White Sox opener strategy works ... sort of

Give White Sox manager Will Venable credit for trying something new. 

The Athletics have a left-handed-dominant top of the batting order, and the Sox have nothing but right-handers in their starting rotation. 

It's a matchup made in hell, so Venable used a left-handed reliever to pitch the first inning of all three games in Sacramento this weekend, and then he went to his regularly scheduled right-handed starter in the second inning.

Even though the Sox lost two of three games, it mostly worked. Tyler Gilbert pitched a scoreless first inning Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Brandon Eisert allowed one run in the first inning Sunday. 

The right-handers who followed them pitched well. On Sunday, Davis Martin tossed six shutout innings. Jonathan Cannon got his first win of the season Saturday when he allowed three runs over 7.2 innings. Sean Burke on Friday allowed three earned runs over 5.1 innings, which wasn't great, but it was an improvement over his previous outings.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, April 25

Athletics 6, White Sox 5: The Sox took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but Burke got in trouble. With two on and two outs, Jacob Wilson singled to center, and Luis Robert Jr. booted the ball, allowing both runners to score and tie the game at 3.

The A's tacked on two in the seventh and one in the eighth to take a 6-3 into the ninth. The Sox rallied against closer Mason Miller. Lenyn Sosa singled and scored on a two-run homer by Brooks Baldwin. Miguel Vargas lined out to center, and Edgar Quero just missed tying the game on a fly ball to right that was caught at the wall.

Four good ABs in a row, and then Robert Jr. struck out on three pitches, the last of which was nowhere near a strike. It was a tough game for Robert Jr. overall: 1 for 4 with three strikeouts and the crucial error that flipped the game in the Athletics' favor.

Saturday, April 26 

White Sox 10, Athletics 3: Robert Jr. redeemed himself with a solo home run in the top of the first that started a four-run rally. Quero walked, and then there were three straight RBI doubles by Sosa, Michael A. Taylor and Baldwin.

The Sox added two more in the second inning and jumped out to an early 6-0. Cannon (1-3) made it work from there with his best outing of the season. He struck out five and walked two, while allowing six hits over his 7.2 innings.

Taylor finished 3 for 5 with three doubles. Quero and Vargas also had two-hit games.

Sunday, April 27

Athletics 3, White Sox 2 (10 inn.): The Sox had 14 men reach base in this game -- nine hits, four walks and a hit batsman. You would think that would be a recipe for more than two runs, but you'd be wrong.

Joshua Palacios hit a solo home run to start the game, but the Sox didn't score again until the top of the 10th when Robert Jr. plated the ghost runner with an RBI single to put the South Siders ahead 2-1.

Quero then singled, advancing Robert Jr. to third with only one out. It looked like the Sox might break the game open. Alas, Andrew Vaughn grounded into a double play to drop his average down to .157 and kill the inning.

That proved really costly because the Sox needed another run. Jordan Leasure (0-2) gave up a homer to Luis Urias in the bottom of the 10th with the ghost runner aboard, and that provided the winning margin for the Athletics.

The Sox stranded 10 runners, went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays. Woof.

The 10-game road trip is over. The Sox went 3-7 and are now 7-21 for the season. They start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night at Rate Field.

White Sox drop 3 out of 4 in Boston

It isn't even May, but the White Sox have already suffered through an eight-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak this season.

But at least they won't go 0-81 on the road this season, right? The Sox are now 1-9 away from home after dropping three out of four to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. 

Here's a look back at the wraparound series from Easter weekend:

Friday, April 18

Red Sox 10, White Sox 3: What was your favorite memory of the Martin Perez era? It probably wasn't this game, as Perez gave up four runs in the first three innings before departing after 52 pitches with a left forearm injury.

Perez (1-1) has since been placed on the 60-day injured list, so we won't be seeing him in a Sox uniform again soon, if ever.

Boston's Trevor Story went 3 for 4 with two 3-run homers in this game, including one in the first inning off Perez and another off Tyler Gilbert in the seventh inning.

The Sox were limited to six hits, with Andrew Benintendi's third home run of the season being one of the few offensive highlights. Edgar Quero doubled during ninth inning garbage time for his first major league hit. 

Saturday, April 19

Red Sox 4, White Sox 3 (10 innings): The Sox were in rough shape after six innings in this one, trailing 3-0 against Boston ace Garrett Crochet, who fanned seven and allowed only four hits.

But the Red Sox went to the bullpen in the seventh inning, and Chicago capitalized with a three-run rally to tie the game. Chase Meidroth singled to make it 3-1, and Luis Robert Jr.'s second homer of the season -- a two-run shot -- evened the score.

But as I always say when the Sox tie a game late on the road, "Ehh, they'll just get walked off anyway." They did, indeed, get walked off. Triston Casas singled off Mike Vasil (0-1) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th to win the game for Boston. 

It was a three-hit game for Meidroth and a two-hit game for Quero, but those are the last hits we'll be seeing from Meidroth for at least a couple of weeks. He's now on the 10-day injured list with right thumb inflammation.

Sunday, April 20

White Sox 8, Red Sox 4: The Sox were 0-79 in 2024 when trailing after six innings. But this game ensures they will not put together a similar dubious record in that department this season. Chicago scored three in the seventh, two in the eighth and one in the ninth to erase a 4-2 deficit and snap a six-game losing streak.

Quero delivered the biggest hit, a two-run single that capped the three-run inning in the seventh and put the Sox ahead to stay. Former Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks took the mound in relief for Boston in the eighth, but Andrew Vaughn hit his third home run of the season -- a two-run blast -- to extend the Chicago lead. Matt Thaiss also had a two-run homer for the Sox, and he added an RBI in the ninth on a bases-loaded HBP.

That made a winner out of lefty Brandon Eisert (1-0) who got five outs in the middle of the game in relief of starter Sean Burke.

Monday, April 21

Red Sox 4, White Sox 2: The one day of winning was fun while it lasted, as Chicago's bats went silent again in the series finale.

Boston starter Walker Buehler struck out nine over seven innings of one-run ball. The Sox were limited to five hits and went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Benintendi's fourth homer of the season in the eighth inning -- off Boston lefty Aroldis Chapman -- was one of the few good at-bats of the game for Chicago. Benintendi had two of the team's five hits.

Sox starter Jonathan Cannon (0-3) struggled early, giving four runs in the first three innings. To his credit, at least he pitched six innings, saving the bullpen for the next series. 

The Sox are now 5-17 and will head to Minnesota for a three-game series that starts Tuesday night.

White Sox swept by Athletics

Entering Thursday's play, the Sacramento Athletics ranked 14th out of 15 American League teams in pitching.

However, that did not stop them from shutting out the White Sox, 8-0, to complete a three-game sweep Thursday afternoon at Rate Field.

As a matter of fact, A's pitching only gave up four runs the whole series. Three of those runs came in the first inning of the first game Tuesday, on a 3-run homer by Andrew Vaughn.

In the following 26 innings, the Sox managed just a solo home run by Brooks Baldwin.

It's probably not a good sign for the South Siders to get outscored 23-4 at home in a three-game set against a team that is expected to finish near the bottom of the American League West. 

On Thursday, the Sox had only four hits off A's starter JP Sears and three relievers. 

Check out the batting averages for the 2-3-4 hitters in Chicago's lineup on Thursday. Luis Robert Jr. went 0 for 3 with a walk and is now down to .136. Vaughn managed a bloop single in this game, raising his average to a robust .138. Miguel Vargas was also 1 for 4, and he's hitting just .149.

Those three guys are supposed to produce runs for the Sox. They aren't getting it done.

Edgar Quero, a top Sox catching prospect, made his MLB debut in this game. He went 0 for 3 with an HBP, a flyout to right field, a lineout to the pitcher and a strikeout.

The Sox are 4-14. Next up, a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox that starts Friday night at Fenway Park.

Mike Clevinger DFA'd; Edgar Quero coming soon

The White Sox on Wednesday announced that pitcher Mike Clevinger has been designated for assignment.

Steven Wilson had his contract selected from Triple-A Charlotte. He takes Clevinger's place in the Sox bullpen.

Clevinger is a classic case of the Sox holding onto a player much too long -- about two years too long in this case. The right-hander joined the Sox on a one-year deal in 2023 and was arguably their best starting pitcher that year. He posted a 3.2 WAR season and went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA on a 101-loss team.

The Sox should have been happy with that and not pushed their luck. Instead, in the spring of 2024, Clevinger remained unsigned into April -- perhaps due to his injury history and off-field issues. Of course, the Sox just couldn't quit him and signed him to another one-year deal.

It was a disaster. 

Clevinger went 0-3 in just four starts. He was sidelined by elbow inflammation, and then eventually had disc replacement surgery on his neck that ended his season.

The signs were there to move on, but the Sox brought Clevinger back again in 2025 -- this time believing his stuff would "play up" in the bullpen. 

Wrong.

Clevinger has appeared in eight games this season, going 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in 5.2 innings. He's walked eight guys and struck out only three. 

Even setting aside the off-field issues, it's clear Clevinger cannot pitch at this level any longer. The only thing he can get over the plate is a 92 mph fastball, and opposing batters have been hitting lasers all over the field.

The Sox have finally cut the cord. Is it a permanent parting of ways? We can only hope.

Quero gets call from Charlotte

The White Sox are promoting 22-year-old catcher Edgar Quero from Triple-A Charlotte, according to reports. A corresponding roster move is expected Thursday.

Quero is batting .333/.444/.412 over 15 games with the Knights this season. Earlier this week, he was on our list of players who could potentially be summoned from Triple-A.

The Sox (4-13) lost again Wednesday night, 3-1 to the Sacramento Athletics. Once again, a lack of offense was the problem. Certainly, it's not going to harm anything to give a chance to a young player who has a history of getting on base.

Right now, watching the Sox offense could put you to sleep. Anyone who can provide a spark would be welcome.

Triple-A Charlotte: Is there anyone else for the White Sox to call up?

Chase Meidroth got called up from Triple-A Charlotte last Thursday, and his first three games as a member of the White Sox went well.

In 10 plate appearances against the Boston Red Sox, Meidroth went 3 for 7 with three singles, three walks and three runs scored. He played both second base and shortstop, and while I think he's better served at second base, Meidroth played mistake-free defense at both positions over the weekend.

It was a positive first impression, and that leads to this question: Is there anyone else in Charlotte who can help the White Sox now? Here are some notable names and how they are faring:

Edgar Quero, C: Quero has perhaps the most impressive stats of any of the Knights regulars. He's batting .326/.448/.418. That's 15 for 46 with 14 strikeouts and 11 walks. The only downside is Quero has only one double, one homer and four RBIs. Thirteen of his 15 hits are singles. There hasn't been much slugging in his game, but he's been getting on base. One thing we can't tell from the statistics is how Quero is doing defensively, and that's always a thing with catchers. It's the most important defensive position on the field, and it's more than offense that dictates when a catcher gets his chance.

Kyle Teel, C: Speaking of catchers, Teel is perhaps the most promising position player prospect in Chicago's system. He was the key player acquired in the deal where the White Sox sent ace lefty Garrett Crochet to Boston over the offseason. Teel's first three games of 2025 could not have gone any better. He started 6 for 12 with two homers and nine RBIs. But since then, he's fallen on hard times. He's in the midst of a 4-for-40 skid. He hasn't had a home run or an RBI since those first three games. His current slash line? .192/.323/.385. It's nothing to worry about this early in the season, but Teel is not a candidate for Chicago at this time because he's struggling. I believe in calling guys up when they are swinging the bat well.

Tim Elko, 1B: If there's one guy who probably should get a shot now, it's the 26-year-old Elko, who has hit at every level and has little to prove in the minor leagues. He's batting .365/.435/.448 with a homer, two doubles and seven RBIs through 12 games. Elko hasn't displayed much home run power yet this season, but we know it's in there. He had 28 homers in 2023 and 18 last season. The Sox are in need of a power bat in their lineup. They recently endured an 0-6 road trip during which they did not hit a single home run. The concern with Elko is always his high strikeout rate. He has 16 Ks in 46 plate appearances this season. But we are reaching a point where the Sox should find out whether Elko has anything to offer. 

Colson Montgomery, SS: Remember when Montgomery was considered Plan A at shortstop for the Sox this season? That idea went down in flames when Montgomery had a back injury and an unproductive spring training. The woes have continued through this opening stretch of the regular season. Montgomery is just 6 for 49, and he's already struck out a whopping 26 times. His batting line is .122/.204/.245. Apparently, Montgomery was 2 for 4 with his second home run of the season on Sunday, so I guess that's something. However, there's no indication that we'll see Montgomery anytime soon. In fact, he's struggled so mightily that I wonder why the front office was so bullish on him coming into the year.

Corey Julks, OF: The Sox are decimated by outfield injuries, with Mike Tauchman, Andrew Benintendi and Austin Slater on the IL. So, I was looking to see if there was anyone playing well in Charlotte who can stand at a corner outfield spot. The only guy I see is the erstwhile Julks, who appeared in 66 games with the Sox last season and batted only .214. But hey, he's batting .370/.452/.519 in 10 games with the Knights this year! Yes, he's a classic Quad-A player, but I wanted to put five guys on this list, so there you have it.

5 thoughts on Baseball America's Top 10 White Sox prospect list

We know how it goes with prospects. Teams and sometimes even the media who cover them often give you a rose-colored view of a young player's future.

Guys who are 20 years old and just starting out are unfairly given "comps" to retired players who are enshrined in Cooperstown. It's mostly eyewash, especially if your favorite team happens to be rebuilding and has nothing better to do than to try to sell fans on the idea that great things are coming three or four years down the road. 

That's certainly where the White Sox are living right now. They will stink again in 2025, but they want you to buy into the six guys they have ranked on the Top 100 prospect list. They want you to believe that the outlook will be much better by, say, 2027 or 2028.

Me personally, I prefer to read what people outside of Chicago are saying about White Sox prospects. Not that the analysts at Baseball America are perfect. These are people who devote their lives to amateur and minor league baseball, and as "prospect-heads," even they overrate the future of young players at times. 

That said, I find their commentary interesting. In Baseball America's December/January issue, which is available on newsstands through Feb. 10, they break down the Top 10 prospects for every American League team. After reading through the report, here are five of my thoughts on what they said about the White Sox:

1. Noah Schultz is the consensus top prospect in the organization. The 21-year-old lefty still has only one victory in 33 professional starts, but that's because the Sox don't let him throw many innings. His typical outing lasts four innings. Schultz split time between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham last season, posting a 1.48 ERA with 73 strikeouts and only 17 walks in 61 innings with the Barons. He tops everyone's Sox prospect list now, including Baseball America's, because his fastball velocity ticked up to 95-97 mph last season. He's got two plus pitches now, fastball and slider. He also throws a changeup and a cutter. The changeup needs to get better for him to reach the majors. 

2. Colson Montgomery is described as an "above-average" defender." Montgomery's struggles at the plate were well documented in 2024. He started the season as the top prospect in the system, but he batted just .214/.329/.381 in 130 games at Triple-A Charlotte. He's No. 2 on Baseball America's White Sox list, as the publication cited Montgomery's late-season improvement that coincided with more of an all-fields approach. But interestingly, they lauded his defense as "above average." He was described as having good footwork, positioning and anticipation at shortstop. That's different than what we often hear in Chicago, where some people seem convinced that Montgomery will need to move to third base.

3. This list was published before the Garrett Crochet trade. Notably absent from the White Sox Top 10 list are catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, who were still with the Boston Red Sox at the time Baseball America went to press.  For the record, Teel was No. 4 on the Boston list, while Braden Montgomery was No. 6. Another catcher, Edgar Quero, is No. 4 on the White Sox list. He is described as Chicago's "catcher of the future." One wonders whether that's still the case with Teel in the fold. Baseball America suggests Teel would need another half-season at Triple-A to "refine his defense." It also believes Quero could use a little more Triple-A time. The White Sox catching situation is going to be among the more interesting storylines surrounding the team coming into the year.

4. Braden Montgomery is a lot better batting left-handed. In reading the scouting report on the newly acquired outfielder, it was noted that he hit .361/.476/.834 with a 16% strikeout rate from the left side, but just .224/.404/.478 with a 28% strikeout rate from the right side during his junior season at Texas A&M. That makes me wonder whether Montgomery's future is as a platoon player, or maybe he should just scrap the whole switch-hitting thing. Either way, Baseball America sees him as a three true outcomes corner outfielder. They don't rule him out as emerging as a big league option by 2026, although we can expect him to start in High-A in 2025.

5. The fifth-best position player prospect in the Sox system is ... Caleb Bonemer? We know the top four are Colson Montgomery, Teel, Quero and Braden Montgomery. And we know the White Sox system is pitching heavy. So, is there anyone else position player-wise? Well, the 19-year-old Bonemer checks in at No. 8 on Baseball America's list. He was just drafted in the second round in 2024. He's likely to be given a full-season assignment at Low-A Kannapolis in 2025. In other words, he's a long ways away in even the most optimistic scenario. Nothing against the kid, but this is further evidence that the Sox have a lot of work to do when it comes to finding more potential major league bats.

3 White Sox prospects make Baseball America's Top 100

The White Sox are playing as I type this Tuesday night, but I'm not watching the game. I'm indifferent about any outcomes for the rest of the 2023 season.

Instead, I'm writing a blog about prospects, while a game between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves is on my TV.

It's obnoxious that it's come to this, but here we are. Anyway, I was flipping through the August edition of Baseball America when I saw that publication's updated Top 100 list. For the first time in quite some time, that list contains three White Sox prospects. In case you were wondering, here they are:

Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 22). The Sox's 2021 first-round pick missed the start of the season with an oblique injury, which has limited him to 36 games. Upon his return, the shortstop tore up the Arizona Complex League, posting a 1.099 OPS in 10 games. 

Montgomery had no difficulties once he was promoted to High-A Winston-Salem, either, where he had a 1.088 OPS with three home runs and three doubles in 17 games. Opposing pitchers walked him 20 times, including three times intentionally.

So, the Sox promoted Montgomery to Double-A Birmingham. In nine games there, he's batting .179/.465/.357. The OPS is .822, and it's mostly because of a high on-base profile. Montgomery has walked 10 times (against 10 strikeouts) in those nine games. This is obviously a small sample size. We'll see if he adjusts to the level between now and the end of the year.

Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 35). Schultz, who just turned 20 years old earlier this month, was the Sox's first-round draft pick in 2022. A strained flexor muscle in his left arm delayed Schultz's season debut until June 2, but he's been overpowering in Low-A Kannapolis thus far.

They are keeping this kid on a strict innings count -- he's only thrown 27 innings in 10 starts. But across those 10 starts, he did not allow an earned run in nine of them. He had one bad outing where he gave up four earned runs, leaving his ERA at 2.33.

Schultz has struck out 38 and walked only six in those 27 innings. He's allowed 17 hits. Right now, the whole deal is to build up stamina and arm strength.

Edgar Quero, C (No. 75). In this magazine, Quero is still listed as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. The 20-year-old catcher was traded to the White Sox, along with pitcher Ky Bush, in exchange for pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez last month.

The early returns for this switch-hitting catcher are good since he joined Double-A Birmingham. Quero has caught 12 games, batting .326/.377/.370. He's yet to hit his first home run as a member of the Sox organization, but he does have 12 RBIs.

Quero will take his walks. He has four of them with the Barons (against six strikeouts). For the season, he's walked 59 times and struck out 59 times, so he's shown good knowledge of the strike zone, which is something the Sox need.

He is young for the level, so I'm going to pump the brakes on anyone who thinks Quero can get to the majors in 2024. It's possible, but unlikely. The most likely scenario is he starts in Birmingham again next year, and hopefully earns a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte. Maybe he's the Sox catcher in 2025, if all goes well.

One other prospect to note: Baseball America picked a Minor League Player of the Year for all 30 organizations at midseason. Montgomery and Schultz weren't going to get this nod for the Sox, because of their injuries. 

Instead, the magazine bestowed that honor upon ... outfielder Terrell Tatum.

Tatum, who just turned 24, had an exceptional start to the year at High-A Winston Salem. He played 60 games there, batting .268/.434/.421. Note the high on-base percentage. Tatum drew 58 walks in those 60 games, and he turned a bunch of them into doubles. He had 32 steals for the Dash.

That earned him a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The OBP is down a little bit there in 38 games, but the numbers are still encouraging on the whole: .262/.390/.376. Tatum has swiped 10 bags for the Barons, which puts him at 42 steals for the season.

A speedy outfielder who gets on base and steals bases? Umm, yeah, the Sox need that skill set, right? It will be interesting to see if Tatum can play his way into the team's plans.

Lucas Giolito 0-2 after first 2 starts with Angels

Lucas Giolito

Former White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito has had a rough introduction to his new team since being traded to the Los Angeles Angels last week.

The Angels are on a tough road trip, and Giolito's first two starts have come against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves, two playoff contenders. He lost both games. Here are his pitching lines:

• July 28 at Toronto: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 Ks, 1 BB, 2 HRs allowed
• Aug. 2 at Atlanta: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 Ks, 3 BBs, 3 HRs, allowed

Ouch. Especially that game against the Braves. Giolito's given up 12 earned runs over his first nine innings pitched as a member of the Angels.

It's going to be a couple of years before we can judge that trade for the Sox, who received prospects Edgar Quero and Ky Bush from the Angels.

But for Los Angeles, both Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez are free agents at the end of the season, so they need immediate returns for this trade to work. Most of all, the Angels need to qualify for the postseason this year, before superstar Shohei Ohtani hits free agency.

I think it's going to be a tall order. As I sit here right now, the Angels are 56-53. They are in fourth place in the American League West, seven games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. The wild card is more doable. The Angels are 3.5 games back of the final wild card spot. The problem is they have four teams they need to pass.

In addition to Giolito and Lopez, the Angels acquired first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk at the trade deadline. They will get All-Star center fielder Mike Trout back off the injured list at some point this month.

Still, I'm skeptical that they'll have enough. 

On the Sox end of the trade, Quero is the best prospect the Sox acquired at the deadline. The 20-year-old catcher is ranked No. 65 on MLB Pipeline's list of Top 100 prospects.

The Sox assigned the switch-hitter to Double-A Birmingham, where he has gone 4 for 21 with three RBIs in his first five games. The book on Quero is he has good plate discipline. He's walked 56 times this season, with 55 strikeouts. That's a good ratio. 

His power is down, however. In 2022, he hit 17 homers for Low-A Inland Empire. For whatever reason, the Angels allowed him to skip a level and promoted him to Double-A this season. He's young for the league, and this year, he's only got 3 home runs. 

It's too early to panic about that, however. Time is on Quero's side. He should be allowed to start next season at Double-A, and hopefully he'll earn a promotion to Triple-A Charlotte at some point. Perhaps we'll see him in Chicago sometime in 2025. If so, that would be terrific news.

Bush, a 23-year-old lefty, was good enough to pitch in the Futures Game in 2022, when he went 7-4 with a 3.93 in 21 starts with Double-A Rocket City. 

Injuries have limited him to nine starts this season. The Sox assigned him to Double-A Birmingham, and he got absolutely bombed in his first start there -- seven earned runs on 12 hits over 3.1 innings pitched.

Again, we won't make an assessment after one start, but I would pump the brakes on the idea that Bush will be a candidate for the 2024 Sox rotation. Maybe the second half of the year, if all goes well. It is good that the Sox added a lefty starter to their farm system. We know that's one area that's lacking. We'll see if they can develop Bush.