After the dust has settled on the draft and the trade deadline, MLB Pipeline has now released their updated top-100 list of prospects, as well as the updated top-30 list for each team.
This was long overdue, as there have been some significant performances out of some White Sox minor leaguers, and their organizational rank did not properly reflect that. Now, with the update, the top-30 looks significantly different.
In terms of top-100 prospects, the White Sox still have four players on the list, despite the graduation of Drew Thorpe. They have Noah Schultz at 15, Colson Montgomery has dropped to 28, Hagen Smith is added at 32, and Edgar Quero sits at 63.
Quero is a bit low at 63, as he has been having an amazing season between two levels. Montgomery dropping to 28 was expected, as he hasn’t been having the greatest season. Schultz is finally getting the attention of the MLB Pipeline scouts, as they finally have him properly ranked as a top-15 prospect in baseball.
While the top five players in the system were expected, as Jairo Iriarte sits at the five slot. But, after that is where MLB has significantly changed it up.
2023 draft picks Grant Taylor and George Wolkow make big jumps into the top seven, as they rank at 6th and 7th on the new list. Both have had fantastic 2024 debuts and have earned their rise in the system.
A pair of 2022 draft picks have also made big jumps, as Brooks Baldwin is slotted in at the eight spot, while Mason Adams has moved all the way up to nine. Both of these players were ranked in the second half of the list prior to the update.
Ky Bush climbed back up the rankings to round out the top 10. At 11, we have our second 2024 draft pick, as second round pick Caleb Bonemer makes his debut at 11. This is a very solid ranking for him, as he could make his way into the top-10 with a solid minor league debut next year.
Jacob Gonzalez and Bryan Ramos both fall 6-7 spots each, as they slot in at 12 and 13 on the updated list. Both have struggled this season, but have shown potential. However, due to many others looking great in the minor leagues, they fall a decent amount of spots.
The next three spots are all newly acquired players during the deadline, as Jeral Perez slots in at 14, Alexander Albertus at 15, and William Bergolla at 16.
The next two are highly regarded players that have struggled so far in 2024, leading to some big drops. Samuel Zavala falls about 10 spots, as his struggles have dropped to 17 and Nick Nastrini has dropped to 18. These are shocking falls, as nobody would have expected that before the season.
After that, there are a significant amount of 2024 draft picks, which is very unusual for the top-25 this early. Usually the first few picks make it on the list, but they seem to be fans of the Sox draft this year. Blake Larson, the CBA round 2 pick slots in at 19, Nick McLain, the White Sox 3rd rounder slots in at 24, and Casey Sauke, their 4th round pick slots in at 25.
The rest of the list isn’t too significant as there was some slight moment in the mid 20s. Jake Eder had a huge fall down to 23 and is in danger of falling off the list completely.
Tyler Schweitzer sits at 20, Seth Keener at 21, Aldrin Batista at 22, Wilfred Veras at 26, Juan Carela at 27, Peyton Pallette at 28, Tanner McDougal at 29, and Seth Keener rounds out the list at 30.
Due to the fantastic pitching in the minor leagues, many pitchers have made some significant movement on the list. This was a big change to the list, especially when you look at what it was at the beginning of 2023. The White Sox farm system has improved significantly in just a year and looks to improve even more in the coming year.
