While there hasn’t been much to get excited about as a White Sox fan this year, we can look towards the farm system, as that can give us hope for the future.
There have been some fantastic developments in the minor leagues, as many starting pitchers have had breakout seasons. One pitcher in particular is having an amazing second half, as he could push to be in the starting rotation in 2025.
This pitcher is Jairo Iriarte, who has been on an absolute tear in the second half of the season. After a rough game on July 1st where he gave up 5 runs in 5 innings, something switched for Iriarte, as after the break he has been on a mission.
In his first game back after the break, Iriarte threw five hitless innings.
This was a very impressive start, as he struck out six batters in his five innings. However, his hitless inning streak did not stop there, as in his next start he threw four more hittless innings.
Iriarte struck out 5 batters in that game, showcasing his elite stuff. He ended July on a high note, but his success has now carried into August.
In August, Iriarte has four starts, with each of them being quality starts. It has been nice to see him go a bit deeper in the games, as it is huge for the team when the starting pitcher can eat up some innings and still keep them in the game.
In August, he has a fantastic 2.25 ERA with a slightly elevated 1.21 WHIP. He has struck out 15 batters in 24 innings. While he isn’t striking as many people out as he was earlier in the year, he is still just as effective, as he has still been able to get outs and go deeper into games.
After a fantastic April where Iriarte started four games, throwing 17.2 innings and only giving up one run total, Irirate had a few rough starts in late May and into June. However, he was able to limit the damage, as his overall season stats are very good.
On the season, Iriarte has a 3.76 ERA, which is only elevated due to a few bad starts. Otherwise, he’s been fantastic, as there has only been five starts where he has given up more than three runs. He will need to cut down on the walks, but he has had success working around them this year. His ability to induce whiffs will be huge for the White Sox, as he could solidify himself as the ace of the rotation shortly.
Besides Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, Iriarte has the third best stuff in the White Sox system, and it is only third because he is stuck behind some of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball. It has been nice to see him on a hot streak lately, as he could turn into another successful piece from the Dylan Cease trade. While we won’t see him in 2024, it is very likely we see him in 2025.
