The Chicago White Sox came into 2023 with some optimism after coming off of a second place finish, but didn’t meet that expectation with a difficult 61-101 season. Despite trade rumors, their core of Luis Robert Jr. and Dylan Cease remains intact. General Manager Chris Getz hopes to bring his player development strength into a key decision making capacity in his new role. With Rick Hahn previously at the helm, the White Sox current farm landscape drew heavily from the trade market, acquiring many of their top names in trades: Edgar Quero, Nick Nastrini, Jake Eder, and Ky Bush. The pearls of the system: Colson Montgomery and Noah Schultz, were both consecutive first round picks (2021 and 2022 respectively), and Chicago hopes that last year’s first rounder Jacob Gonzalez can continue the trend. infielders Bryan Ramos and José Rodríguez are on the doorstep of contributing in the majors, and forecast as players who can be lineup regulars. Time will tell how the players beyond the top will develop in order to make this system bear fruit on the South Side and return to the pre-2023 optimism again. (@TBDubbs11)
Seven Prospects1500 writers contributed to this column and rankings including Ben Wilson (@TBDubbs11), Scott Greene (@Scotty_Ballgame), Tony Bps (@tonybps1), Greg Bracken (@gregbracken07), Adam Greene (@aj_greene1015), Clint Fasse (@ProspectLarceny), and Jeremy Mahy (@JMahyfam). The writer’s Twitter handle follows each player write-up or paragraph.
Prospects1500 Tiers:
Tier 1: Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for a number of years
Tier 2: Players with an above-average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 3: Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 4: Players who have the potential to make the majors; possible sleeper candidates for sustained MLB success
Tier 5: Players of interest, worth keeping an eye on, who may make (or have made) the majors but provide minimal impact
The White Sox have a couple of players just inked during the J15 international signing period. Eduardo Herrera, 3B out of Venezuela, and Jurdrick Profar, MI from Curacao (Jurickson’s brother). Herrera would slot somewhere in the early-to-middle of Tier 5, with Profar likely to come in toward the back end of this Top 50. Look for them to potentially ranked in our White Sox midseason update later in the summer.
Levels listed for each player are the highest levels player reached in 2023
Tier 1
1. Colson Montgomery, SS, 21, Double-A
Montgomery is our unanimous and consensus #1 prospect in the Chicago organization, and their only Tier 1 prospect. He has the makings of being an All-Star infielder for the White Sox in the very near future. Colson was easily one of the top names in the most recent installment of the Arizona Fall League, where he wasn’t one of the top hitters, but still launched a few bombs, knocked in 20, and made the Fall Stars Game. Most of 2023 was spent at High-A/Double-A, and the 21-year-old former 1st round pick (22nd overall in 2021) put up a solid .940 OPS and struck out at only a 19% clip. Look for him to get more time in Birmingham this year, as he’s knocking on the door of AAA Charlotte. (@Scotty_Ballgame)
Tier 2
2. Edgar Quero, C, 20, Double-A
The top White Sox acquisition in the deadline move that sent Lucas Gioltio to the Angels was Cuban catcher, Edgar Quero. The 2022 California League MVP can hit from either side of the plate, although production from the left side dropped last year. There’s fair concern about his receiving skills, but for a 20 year-old that has an entire season of Double-A under his belt, the White Sox aren’t going to rush his defensive development. The arm strength is there for him to gun down runners, Quero likely just needs more experience with faster and smarter competition. He’s constantly on base with high contact rates and taking his walks. With no other catcher near the top of their prospect ladder, Chicago is banking on him as their future backstop. (@aj_greene1015)
3. Noah Schultz, LHP, 20, Single-A
There is zero doubt that Schultz has absolutely nasty stuff. The 6’9” lefthander completely overwhelmed Single-A hitters in his ten starts last season with a 12.67 K/9 and opponents hitting just .175 against him. Limited to just the ten starts in 2023, we need to see him stay healthy this year. He started last season on the IL with a forearm strain and then ended the season back on the IL with a shoulder impingement. (@JMahyfam)
Tier 3
4. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, 21, Single-A
The White Sox organization had to have been very happy that Gonzalez slipped to fifteen in the 2023 draft for them to sign him under slot value. What they hope to have in Gonzalez is a contact-power combination; someone who’s walking more than they strike out, but can give you 25 homers a year. In college at Ole Miss, Gonzalez was certainly on that track. Will he stay at short? With Montgomery ahead of him, it’s tough to say so I wouldn’t rule out an eventual move to second or third. The defense will come second for him though, and 2024 will really be about progressing the bat and situational hitting. (@aj_greene1015)
5. Nick Nastrini, RHP, 23, Triple-A
In another deadline move, the Dodgers sent the power throwing right hander over to Chicago for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly. Nastrini’s fastball is absolutely dominant when he’s on. With its insane carry, it would be hard to argue against it being the best fastball in the organization. He led the Dodgers minors in strikeouts with 169 in 2022, and followed that up with 139 last season. The problem occurs when he’s walking 55 and 54 batters respectively as well. The command concerns were enough for him to be sent over to the White Sox, but with his arsenal they are hopeful he can become a reliable starter for them sooner than later. (@aj_greene1015)
6. Bryan Ramos, 3B, 21, Double-A
Ramos, easily one of my favorites from this past November’s trip to Arizona, is a star in my eyes and I believe has a good MLB career ahead of him. He should be owned in all dynasty leagues with anything more than 150-200 minor league players rostered. The 21-year-old Cuban native has seen time in Double-A Birmingham each of the last two seasons. My take is that he’ll get a good look during Spring Training and should be assigned to Triple-A to start 2024, following his solid AFL stint where he slashed .267/.337/.430, and hit 4 home runs in 23 games. (@Scotty_Ballgame)
7. Jake Eder, LHP, 25, Double-A
Sox fans might have been scratching their heads after they shipped out fan favorite slugger Jake Burger to the Marlins for an injured minor league pitcher. Eder was a hot prospect in 2021 before going down to TJ surgery. Further delaying his return was a broken foot to start the 2023 campaign. If he can regain the control he had prior to surgery, his stuff is good enough to make that trade look less lopsided. With the Sox in a full rebuild, there is a chance Eder sees big league innings this season. (@JMahyfam)
8. Cristian Mena, RHP, 21, Triple-A
We might be the highest ranking on Mena, bringing him in at number 9. Just glancing at the surface stats, you might wonder why a 4.85 ERA and 1.41 WHIP don’t tell the whole story. When you consider that he struck out 156 Double-A/Triple-A hitters in 133.2 innings at 3+ years, you see why the Sox added him to their 40-man roster in the offseason. He will start this season in back in Charotte and could be pitching on the south side of Chicago as a 21-year-old. (@JMahyfam)
9. José Rodríguez, 2B, 22, MLB
Rodríguez got the MLB call-up from Double-A, but only got into one game in June and went back to Birmingham. He spent most of September in Triple-A Charlotte, and that’s where he’ll probably start 2024 unless he surprises this spring and beats out Nicky Lopez for 2B in the White Sox lineup. The infielder from the Dominican Republic has been in Chicago’s organization since signing as a 17-year-old back in 2018. Rodriguez could be viewed as a future everyday second baseman, as early as this coming season. His career MiLB slashline of .283/.323/.446/.769 is probably close to what we can expect to see in the majors. (@Scotty_Ballgame)
10. Ky Bush, LHP, 24, Double-A
Bush was acquired from the Angels in the Lucas Giolito/Reynaldo Lopez deal along with Quero. While Quero might have been the key piece Bush could end up providing value sooner as a back of the rotation starter as soon as 2024. The 6’6” lefty’s fastball doesn’t blow hitters away and he walks a few more than you would like, but he was injured on and off in 2023 so a slight uptick in velocity is a possibility. (@JMahyfam)
Tier 4
11. Peyton Pallette, RHP, 22, Single-A
12. Wilfred Veras, OF, 21, Double-A
13. Jonathan Cannon, RHP, 23, Double-A
14. Aldrin Batista, RHP, 20, Single-A
15. Grant Taylor, 21, Injured (College in 2022)
16. Terrell Tatum, OF, 24, Double-A
17. Shane Drohan, LHP, 25, Triple-A
18. Sean Burke, RHP, 24, Triple-A
19. Jordan Leasure, RHP, 25, Triple-A
20. Seth Keener, RHP, 22, Single-A
21. Loidel Chapelli, 2B, 22, High-A
22. Braden Shewmake, SS, 26, MLB
Pallette was finally healthy after his 2022 Tommy John surgery and pitched fairly well last season. High velocity with a solid curveball could be a potential 2 or 3 starter in the majors. Veras has some power and improved his hitting stats from 2022. Could find himself as a backup outfielder later this season. Batista came over from the Dodgers this past summer and has good strikeout potential on the mound. Taylor looks to be a solid relief option in the majors. Burke has had control problems despite some great pitches. Looks like be a backend starter if he can get his stuff in order. Tatum has solid speed but grades low on power. Could be a backup outfielder/bench type in the majors. Burke profiles the same as Tatum but with less speed. Chapelli could be a utility type in the majors. Shewmake is more defense over offense at this stage with very little power potential. (@tonybps1)
Tier 5
23. George Wolkow, OF, 18, Rookie (ACL)
24. Mason Adams, RHP, 23, Double-A
25. Jacob Burke, OF, 22, High-A
26. Abraham Nunez Jr., OF, 17, Rookie (DSL)
27. Tyler Schweitzer, LHP, 23, High-A
28. Matthew Thompson, RHP, 23, Double-A
29. Ryan Burrowes, SS, 19, Rookie (ACL)
30. Juan Carela, RHP, 22, High-A
31. Javier Mogollon, 2B/SS, 18, Rookie (DSL)
32. Adam Hackenberg, C, 24, Triple-A
33. Norge Vera, RHP, 23, High-A
34. Stiven Flores, C, 18, Rookie (DSL)
35. Alex Speas, RHP, 25, MLB
36. Tanner McDougal, RHP, 20, Single-A
37. Eric Adler, RHP, 23, High-A
38. Jared Kelley, RHP, 22, Double-A
39. Brooks Baldwin, 3B/SS, 23, High-A
40. Connor McCullough, RHP, 24, High-A
41. Ronny Hernandez, C, 19, Rookie (ACL)
42. Wes Kath, 3B, 21, High-A
43. Calvin Harris, C, 22, Single-A
44. Shane Murphy, LHP, 23, Single-A
45. Tim Elko, 1B, 25, Double-A
46. Maximo Martinez, RHP, 19, Rookie (ACL)
47. Mario Camilletti, 2B/3B, 24, High-A
48. Christian Oppor, LHP, 19, Rookie (ACL)
49. Michael Turner, C, 25, High-A
50. Luis Reyes, RHP, 18, Rookie (DSL)
Wolkow has tons of power but needs to work on his hit-tool as he moves up the ladder. At 18 years old, he still has a lot of time for that. Adams has looked good on the mound in both a starter and reliever role. Nunez Jr. showed a good feel for hitting in the Rookie league this past season with potential to be a solid outfielder in the majors. Schweitzer can be a backend starter if he can limit the walks as he moves up the ladder. Thompson has struggled during his time in the organization despite his nasty stuff. Burrowes has a solid hit tool and great control of the strike zone. He’s one to keep an eye on in this tier. Carela has a solid repertoire and has 2-starter potential despite the lackluster results so far. Mogollon put up solid numbers in his first season of Rookie ball with a bright future. Hackenburg looks to be a backup catcher with limited offense if he makes the majors. Vera has struggled in A and AA ball since a great showing in Rookie league back in 2022. Flores put up great numbers in his first year of Rookie ball for a 17 year old. Most impressive was his 15 walks to only 7 strikeouts. Speas, 25, made his MLB debut for Texas last season, getting into three games out of the bullpen. Chicago claimed him off waivers in October and he could be a nice relief option. McDougal struggled the last two years after Tommy John surgery in 2021 but has good stuff even though the results haven’t been there. McCullough looked solid in A ball but was a over a year older than the average player. Kath has solid power and a developing hit-tool and could be a future bench player. Elko looks like a bench player if he makes the majors. Has great power and good eye at the plate. Reyes did not look good at all in his first year of Rookie ball after signing with the team in January 2023. (@tonybps1)
Prospects1500 is your comprehensive dynasty league resource, featuring deep MLB/MiLB top prospect lists, news and rankings.
Adam Greene is a Sport Management and Marketing double major at UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management. His main focus is sport marketing, where he's already had internships with the local Westfield Starfires and Springfield Thunderbirds. He now writes for the Cape Cod Baseball League. From Longmeadow, MA, Adam is a huge Red Sox fan and has been following the team his whole life. When Covid hit, he started paying a lot more attention to the Red Sox minor league teams, and now, follows them almost as much as the big league squad. Follow him on Twitter at @aj_greene1015 and Instagram at the same handle.
President of Prospects1500. Founder of Diamond Duos dynasty fantasy baseball leagues and the MLB Fantasy Playoffs Parlay. Participant and champion in several dynasty/fantasy baseball and football leagues. Sales Manager for Reminder Publishing in real life. Huge Bruce Springsteen and pro wrestling fan. Along with his wife and two boys, lives in Longmeadow, MA. Follow on Twitter at @Scotty_Ballgame.
Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.
Jeremy covers the St Louis organization and contributes on Prospects of the Week for Prospects1500. Born and raised in the Midwest, he is a lifelong fan of the Birds on the Bat. You can follow him on Twitter @JMahyfam for more baseball content.
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too." -Yogi Berra
Ben is an Assistant Editor and also covers the Red Sox and Dynasty/Fantasy baseball content for Prospects1500. He also runs the #2EarlyMiLBMock, an annual prospect-only mock draft, for the Prospects1500 website. Ben is an experienced fantasy baseball player and is a deep league dynasty specialist. He has also contributed at FantraxHQ, RotoFanatic, and retired blogs Real McCoy Minors and Notes from the Sally. Follow Ben on Twitter @TBDubbs11.
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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Ben Wilsonhttps://www.prospects1500.com/author/tbdubbs11/
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