The White Sox completed the 2024 season with my fourth-ranked farm system, and now they’ve added 4 good prospects by way of their commerce with the Crimson Sox centered round lefty starter Garrett Crochet, who’s underneath contract for 2 extra seasons. You possibly can examine Crochet and the Crimson Sox right here. Coming again to Chicago in trade are soon-to-be 23-year-old catcher Kyle Teel, 2024 first-round choose Braden Montgomery, 22-year-old developmental righty Wikelman Gonzalez, and knowledge darling 23-year-old infielder Chase Meidroth. Two of these gamers (Teel and Meidroth) have a very good probability to debut in 2025.
I believed this deal was a lot better than what the White Sox bought again from San Diego final March for 2 years of Dylan Stop. A blockbuster rule of thumb: Get again at the very least one high-probability on a regular basis hitter. Teel suits the invoice. He’s a well-rounded participant who’s a digital lock to stay at catcher and who will most likely hit for sufficient energy to be the White Sox major catcher a number of years from now. Montgomery is a switch-hitter with immense lefty bat velocity, and he may flip into an on a regular basis, power-hitting proper fielder down the road. Meidroth (elite contact, no energy) and Gonzalez (three handsome pitches that don’t play because of poor management) every have a plus attribute or two that ought to facilitate an eventual massive league function, and each have a puncher’s probability to be greater than that. Whereas it’s painful to half with a expertise like Crochet (who was a daring, injured draft choose in 2020), a four-for-one swap during which every prospect they acquired has a particular ability and probably significant upside provides the White Sox an ideal mixture of depth and ceiling on this transaction.
The headliner is Teel, who raked in highschool, opted out of the 2020 draft, raked in faculty, was picked in the midst of the 2023 first spherical, and has raked as far as a professional. He posted a 145 wRC+ at Double-A Portland in 2024, his first full professional season, and was promoted to Triple-A Worcester in mid-August. It appeared believable Teel may debut in Boston in 2025, partially as a result of he has performed so effectively and partially as a result of incumbent catcher Connor Wong has struggled. As an alternative, Teel turns into essentially the most well-rounded member of Chicago’s pretty crowded catching contingent on the MLB and Triple-A ranges. Projected Opening Day starter Korey Lee is a glove-first participant, whereas fellow well-regarded prospect Edgar Quero has immature plate self-discipline and isn’t as polished a defender as is Teel. Neither Quero (who’s prone to be rostered after 2025) nor Teel (after 2026) are at the moment on the 40-man roster, which implies Lee, who will likely be 27 in July and has solely been a major catcher for one massive league season, is prone to be given at the very least many of the 2025 calendar to indicate the White Sox that he can minimize down on his strikeouts (31% in 2024).
Although Quero has the sooner 40-man/Rule 5 time horizon, Teel is a 12 months older, a greater defender, and fewer apt to offer away at-bats. He could also be forward of Quero on the depth chart when camp breaks, if solely due to the protection. Teel doesn’t have the prototypical measurement and bulk of an on a regular basis catcher; he’s a leaner athlete, and there are occasions when his lack of power impacts his receiving and pitch framing on the backside of the zone. However he does nearly every thing else effectively on protection. He’s a extremely nice ball-blocker and has sensational palms when choosing balls within the filth. Teel’s uncooked arm power is common, however he’s very correct even when awkward pitch areas power him to contort his physique to throw. On offense, his skillset has begun to tackle a power-over-hit taste. He takes quite a lot of high-effort swings and his bat path is geared for elevate in that traditional, low-ball lefty swing. Teel has struggled to cowl fastballs up and away from him sufficient that his contact charges have fallen a bit beneath the main league common at catcher, however his playable energy and selectivity (which helps him hunt pitches he can drive) needs to be sufficient for him to carry out like a mean major backstop.
Montgomery was the twelfth choose within the 2024 draft and possibly would have gone increased if he hadn’t fractured his proper ankle sliding into residence through the 2024 collegiate postseason. Montgomery comes from a household of a number of Division-I athletes and was among the many most outstanding of the 2021 excessive schoolers to go to varsity somewhat than signal. He spent two seasons at Stanford, the place he performed each methods and confirmed significant bat-to-ball enchancment as a sophomore after a strikeout-prone freshman 12 months. He transferred to Texas A&M for his draft 12 months and was essentially the most gifted participant on the Faculty World Sequence runner-up squad. Montgomery slashed .317/.428/.646 all through his whole faculty profession, with 20% Okay% as a junior.
An excellent bodily 6-foot-2 switch-hitter, Montgomery has monster bat velocity from the left aspect. He has a crouched leg kick, his palms load at a conservative depth, and his hips completely explode although contact and assist ignite his superior hack, which has massive end within the filth behind him. Montgomery’s lefty swing generates energy to all fields, and he has some skill to change his higher physique’s posture throughout his swing in an effort to filter the highest of the zone, one thing that he solely appeared to develop throughout his time at A&M. His righty swing is extra generic; he has a low-ball tendency from that aspect and his minimize isn’t particularly dynamic. He’s weak to changeups as a lefty, and up-and-away fastballs and back-foot breakers as a righty.
Montgomery has an enormous arm in proper subject. He was as much as 97 mph as a freshman reliever — his stuff was down throughout his sophomore 12 months at Stanford and he didn’t actually pitch at A&M — and, at the very least earlier than his ankle damage, he had the velocity to offer middle subject a attempt in professional ball. A few of the modifications he made at A&M improved the strikeout points that have been as soon as attributable to his lever size. It is a switch-hitter who was additionally a two-way participant till 2023, and his efficiency is much more thrilling provided that context. Above-average plate self-discipline and a swing geared to get to his energy will assist Montgomery overcome what are prone to be elevated strikeout totals. He has the ceiling of a power-hitting proper subject cleanup batter, however he’ll most likely be a comparatively gradual developmental burn for a university participant.
Gonzalez turned well-known beginning in 2021 when he and his monster stuff dominated the FCL sufficient to advantage a promotion to full-season ball earlier than the top of the 12 months — whereas he was nonetheless simply 19 years outdated. Since then he’s been an untameable tease and struggled fairly badly with walks. The 2024 season was Gonzalez’s first on Boston’s 40-man roster and a story of two halves. He ran a 7.38 ERA by way of the top of June and a 1.98 ERA thereafter. Gonzalez even managed to restrict himself to fifteen walks over his last 41 innings. He pitched in 24 video games through the 12 months however was usually so inefficient that a number of of his begins lasted solely three innings, and he threw 83 2/3 complete frames. All of Gonzalez’s pitches look extremely nasty once in a while, however proper now he doesn’t execute them persistently sufficient for any of them to generate an above-average fee of swing-and-miss. His sinking 93-95 mph fastball has at all times performed down a bit because of ineffective form and poor command, and his secondary stuff (which nonetheless seems to be prefer it has a ton of motion to the bare eye) has underperformed, too. It’s constructive that Gonzalez has now held mid-90s velocity for the final a number of years, however his command wants to enhance if he’s going to be a giant league starter. He has implausible arm velocity and it’s believable that, at age 22, he merely hasn’t corraled it but. Wild pitchers whose choice years begin to dwindle usually get moved to the bullpen, however the rebuilding White Sox have the time to let Gonzalez battle and attempt to make changes on the massive league degree. His ceiling is probably going increased in Chicago than in Boston as a result of the previous membership is extra prone to be affected person on this regard.
The 23-year-old Meidroth is an interesting participant who generates wildly divergent opinions from scouts, with some contemplating him a possible star and others evaluating him as light-hitting utility infielder. I fall into the latter group. Meidroth has extra professional walks than strikeouts, is a .285/.425/.408 profession hitter within the minors, and slashed .293/.437/.401 at Triple-A Worcester in 2024. His granular contact knowledge is absurd. Meidroth posted a 92% in-zone contact fee and three.2% swinging strike fee in 2024, and has had among the many greatest bat-to-ball metrics in professional baseball since he signed out of the College of San Diego. At a stocky 5-foot-10, Meidroth is ready to hold his pretty elaborate swing on time sufficient to spray a ton of contact towards the alternative subject, a lot of it on the bottom. Meidroth has posted groundball charges close to 50% since reaching the higher ranges of the minors, and this subject is extreme sufficient that, for causes associated to contact high quality, it detracts from his projected hit instrument in addition to his energy. Meidroth will tomahawk the occasional excessive pitch with additional base energy, however most of his contact is of the low-lying selection, with a number of oppo pokes and slaps. It’s pleasing to look at, however isn’t particularly impactful.
Meidroth has developed fairly a bit as a defensive participant in professional ball. He struggled to make correct throws from second base in faculty, and it wasn’t clear at what place he may find yourself. He has improved as an infielder and gotten reps at shortstop and third base along with his native second. Meidroth nonetheless produces the occasional errant throw, however his actions and vary are each effective for brief. He may play there in a pinch, however that isn’t ultimate because of his arm. Jamey Carroll’s offensive output is a reasonably good proxy for what to anticipate from Meidroth — it’s sufficient for him to be a giant league function participant however most likely not a Steven Kwan sequel, regardless of the swinging strike excellence.
Three of those 4 of those gamers ought to arrive in Chicago through the subsequent two seasons. Gonzalez is already on the 40-man and getting into his second choice 12 months. Teel completed 2024 at Triple-A and Meidroth performed there all season. If Luis Robert Jr. finally ends up getting traded this offseason for the kind of bundle that the White Sox appear to be asking for, they may go into 2025 with the sport’s greatest farm system.