With the White Sox being the worst team in baseball, there is not much to look forward to as a White Sox fan. However, the one bright side is the farm system, as there have been some great performances this season at each level that can provide a glimmer of hope for the White Sox in a few years.
The Charlotte Knights roster is filled with talent, as Chris Getz has been a bit aggressive when promoting some of his top prospects. As of right now, Charlotte has four of the top ten White Sox prospects, as they are headlined by Colson Montgomery and Edgar Quero.
Unfortunately, this season hasn’t gone as planned for Montgomery, but there have been quite a few players that have been having great seasons for AAA. Let’s take a look at who’s played well for the Knights:
Bryan Ramos
Ramos was almost able to stick around on in Chicago, but for some reason the White Sox optioned him back to AAA after one day. Ramos might not have to wait much longer to make it back to Chicago, as he is likely a September call-up.
Ramos has been on an absolute heater in the month of August, as he is hitting .291 with a .396 OBP. In 86 at-bats, he has added six homeruns and 18 RBIs. He’s also taken 11 walks, which is an encouraging sign. Ramos should get some major league at-bats to end the year, which will be good for him, as he showed flashes when he was promoted to Chicago in May. He is one of the most important White Sox position player prospects, so him panning out is key for their future.
Tim Elko
Another bat that is deserving of a promotion to Chicago is Tim Elko. Ever since the White Sox selected Elko out of Ole Miss in the 2022 MLB Draft, he’s been an elite hitter at every level, and AAA is no different.
Since joining the club, Elko has .274 with a .333 OBP. In just 27 games, he has six homeruns and 16 RBIs. He has found his power stroke since jointing the Knights, as in 91 games with Birmingham, he hit just nine homers.
Elko is 25 so he should be promoted to Chicago shortly. He’s earned himself a promotion and it would likely be in the White Sox best interest to get him some at-bats at the major league level to see if all his hitting can translate to the MLB.
Personally, I would rather see Elko get some at-bats at DH than Gavin Sheets, but it seems at this point the White Sox disagree. If the White Sox move on from Sheets in the offseason, Elko will be the first man in line to take his spot at DH.
