The Chicago White Sox farm system may have tumbled down the rankings. That does not mean the organization still does not have some exciting young players making their way to the big leagues.
MLB Pipeline ranked the White Sox prospect pool the 17th best in baseball during its midseason rankings, an 11-spot drop from the preseason rankings.
A big reason for the decline is catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, along with infielders Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery, and pitcher Grant Taylor, all graduating from prospect status. The club now has five players ranked among MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects.
The White Sox have a lot of promising pitching and infield prospects that may not be considered Top 100 talents, but have the promise to be outstanding big leaguers someday.
Sam Antonacci is raking at Double-A. Former first-round pick Jacob Gonzalez has been up and down at Triple-A, but he still has a solid OPS for the Charlotte Knights. Jeral Perez is at 20 home runs at 20 years old in High-A.
There's also the obvious names like Billy Carlson (No. 78) and Caleb Bonemer (No. 87), who are both Top 100 prospects for an organization with an already crowded MLB infield.
The volume of talented infield prospects the White Sox have should motivate the club to start thinking about moving some guys around to give them a path to The Show. There are three prospects in particular who the organization should try out at other positions.
Move William Bergolla to the outfield
William Bergolla, the team's No. 12 prospect, lacks power. He has just 20-grade power, which is the worst possible grade on the 20-80 scouting scale. Bergolla has hit just one career home run in the minors.
Bergolla does, however, fit the hitting profile that the White Sox like for a player that can't hit the ball over the fence. His production during his minor league career indicates he can hit for a solid batting average and draw a high walk rate.
At 20 years old, Bergolla is hitting .286 in Double-A with a .344 OBP and 32 stolen bases. He also seemed comfortable going up against Major League pitching during some Spring Training at-bats.
He appears to be an advanced hitter for his age, and he has excellent speed with a good arm. That should translate to being able to play a couple of outfield positions. Even if Bergolla never hits for power, there's value in a speedy utilityman that puts up a high batting average.
Jeral Perez could be another option to move to a corner outfield spot with his power, but his arm is just average, and I think Bergolla would make the transition easier.
Caleb Bonemer should get some reps at first base or in the outfield
The White Sox believe Caleb Bonemer can be a shortstop. The problem is that Colson Montgomery looks like he will have shortstop locked down at the Major League level for a while, and Billy Carlson had the best glove among all the draft prospects this year.
If Carlson can make a swing adjustment, it will only be a matter of time before he forces the issue and moves Montgomery over to third base.
With Antonacci already ahead of Bonemer in the system as that additional infielder, it might be time to start thinking of some other spots for the 2024 second-round pick to play.
Bonemer has enough power to play first base or a corner outfield position. He could easily develop into a 20-20 guy in the big leagues. The White Sox lack a long-term first baseman in their system, and Bonemer might be able to fill that void.
Bryan Ramos' potential should be given one last shot in the outfield
I feel like Bryan Ramos has fallen out of favor within the organization. MLB Pipeline once considered Ramos the White Sox No. 3 prospect.
An injury at the start of the Spring Training and hitting below .230 at Triple-A this season has sent Ramos' stock tumbling down.
While the White Sox gave other highly regarded prospects like Montgomery and pitchers Jairo Iriarte and Hagen Smith the "Arizona Reset," pulling them from game action after struggling, Ramos was not afforded the same treatment.
He has also been passed over for promotions this season and the White Sox went out of their way to acquire Curtis Mead from the Tampa Bay Rays. For all these reasons, I think Ramos is no longer highly regarded by the front office.
With Mead and Miguel Vargas already covering third and first base at the big league level, and Antonacci producing better at the plate in the minors, I think third base is no longer Ramos' path to being a long-term member of the White Sox.
With 14 home runs and a .761 OPS over his last 80 games, all hope is not lost. The team did have Ramos take some outfield reps during batting practice last season when he was up with the big league club. He has played a handful of games in the outfield this year in Charlotte, and a full-time move to the outfield could open up some opportunities.
Ramos is still 23, and with the White Sox lacking promising outfield prospects, it cannot hurt to see if he still has a bright future playing at one of the corner outfield spots.