The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans.
However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the seasons of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.
Next on the list, and the third consecutive player acquired by the White Sox at the trade deadline, is infielder Jeral Perez. Perez just turned 20 and will be 20 for the entirety of the 2025 season, so he is still a few years away from the major leagues.
Prior to coming to the White Sox, Perez played with the Dodgers low-A affiliate. There, he hit .264 with a .380 OBP. Chris Getz clearly has a trend of acquiring players that have high on base percentages, as he wants to shape the team around taking more walks. Perez also hit 10 homeruns and added 42 RBIs. He added 48 walks compared to 77 strikeouts. These are impressive numbers, as 10 homers in half a season from a 19 year old second basemen is encouraging to see.
In 30 games for the Cannon Ballers, Perez hit .259 with 2 homers and 10 RBIs. The slash line was pretty similar to what he was doing with the Dodgers, however, the power numbers weren’t there. This shouldn’t be anything to worry about, as he played in less games and had to adjust to a new team after the trade.
Jeral Perez’s first #WhiteSox hit is a 2R double to the LC gap. pic.twitter.com/T6e854PYCx
— Ian Eskridge (@dailywhitesox) August 2, 2024
Perez was one of the Dodgers representatives at the Futures Game during the all-star break, so he has a bit of hype behind him, as the Dodgers have a stacked farm system.
I can see the White Sox starting Perez at High-A Winston Salem, sharing the middle of the infield with other newly acquired prospect William Bergolla. This would be an interesting tandem to follow as the season progresses.
Of all the players the White Sox acquired at the deadline, Perez may have the highest ceiling, as if he can hit 15-20 homeruns as a second basemen, that would be a huge development.
