive days off, finishing the year at .333/.410/.407 over 122 plate appearances.
Orlando Patiño: The White Sox felt like signing Patiño away from a Dodgers commitment when Los Angeles reallocated resources to pursue Rōki Sasaki was a minor coup, but that vision didn't materialize in his rookie season. He hit just .167/.294/.214 over 51 plate appearances, as his season ended after just 13 games.
Alan Escobar: With apologies to Igor, Alan ended up being the most productive 16-year-old Escobar on the roster, hitting .306/.409/.343 while bouncing between right and left field. He only hit four doubles and stole four bases over 129 plate appearances, so it's not yet a corner outfield profile.
Osniel Castillo: The excitement over a .375/.444/.542 line from a center fielder is limited by a 54-PA sample size and the fact that Castillo was a 19-year-old Cuban whom the White Sox signed midseason. Still, Keller singled him out in his end-of-season media session, so here he is.
Pitchers
Yobal Rodriguez: Rodriguez, a $230,000 signing out of Cuba, couldn't have divided up his 14 appearances in more disparate ways:
- First 7: 18.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 17 K, 3 HBP
- Last 7: 12.2 IP, 14 H, 21 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 18 K, 2 HBP
- Total: 30.1 IP, 18 H, 21 R, 10 ER, 13 BB, 33 K
The unearned run total and the still-decent peripherals suggested that he suffered from some regression and chaotic defense, and he was still chosen as a DSL All-Star. So let's see which form he more closely represents in 2026, wherever he starts the season.
Diego Perez: Perez turned 17 midway through the season, and he fared the best out of the pitchers in their age-16 seasons. He finished third on the team in innings with 31⅔, and while the 5.12 ERA and 1.61 WHIP fail to stand out, they were diminished by an ugly three-game clump in the middle of the season, when he allowed a total of 11 runs over just four innings. Most of his appearances were productive, which is about as much as you can hope for from one of the youngest arms on the staff.
