With the White Sox 80 games under .500, there isn’t much to look forward to with the Major League team. However, there are plenty of bright spots in the minor leagues, even from some of the lesser known players. One player in particular has begun making a lot of noise after a position change, one that could have saved his career.
This player is Peyton Pallette, the White Sox second round pick from the 2022 draft. Pallette was thought of as a first round pick in the draft, however due to having Tommy John surgery in his last college season, he fell to the White Sox in the 2nd round.
Pallette would start 22 games for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in 2023, going 0-4 with a 4.13 ERA. Over the 72 innings, he struck out 78 batters while walking 41. His WHIP was a bit elevated at 1.36 but hitters did not fare great against him, as they hit just .213 off of him.
The White Sox had high hopes for Pallette in 2024, but his season did not get off to a great start as a starter. The White Sox promoted him to high-A to start the season, but he started the first few months off with a 7+ ERA over 12 starts.
This was not a great start for Pallette, but a switch to the bullpen might have just saved his career. While at Winston-Salem, he was moved to the bullpen and he put up some insane numbers. In 23.2 innings, Pallette gave up just two runs, starting a dominant stretch as a reliever.
The White Sox took note, as they promoted him to Birmingham to see if he could keep this up at a higher level. Pallette did just that, as he has been absolutely elite in Birmingham as well.
In his first six appearances in AA, he threw 12 innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out 13 batters, while giving up just four hits. His control got significantly better, as he has walked just two batters over that time. Hitters are only hitting .128 off of him and he has an amazing .057 WHIP, even after his first appearance allowing a run, as the other day he finally gave in, giving up two hits and two runs over two innings.
This is a dream come true for the White Sox, as they may have a new top reliever prospect, as Pallette undoubtably has major league stuff. If he can keep this up in Spring Training, he could open the season at AAA while making a push for the major leagues shortly after the season begins.
