MLB Pipeline's recently released list of the top 30 Chicago White Sox prospects foreshadows brighter days are ahead for the South Siders.
Headlined by Noah Schultz, Kyle Teel, and Hagen Smith, who are the best left-handed pitching and third-best catching prospects, Sox fans are excited to see what the new era of talent brings to this shorthanded franchise.
Although the abundance of talent is reinvigorating, a deeper look into the Sox’s top 30 prospects reveals a concerning pattern.
Chicago is reliant on other teams to feed their system.
Among the listed prospects, 14 weren’t drafted by the Sox. 13 were acquired through trades, and one was selected as a Rule 5 draft pick.
Within the top 10, Teel, Braden Montgomery, Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth, and Jairo Iriarte were not originally drafted by the Sox.
What stands out is that nearly a third of Chicago's top 30 prospects were acquired within the last year, indicating that the Sox have struggled to identify and develop gifted players in recent years.
Nine players on our 16-30 list were acquired by the #WhiteSox since July. Read about the guys on the back half of the pre-season top 30 list here: https://t.co/XoJVdA5pVh
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) March 4, 2025
Drilling down further, the Sox have difficulty quickly developing position players specifically.
Colson Montgomery was drafted in 2021 and has spent four years gearing up for his debut in the Majors. George Wolkow, the Sox’s No. 10 prospect, was drafted by Chicago in 2023 and isn’t expected to arrive until 2027.
Meanwhile, Teel is ready to go this year and was drafted by Boston in 2023. Meidroth, who came to the organization along with the Teel in the Garrett Crochet trade, has spent three years in the Red Sox’s farm system.
Sox fans shouldn’t be surprised to see a contrast in talent between homegrown and acquired prospects.
Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal, and Adam Engel all exemplify the Sox’s inability to draft skilled position players in the last decade.
Luis Robert Jr. and Tim Anderson, who had a poor year with the Marlins in 2024, are the exceptions.
While the coaching staff is also partially at fault, it all starts with the scouts.
Fortunately, the Sox have made changes to improve their scouting department. Last year they fired four scouts, including veteran pro scout Billy Scherer and Marco Paddy, director of international operations. They also brought in David Keller from the New York Mets to lead the team's international scouting.
The Sox need to take charge of their farm system instead of leaning on other clubs to build their Triple-A roster.
With half of their 30 best prospects expected to be called up this year, Sox scouts must be ready to replenish the Minor League teams in upcoming drafts. It's time for the Sox be self-reliant and start stock-piling talented players for years to come.