White Sox hitting expert singles out surprise prospect thriving in the minor leagues

Chicago White Sox director of hitting Ryan Fuller has done a nice job since being hired by the team ahead of the 2025 season.

Fuller's job is to help the White Sox develop young bats. That's something the organization has been historically bad at. Chicago saw the impact Brian Bannister had on White Sox pitchers and attempted to replicate that on the offensive side of things.

The early returns from Fuller are very positive. At the Major League level, the White Sox are taking their walks, seeing more pitches, and appear to have a much more polished approach at the plate. Even a struggling hitter and notorious free swinger like Luis Robert Jr. is walking at a respectable rate.

Miguel Vargas was one of the worst hitters in baseball and looked like a lost cause, but now has an OPS of .868 since making a swing adjustment.

In the minor leagues, Fuller has had a magic touch while developing prospects. Shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery was batting .149 with a .479 OPS in Triple-A when the White Sox pulled him from game action to work with Fuller in Arizona. Since returning to Charlotte, Montgomery is batting .274 with a .940 OPS and looks like the Top 100 prospect he was once hyped up as.

It's safe to say Ryan Fuller knows hitting. His endorsement means something, which is exactly why Fuller's recent praise of a White Sox prospect has caught my attention.

Fuller is impressed by Ryan Galanie

Fuller has been singing the praises of minor league corner infielder Ryan Galanie, a 24-year-old from Wofford College that was drafted in the 13th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Galanie hit 17 home runs and posted an .834 OPS between two levels of the minor leagues in his first full professional season (2024). He opened the 2025 campaign in Winston-Salem (A+), but quickly earned himself a promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where he has continued to hit.

"Ryan Galanie has been fantastic so far," Fuller said a few weeks ago. "You see him, he came on his own to Arizona early in spring training. He's working out in the cages every day on his own dime, and just a really exciting player who just hits."

"You talk about the ability to put the bat on the ball," Fuller said. "But also the confidence to go in and, okay, it's Double-A, same game. I hit. I'm gonna be good. He's been really fun to watch."

In 37 games since being promoted to Double-A, Galanie is hitting .303 with an OPS of .804. He walks, he slugs, he puts the bat on the ball and produces hard contact. There's a lot to like about a player that can flat out hit.

Galanie was the SoCon Player of the Year in college with an OPS of 1.161. He has hit at pretty much every level during his baseball career, but always seems to be disregarded because of his age and position.

If White Sox fans were excited about 26-year-old Tim Elko being called up for his Major League debut this season, they should be excited about what the 24-year-old Galanie is currently doing in the minor leagues. He's another candidate to play some 1B/DH for the White Sox if he can get into his power a little bit more.