In the minor league farm system, the White Sox are having a lot of success developing players, as they have some of the best teams in the minor leagues. While the Charlotte Knights don’t share some of the same team success as the Birmingham Barons, they have some individual players that are having some very solid seasons. Let’s take a look at who is playing well in the first half of the season:
The biggest name on the Knights is White Sox top prospect and top-15 in all of baseball, Colson Montgomery. Unfortunately, he isn’t having the season he’d like, as his current slash line is .213/.329/.378. All of these marks are career lows for Montgomery and it is slightly concerning, as he hasn’t played well in the upper minors yet.
However, his power is emerging, as he has 10 homeruns and 32 RBIs on the season. His career high is 11 in a full season, so it is very encouraging to see his power starting show in AAA. He also has a very solid .707 OPS, which could be a sign of better things to come.
White Sox fans shouldn’t worry about their top prospect, as he is still acclimating to AAA as a 22 year old. But, due to this start, we might not see him debut this year unless he catches fire, but opening the 2025 season with the White Sox remains very likely.
Sean Burke is a name that White Sox fans might not be familiar with, but he could be the next White Sox prospect to make his first career start this season.
Burke is returning from a significant injury so he is still getting his feet underneath him, but he is still having a very solid season so far.
On the season, Burke has a 4.70 ERA over 30 innings. He has 40 strikeouts in those innings, showcasing his major league stuff. Hitters aren’t doing much off him, as they are hitting .220, but the walks have been an issue to this point, as he has already walked 24, which is a lot.
He has had some trouble with walks in the past, but it is currently inflated due to his long layoff with his injury. If he can get back to his 2022 walk numbers, he will be significantly more dominant.
Once he gets a few more innings under his belt, he will be pushing to make his major league debut, as he is almost major league ready. If the White Sox trade more than one pitcher in the rotation, he could join Nick Nastrini on a flight to Chicago to join the rotation.
There are a few more interesting pitchers in AAA, as Josimar Cousin and Adisyn Coffey could make their way to Chicago after the deadline, as they are two of the best young relievers on the Knights.
The roster of all the minor league teams in the White Sox system will look very different come August 1st, but the Knights might have the most turnover.
