Chicago White Sox 2025

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#101      
EyeoftheIllini
splitter said:
They need to bring Elko up soon if he keeps hitting. At 26 he's not being rushed. By the time the Sox are ready to be in contention he will only be 30. He and Vaughn can DH and one be traded at the deadline.
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Not sure I understand your last sentence. Do you mean have those two man 1B and DH? As to the second part of the sentence, Vaughn’s trade value is minuscule right now and Elko’s won’t be much unless he proves something at MLB level — and then why would you trade him.

I think they’ll bring up Elko relatively soon (hopefully next time there is an injury), But the Sox also have to be mindful of trying to build up Vaughn’s value so they can get something in return at trade deadline. It’s not like he’s the reason Sox aren’t contenders. Have to keep playing him and hope for a turnaround. The “good” news is he started poorly last year too, and started to improve in May.

The reality is Sox were never going to be good this year. Best we can hope for is some positives on the individual level. In 2026, hopefully we see the team as a whole start to turn the corner and then in 2027 start to see some success. It’s depressing, but that is the reality I see.
 
#102      
splitter
Agree that Vaughn's trade value is low but by the deadline there may be teams willing to take a flyer or desperate for a firstbaseman. There's many fans that want him released. I just don't want him in the outfield again. Don't understand why Elko isn't in Chicago now. No need to wait for an injury as there are enough players with options who aren't having the year Elko is.
 
#105      
splitter
Olaf Blab said:
Why is Elko still at AAA?
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Been told that he will be too old by the time the Sox are going to be in contention. He is 26. Hope those saying that can not add. If not then there are many more 100 loss seasons ahead.
 
#106      
EyeoftheIllini
Olaf Blab said:
Why is Elko still at AAA?
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Likely several reasons. First, he’s not on the 40-man roster. Obviously that can be remedied, but requires them to remove someone. If Sox felt he was ready, they would have put him on it when they just DFAed Dalbec.

Well how can he not be ready; he’s killing it at AAA? Like every player, they have a development plan for him and possibly want to see him check off another/few thing(s) before they feel more confident he’ll have success in majors.

Then there is playing time. As bad as Vaughn has been, they likely don’t want to cut bait on him but rather have him work through problems. He started slow last year too but improved starting in May. He’s batting .286 in May this year and .261 over last 7 days, so there are signs of life. If he can get back to where he was last year, he’ll have some value as a trade chip. And DH has been mainly used to get regulars a “day off.” Sure they could get him some ABs, but regular ABs would be trickier.

I think he’ll be up relatively soon, but I don’t see much difference between him being brought up today or say end of May. Is he going to lead Sox into contention this year? No way in hell. So do right by the player and his development. If merely success at AAA meant success in the majors, then Dalbec would have killed it as he had 8 xbh (4 homers), 9 runs, 13 RBI and batted .320 in 12 games at Charlotte.
 
#107      
Illinell
I just went down the rabbit hole on Elko and he does look good. Guessing he get's called up soon.

Also, went to the game on Friday and watched the other two over the weekend. We're not setting the world on fire, but we look disciplined, the players care, and they actually seem to be having fun.

I got to hang w some of the staff after the game yesterday and I think they agree. It's fun to have a little something to be hopeful for.
 
#108      
EyeoftheIllini
All this talk of Elko has me wondering how Son prospects are doing thus far this year. Haven’t paid much attention other than to Hagen Smith (drafted him this year on my keeper fantasy team) and seen previous mentions about Elko and Colson Montgomery on Twitter. So thought I’d take a look. Players listed in order of MLB.com rankings.

Noah Schultz (LHP/AA) — struggled so far. Better than K per inning, but walks are way up and batters are .300 against him. I didn’t expect him up this year(why rush him), but need him to improve.

Kyle Teel (C/AAA) — key piece in the Crochet deal. Projects to be an average defender (arm might be better than that). Batting .257 in 28 games, and his stats are very similar thus far to the 28 games he spent at AAA last year. Problem is he started season 5 for 9 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. Since he has 1 HR and 8 RBIs in 26 games.

Hagen Smith (LHP/AA) — walks have been an issue (aren’t they with all young pitchers), but has a 3.06 ERA in five starts, 32 Ks in 18 IP and held hitters to a .121 BA.

Colson Montgomery (SS/Arizona) — may be the physical embodiment of W. Sox organization. Played at 3 levels in 2023 and rose up the prospect rankings. First try at AAA last year didn’t go well (.214 and 164 Ks), though he did hit 18 HRs. Back at Charlotte this year he was hitting just .149 with 43 Ks in 94 ABs. Recently sent him back to Arizona to work on things.

Braden Montgomery (OF/A+) — the other key piece in the Crochet deal. Drafted #12 overall last year, but didn’t play any due to broken ankle suffered in NCAA playoffs. In his first 22 games of MILB ball he is batting .318 with 10 xbase hits, 21 RBI and 12 walks to 24 Ks.

Edgar Quero (C/CWS) — part of the Giolito/López trade. Seems to be more than holding his own in majors so far. Someone to get exited about.

Grant Taylor (RHP/AA) — might project as a RP with his max effort type delivery/control issues, but he’s starting for now and can hopefully stay there. The good is he has 0.63 ERA and held opponents to .130 BA in 14 innings. The bad is 10 walks.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten. If interest I’ll go beyond these top 7.
 
#109      
Roundball Sage
Illinell said:
We're not setting the world on fire, but we look disciplined, the players care, and they actually seem to be having fun.
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This is true. The Sox have looked better than last year. Based on this, I am already ready to declare this season a success.

More talent coming in if they can move Robert now that he is showing signs of life. But the Sox still have a first baseman that needs to be applying his profession elsewhere.

And the Sox now have a stud catcher. Some trades already paying off.
 
#110      
Illinell
EyeoftheIllini said:
All this talk of Elko has me wondering how Son prospects are doing thus far this year. Haven’t paid much attention other than to Hagen Smith (drafted him this year on my keeper fantasy team) and seen previous mentions about Elko and Colson Montgomery on Twitter. So thought I’d take a look. Players listed in order of MLB.com rankings.

Noah Schultz (LHP/AA) — struggled so far. Better than K per inning, but walks are way up and batters are .300 against him. I didn’t expect him up this year(why rush him), but need him to improve.

Kyle Teel (C/AAA) — key piece in the Crochet deal. Projects to be an average defender (arm might be better than that). Batting .257 in 28 games, and his stats are very similar thus far to the 28 games he spent at AAA last year. Problem is he started season 5 for 9 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. Since he has 1 HR and 8 RBIs in 26 games.

Hagen Smith (LHP/AA) — walks have been an issue (aren’t they with all young pitchers), but has a 3.06 ERA in five starts, 32 Ks in 18 IP and held hitters to a .121 BA.

Colson Montgomery (SS/Arizona) — may be the physical embodiment of W. Sox organization. Played at 3 levels in 2023 and rose up the prospect rankings. First try at AAA last year didn’t go well (.214 and 164 Ks), though he did hit 18 HRs. Back at Charlotte this year he was hitting just .149 with 43 Ks in 94 ABs. Recently sent him back to Arizona to work on things.

Braden Montgomery (OF/A+) — the other key piece in the Crochet deal. Drafted #12 overall last year, but didn’t play any due to broken ankle suffered in NCAA playoffs. In his first 22 games of MILB ball he is batting .318 with 10 xbase hits, 21 RBI and 12 walks to 24 Ks.

Edgar Quero (C/CWS) — part of the Giolito/López trade. Seems to be more than holding his own in majors so far. Someone to get exited about.

Grant Taylor (RHP/AA) — might project as a RP with his max effort type delivery/control issues, but he’s starting for now and can hopefully stay there. The good is he has 0.63 ERA and held opponents to .130 BA in 14 innings. The bad is 10 walks.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten. If interest I’ll go beyond these top 7.
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This is fantastic, thank you. I really hope a few of these make it to the bigs and have an impact.
 
#111      
EyeoftheIllini
Illinell said:
This is fantastic, thank you. I really hope a few of these make it to the bigs and have an impact.
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I think a few will. Sox look good at catcher going forward. I like the two top pitching prospects And Braden Montgomery has looked great — though a long way to go. Colson Montgomery will be a tough miss if they can’t get him on track.
 
#113      
splitter
EyeoftheIllini said:
Likely several reasons. First, he’s not on the 40-man roster. Obviously that can be remedied, but requires them to remove someone. If Sox felt he was ready, they would have put him on it when they just DFAed Dalbec.

Well how can he not be ready; he’s killing it at AAA? Like every player, they have a development plan for him and possibly want to see him check off another/few thing(s) before they feel more confident he’ll have success in majors.

Then there is playing time. As bad as Vaughn has been, they likely don’t want to cut bait on him but rather have him work through problems. He started slow last year too but improved starting in May. He’s batting .286 in May this year and .261 over last 7 days, so there are signs of life. If he can get back to where he was last year, he’ll have some value as a trade chip. And DH has been mainly used to get regulars a “day off.” Sure they could get him some ABs, but regular ABs would be trickier.

I think he’ll be up relatively soon, but I don’t see much difference between him being brought up today or say end of May. Is he going to lead Sox into contention this year? No way in hell. So do right by the player and his development. If merely success at AAA meant success in the majors, then Dalbec would have killed it as he had 8 xbh (4 homers), 9 runs, 13 RBI and batted .320 in 12 games at Charlotte.
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Maybe there is no one on the 40 man roster they can take a chance on losing, but that seems a stretch. That's the only good reason I have heard. Just because Elko is doing well at AAA doesn't mean he will do so in the Majors. Bring him up soon is their answer to us now. Soon is now. A few hits here and there would have changed a few games. I am a fan of Vaughn's and hope he turns things around. The pressure of playing every day is not the best way to do that. A few more wins are not going to make a lot of difference, but winning can be contagious. Confidence in the future is all we have. Players and fan both.
 
#114      
EyeoftheIllini
While the Sox top 7 prospects seem to include some future contributors and potential stars, it gets much spottier 8-15. Definitely some talent, but no one is lighting it on fire at the start of 2025. Still plenty of time left in season and in these kids careers though.

Chase Meidroth (2B, SS/Majors) — came over in the Crochet trade. Just a solid overall player. Won’t give you much power or steals (probably 10 or so HRs and 15-20 SB a year when all is said and done). But good bat skills and eye will lead to nice average and OBP. Second base is probably his best position, but as we’ve seen he can handle short. Should be a solid to solid-plus major leaguer.

Jairo Iriarte (RHP/AAA) — part of the Cease trade, he saw a little action with Sox last year. Had issues with walks and that has continued this year at Charlotte, where he has struggled. He’s pitched 14 innings (5 games) and has 14 walks with 13 Ks. Has a solid 3-pitch repertoire, but needs to figure something out.

George Wolkow (OF, A) — the Sox’s Aaron Judge lottery ticket? At 6-7, 240, he certainly looks the part, but a loooongg way to go. Reclassified out of Downers Grove North when the Sox picked him in 7th round (though got 3rd round money) in 2023 draft. So he is young — 19 and will be through entire season. Looked great in Rookie ball last year and held his own in A. Returned to Kannapolis to start this year, and struggling with a .173 BA and only 2 xbh in 81 ABs. Huge power potential with this kid. Just need him to start putting it together.

Caleb Bonemer (SS, 3B/A) — drafted round 2 in 2024; another 19 year old at Kannapolis. Power potential hasn’t resulted in many HRs (1) in the first 86 ABs of his career, but does have 10 xbh and a .279 average. Also has 8 SB, but it is the power that is enticing.

Mason Adams (RHP, Injured) — a pitcher rather than a thrower, that didn’t keep him from getting hurt this spring training and undergoing Tommy John surgery. Had strong season at AA last year before struggling at Charlotte in 5 starts.

Jacob Gonzalez (SS, 2B/AA) — 2023 first round pick that as of yet has not lived up to the potential he showed in college. Power has yet to translate — 40 HRs in college career while only 10 in MILB in approximately same amount of ABs (827 vs 863). Hitting .250 thus far at Birmingham with 13 walks to 18 Ks.

Bryan Ramos (3B/AAA) — his 99 ABs with Sox last year weren’t earth shattering (.202, 3 HR), but at 23, plenty of time to build upon that. Got late start this season due to elbow injury, and has struggled so far (.178 in 45 ABs).

William Bergolla (2B, SS/AA) — contact and speed are his game. Lifetime .296 hitter with only 1 home run in 650 ABs. At .302 with 11 SB at Birmingham this season after 27 SB all last season. Sox picked him up last year from Phillies for Tanner Banks.
 
#121      
splitter
The little league team i played on did not win a game all year. We never found this many ways to lose.
 
#122      
Roundball Sage
MustangWally said:
White Sox do best Little League impressions to lose in another miserable way
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Many around MLB and some Sox fans are laughing at how inept this ball club has looked at times – just like last night.

But the bottom line is – it’s just sad. It’s sad for those players who are not trying to look foolish. It’s sad for the history of the franchise. And it’s sad for all us long-suffering Sox fans who deserve a much better and more successful baseball experience.

The Players are getting paid for this – whether they look foolish or win or not. The Owner is getting richer off this franchise every day. But we fans only get our satisfaction from good baseball and wins. And we are the ones getting shortchanged every season.

I am not a fan of any other baseball team. I have no interest to be. My connection is to the Chicago White Sox – the City’s South Side team representing South Side fans - not the type of crowd the other ball club in town attracts.

If the Sox do not succeed on the field I know there are much more important things in Life. But I also know that we have not had the kind of fun baseball that we fans deserve to have much more of.
 
#123      
Grandpa
Being from 2 hours South of Champaign there was never any competition between the Sox and Cubs. They were the AL and NL Illinois baseball teams. The Cubs did something when they were tanking that I wish the Sox would do more of. They would sign free agents that were middle of the road to one or two year contracts, usually one year. At the trade deadline if those guys were playing decent ball they would be traded for prospects. If they stunk they were just there for a year anyway. Sometimes they were close to being a wildcard team record wise at the deadline and it would anger me, but they had a plan. They usually had some relievers who got traded and their record would nosedive. Work the system Sox!
 
#124      
bdutts
Roundball Sage said:
I am not a fan of any other baseball team. I have no interest to be. My connection is to the Chicago White Sox – the City’s South Side team representing South Side fans - not the type of crowd the other ball club in town attracts.
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Why don't you tell me what kind fan I am since you know so much about ALL Cubs fans?
 
#125      
EyeoftheIllini
bdutts said:
Why don't you tell me what kind fan I am since you know so much about ALL Cubs fans?
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Yeah, his Sox fans are the only true baseball fans schtick gets pretty old. I guess since I root for both Chicago teams, I’m only half a true baseball fan. I also get a good laugh out of people that say we “deserve” better.
 
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