The overwhelming majority of Major League Baseball players enter the league in one of two ways: the draft, or international free agency. It’s quite unusual to hear of a player going undrafted and ending up in the big leagues, though it’s not completely unheard of. There is perhaps no bigger example of undrafted success in baseball than Larry Walker, a former NHL draft-pick turned hall-of-fame baseball player. With the White Sox looking to infuse their organization with talent in several capacities, the team has recently turned to an unconventional method to add depth to the farm system.
The White Sox have reportedly agreed to minor league deals with undrafted right-handed pitchers Anthony Patterson III and Michael Gemma. Both pitchers caught the attention of White Sox scouts while throwing at a pro day at the Tread Athletics facility in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Patterson, a native of Tennessee, attended Central Alabama Community College before transferring to Cumberland University and ultimately, Georgia Gwinnett College. Patterson was a standout for GGC in 2025, posting a 2.52 ERA and maintaining a big role in GGC’s NAIA World Series run. His fastball touched 95 MPH during his pro day this week, leading the White Sox to add him. At 24 years old, Patterson is getting a later start than most prospects, but he’ll begin the season at the White Sox Arizona Complex with hopes of reaching affiliated ball in 2026.
Gemma, also 24, played high school baseball in the Boston area before attending college at Northeastern University. Gemma was primarily a reliever during his four years at Northeastern, though he started 11 games in his senior season in 2024. Gemma made one appearance in the MLB Draft league following his 2024 season, but did not pitch professionally in 2025. He spent time training at Tread and appeared in the recent pro day, where the White Sox saw enough to sign him to a contract this week. Like Patterson, his fastball sits in the mid-90s, and he has experience in both starting and relief work. He’s likely to also begin the 2026 season in Arizona and head out to an affiliate later this season.
A unique, but familiar talent pool for the White Sox
If Tread Athletics sounds familiar, it’s because the White Sox signed LHP Grant Umberger from the same facility last season. Umberger joined the Low-A Kannapolis roster last season and dominated, posting a 2.56 ERA over 105.2 innings, including a single outing at High-A Winston-Salem to end the season. Umberger’s 113 strikeouts set the single-season record for Kannapolis and put the 24 year-old on the radar of White Sox fans and evaluators. Umberger is likely to begin the season in Winston-Salem or Birmingham as he looks to carry his success over to the upper levels of the minor leagues. He joins a growing group of White Sox pitching prospects looking to take a big step forward in 2026.
Grant Umberger just does it all! pic.twitter.com/sHKpwvazJ8
— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) July 2, 2025
While it’s uncommon to find superstars in UDFA signings, it’s not impossible, and the White Sox are leaving no stone unturned in the effort to revamp their player development system. There’s very little risk in giving an opportunity to an intriguing arm, and the White Sox believe there is genuine upside in these signings. Whether Umburger, Patterson, or Gemma ever become a big league pitcher remains to be seen, but I’m all for the White Sox finding unique ways to add talent.
And who knows, maybe they’ll even find a diamond in the rough.