With a lot of the White Sox prospect noise is focused on AA Birmingham, but a lot of players are having an underrated start in Low-A Kannapolis. Like Birmingham, they also feature a rotation that had four starters with a sub 3 ERA, which is very impressive. It is almost unheard of to have two rotations in your farm system with this much success to this point in the season. The White Sox have really bolstered their system as of late, and more help is on the way, as more top prospects are making their debuts. Let’s take a look at who is off to a hot start in Kannapolis.
Lucas Gordon
It is hard to pick the most outstanding player in their rotation, as they have many talented arms to pick from, but Lucas Gordon has been absolutely dominant.
Gordon, the 6th round pick of the White Sox in last year’s draft, has been stellar. In eight starts, he has a 1.98 ERA and a 1 WHIP. These are some fantastic numbers to start off his first full minor league season. He has 42 strikeouts in 41 innings, while batters are hitting just .157 off of him.
This start will surely get him a promotion to Winston Salem sooner rather than later, as he was selected out of college from Texas, so he can fly through the minor league system if he continues this success.
Seth Keener
Another outstanding arm in the rotation is Seth Kenner, the 3rd round pick of the White Sox in last year’s draft. For all the hate Rick Hahn got as general manager, he surely left the team with a fantastic draft.
So far on the season, Keener has a stellar 2.70 ERA over eight starts. In 36.2 innings, Keener has struck out 42 batters while walking 19. He has a fantastic 1.17 WHIP and batters are only hitting .189 off of him. Since he was taken out of Wake Forest, he could also be on a fast track in the minors, as college pitchers usually move quickly through the system. Like Gordon, Keener has a lot of talent and is definitely a name to familiarize yourself with.
Ryan Galanie
The first hitter on this list, but another draft pick from the 2023 class, Galanie was selected in the 13th round out of Wofford.
He isn’t a name that many White Sox fans are familiar with, but they should get to know him as he is having an elite start to the season. Through 34 games(148 at-bats), Galanie is hitting .348 with a .430 OBP. He has six homeruns, which lead the team, 36 RBIs, and has added 15 walks.
This is a fantastic start for Galanie who is in his first full minor league season. He could move quickly through the system, but since he is a first basemen, he may be blocked as Tim Elko is at AA. It is never a problem to have too much talent, as if Galanie shows he is a major league talent, they will find a spot for him.
The Cannon Ballers have a lot of talent that is likely to be promoted to High-A or AA after the draft. There are a lot of names to be aware of here, as if these players aren’t on any top-30 lists for the White Sox, they surely will be soon.
