The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans.
However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the season of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.
Ranked at number 26 on the White Sox top 30 prospects list is starting pitcher Juan Carela. Carela was acquired by the White Sox during the 2023 trade deadline, as the White Sox sent reliever Keynan Middleton to the Yankees in exchange for Carela.
Since the trade, Carela has been fantastic. In six starts in 2023 for the Winston-Salem Dash, Carela had a 3.34 ERA in 32.1 innings. In those innings, he struck out 27 batters, while they only hit .244 against them. He also had an alright 1.27 WHIP.
This year Carela has been even better, as he started the year off with Winston-Salem. In 74 innings there, he struck out 78 batters, en route to a 3.77 ERA. Hitters only hit .226 off of him, and he also had a 1.27 WHIP.
This performance led to a promotion to Birmingham, where he would pitch even better. In 32.2 innings to end the year, he had 36 strikeouts. He added a 3.58 ERA, a .221 batting average against, and a very solid 1.16 WHIP. Even after he was promoted to AA, every important statistic improved, which is a great sign.
Carela is still only 22, but he will be 23 when the season starts. It is likely that he starts the season off with Birmingham, as he only got a few starts there to end the season. The White Sox currently have a backlog of starting pitching, so Carela may have to wait a year or two to get his chance in Chicago. But, things can change quickly, so you never know if we will see him sooner.
Carela is a very talented pitcher and could easily be a mainstay in the rotation in Chicago if he continues to pitch like he has since the trade. He has a devastating slider and if he continues to work with pitching coordinator Brian Bannister, the sky could be the limit.
Carela will likely be leaned on as a top three starter for the defending Southern League champion Birmingham Barons, and could be a part of the second wave of a fantastic Barons starting rotation.
