With the White Sox breaking the record for the most losses in a season in modern day history, there haven’t been many positives in Chicago. However, in the minor leagues, there have been a lot of significant developments that White Sox fans can get excited about. We take a look at how the high-A affiliate of the White Sox, the Winston-Salem Dash, did this season.
Overall, the Dash came in fifth place in their division, which was second to last. They had the third worst record in their league, 60-72. They did not make the playoffs unlike two other White Sox affiliates, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and the Birmingham Barons. Unfortunately, the Dash were the worst affiliate of the White Sox this season, but there were some positives.
Wes Kath had the most homeruns on the team with 16, setting a new career high for himself as well. He also led the team with 58 RBIs, another career high. Kath should see himself starting the year in AA, as he should get a chance to prove what he can do at a higher level.
William Bergolla was a bright spot, as he was arguably the best hitter on the team after he was acquired for Tanner Banks at the deadline. In 22 games at Winston-Salem, Bergolla hit .316 with a .386 OBP. He hasn’t hit a homerun, but he has added 11 RBIs. He has an extremely solid walk to strikeout ratio, as he has walked seven times compared to just eight strikeouts. On top of that impressive stat line, he has added nine stolen bases.
Shawn Goosenberg had a very good year before his promotion to AA, as he hit .272 with nine homeruns and 51 RBIs.
Casey Saucke had a nice few games for the Dash, as he was assigned to them after the 2024 draft. In 24 games, he hit .290 with two homeruns and nine RBIs.
On the pitching side, there were some very good performances on the season.
Riley Gowens was impressive in his first year in the White Sox organization, as he was acquired in the Aaron Bummer trade. Before getting promoted to Birmingham, he had a decent 4.35 ERA in 70 innings. However, he struck out 85 batters, had a stellar 1.04 WHIP and hitters only hit .188 off of him.
Another starter that had a very solid season for the Dash was Juan Carela, as he also earned himself a promotion to Birmingham to end the year. In 16 starts for the Dash, he had a 3.77 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 74 innings.
Carela has some devastating stuff and has been phenomenal for the White Sox organization since the Keynan Middleton trade with the Yankees. He will start in AA next year and likely make his way up to AAA if he pitches anywhere like he did this year.
Overall, this was an interesting season for the Dash, as they didn’t have too many top tier prospects play for them. However, they will likely get a boost next year, as many of the 2024 draft picks will make their way to Winston-Salem.
