When most Chicago White Sox fans try to think of a prospect in the organization with eye-popping statistics, they probably think of Tim Elko’s nine (9) home runs in April or the electric start to Braden Montgomery’s pro career.
Most people wouldn’t think of minor league shortstop Jordan Sprinkle. In fact, the die-hard Sox fans are probably the only ones who have even heard the name. But alas, Sprinkle is doing something incredibly noteworthy to begin the 2025 season on the base paths: He is pacing for 105 stolen bases.
Sprinkle was with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers to begin the 2025 season. Sprinkle swiped 20 bags in his first 16 contests before being called up to Winston-Salem earlier this week.
The Dash are currently sitting with a 9-14 record through 25 games in a 132-game South Atlantic League season. Less than 20 percent of the way through the season and Sprinkle already has 20 steals. That puts him on pace for 105. The all-time minor league record is 145 by Vince Coleman back in 1983.
Coleman would go on to win MLB Rookie of the Year in 1985. He also appeared in two MLB All-Star games, had a 13-year major league career, and stole 752 bases in the big leagues (6th most all-time).
Back in 2023, Sprinkle was ranked 25th on MLB.com’s list of the Top 30 White Sox prospects.
He was praised as one of the best defensive shortstops of his college class. The speed was always going to play in pro ball. But could he hit? With only six career home runs and a .237 career batting average ein the minor leagues, Sprinkle has since dropped out of the Sox Top 30 prospect list. He has struggled to hit at pretty much every level of the minor leagues.
Sprinkle spent the entire 2024 season in Winston-Salem and was demoted ahead of the 2025 campaign because of his .207 batting average and .575 OPS. After opening 2025 with a .420 batting average, Sprinkle earned a promotion back to High-A.
Speed is only valuable if you put yourself in a situation to use it. The more Sprinkle gets on base, the more he can run. He’s never going to have an elite hit tool, but the key to reviving his minor league career is going to be getting on base enough to wreak havoc on the bases.