If there is one thing the White Sox have a lot of, it’s young starting pitching. The farm system is absolutely stacked at all levels with pitchers that have the potential to be very good major leaguers. While this is an extremely good thing, as you can never have too much pitching, a lot of the arms are knocking on the door of the major leagues. This leaves around eight to nine guys fighting to fit in just five spots.
As of right now, you can make the argument that the White Sox have three, maybe four rotation spots taken for 2025. If Garrett Crochet gets traded, which seems likely, then it will leave two open rotation spots. Drew Thorpe is locked into a rotation spot, while Jonathan Cannon has pitched himself into a spot. It seems like Davis Martin may get himself a spot, as he has looked fantastic in his return from Tommy John.
So, assuming Crochet is traded, you have Thorpe, Cannon, and Martin slotted into the rotation. That’s a good start, but who will take the last two spots?
As of right now, there are multiple candidates who could fill that spot. Ky Bush has a head start on everyone else, as he has gotten a few starts in this season.
Bush has had some significant walk issues, but he looked much better in his last start. If he puts together a few more good starts, he could see himself starting in the rotation in 2025.
Mason Adams has made a strong case, as he pitched phenomenal in AA, earning a promotion to AAA. He’s currently hurt, but that shouldn’t change his chances for next year. He has been a quality start machine and that could really help the White Sox out next year, as he could eat up a bunch of innings and keep them in the game.
Sean Burke is also an interesting candidate, as he has been in AAA for a while.
While Burke’s ERA is a bit inflated, his strikeout numbers have been insane, as he has 81 in just 57 innings. Hitters have not had much luck against him, as they are hitting just .204 off him. These are the type of stats that translate well to the MLB, so he has a solid chance to make the rotation, but if not, definitely the bullpen.
Nick Nastrini will likely get another crack at it, as this season has been a very interesting season for Nastrini.
After a great MLB debut, the wheels fell off a bit, as he struggled with command. He hasn’t fared much better in AAA, but he has looked much better lately as he has made a few tweaks to his windup. Starting off the season with Pneumonia wasn’t ideal, as that derailed him for a bit and affected his offseason preparation. Next year will be a clean slate and he has a real chance to stick in the rotation.
Jake Eder has a lot of potential, but he hasn’t been able to put it together since he was acquired in the Jake Burger trade. However, he did have a fantastic month or two streak in AA this year which showed what he can do.
If he can harness his stuff, he could be a fantastic pitcher for the White Sox. However, that is much easier said than done. Regardless, the White Sox are very high on him, so he’ll get every opportunity to prove himself.
Jairo Iriarte may be a bit of a sleeper here, but he has looked amazing in AA. He’s the only player on this list that isn’t in AAA, so he may be at a bit of a disadvantage.
If he doesn’t get an opportunity in the Spring, he will definitely be a call up at some point throughout the season, similar to Drew Thorpe.
While top tier arms such as Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith aren’t likely to be up in early 2025, there is always a chance they come up at some point. However, if any of the guys listed above step up, they might be able to take their time in the minor leagues. It is truly remarkable how stacked the White Sox are with starting pitching in their farm system, as there are plenty of other names that will be on the major league team, just not in 2025.
