This season has been an absolute disaster for the Chicago White Sox. They are one of the worst teams in the league and by far the most disappointing, considering the hype surrounding the team at the beginning of the season.
This has brought extra attention to the White Sox farm system, as it can give fans a glimpse of hope for the future, as there are some talented young players who can help the White Sox compete in the near future. Most of these prospects are at AA, where the level of competition is the highest compared to the other levels.
The White Sox AA team is and has been the Birmingham Barons. This is currently where most of their top prospects are playing, including top prospect Colson Montgomery. Five out of their ten top prospects are currently in Birmingham. Players can make the jump from AA to the MLB, so it is important that they perform well here, as that gives them an excellent chance to make it to the major leagues in the near future.
But, player performances are not why they are in the news as of late. It has recently been reported that the Barons have been sold to an organization that runs a select number of minor league teams.
This is definitely not news that I had expected to hear, as they have been owned by a family for a while now. It seems pending approval, they will be sold to Diamond Baseball Holdings. But on the bright side, the Logan family, the family that previously owned the team, will stick around as advisors to help keep their legacy with the Barons intact.
Diamond Baseball Holdings already owns a number of minor-league baseball teams, including the Iowa Cubs. It is apparent that they have been looking to expand their list of teams, as they recently purchased the Midland RockHounds, the AA affiliate of the Oakland A’s, the Portland Sea Dogs, the Red Sox AA affiliate, and the Witchita Surge, the AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. All of these purchases were made in early December of last year.
It seems that Diamond Baseball Holdings is aggressively expanding, as they now will own 23 minor league teams across all levels. This is an interesting development, as you wonder what improvements they will bring to Birmingham.
The Barons have an extensive history, as they were the team that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan played for when he made the switch over to baseball. They have been the White Sox affiliate for the longest time and most of the White Sox players have played for the Barons at some point in their career.
I know this is not the sale that most White Sox fans were looking for, but this is a development to follow, as it seems that Diamond Baseball Holdings will not be done buying up teams anytime soon and other Sox affiliates could be next.
