With Spring Training games starting up, the efforts of the Chicago White Sox’s latest rebuild attempt are about to be on full display. Several of the organization’s top prospects are participating as members of the 40-man roster and others as non-roster invitees, providing fans with an up-close glimpse of the future.
While several prospects impressed down in the farm system last season, no prospect had a more impactful 2024 season than Noah Schultz. Now a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball, the left-hander is widely regarded as one of the biggest rising prospects in the MiLB. Other arms such as Mason Adams and Sean Burke also saw major steps forward in their development, while Brooks Baldwin stood out among position players as his efforts at the plate and defensive versatility earned him a big-league promotion.
Thanks to these positive performances and many others, the White Sox farm system is highlighted by six top 100 prospects and regarded as one of the strongest in baseball. However, the continued development of their lesser-known prospects will be pivotal to building a roster that can have sustained success.
Who could be this year’s Brooks Baldwin? Will another pitcher come out of nowhere and put themselves in the White Sox’s future plans? Here are five prospects whose stocks could rise dramatically this upcoming season.
Grant Taylor, RHP
While Grant Taylor has already received some love in the scouting industry, highlighted by his appearance in Fangraphs’ most recent top 100, he has a chance to cement himself as one of the league’s premier pitching prospects.
Just two years ago, Taylor was supposed to be the ace of the LSU Tigers’ pitching staff, not Paul Skenes. Unfortunately for Taylor, he required Tommy John surgery just before his final collegiate season and fell to the White Sox in the second round. Skenes, on the other hand, went on to become one of the best pitching prospects of the modern era.
Still, Taylor has legitimate frontline potential, which he was able to showcase in his brief minor league stint last year. Though a lat strain prematurely ended his campaign, the right-hander featured a four-pitch mix that was headlined by his upper 90s fastball. The questions aren’t around Taylor’s upside, but more around his ability to stay healthy. If he can stay on the mound throughout the 2025 season, expect him to appear on more Top 100 lists by mid-season.
George Wolkow, OF
An Illinois native, George Wolkow was a bit of a surprise pick in 2023. Though he was considered a potential first-round pick for the 2024 draft, Wolkow reclassified to the 2023 draft and fell to the Sox in the seventh round. The late pick didn’t cost him anything, as he still signed for the equivalent of second-round money.
With the timing of the MLB Draft and the beginning of the Arizona Fall League shifting this past year, Wolkow most likely wouldn’t be making his MLB debut until this coming season if he hadn’t reclassified. Instead, the newly turned 19-year-old is now entering his third season (second full season) with the White Sox and has held his own at Low-A Kannapolis.
There might not be a prospect in the White Sox’s loaded farm system who has more offensive upside than Wolkow. At 6’7″, 240 pounds, he generates elite raw power at the plate, posting 90th-percentile exit velocities last season. He was surprisingly successful after an aggressive promotion to full-season baseball, sporting a .770 OPS and 126 wRC+ despite being significantly younger than the competition.
The main concern lies with his astronomical strikeout rate, which topped 40% in his 325 plate appearances at the Low-A level. There is some optimism that the root is more mechanical and can be honed in. His 12% walk rate and ability to work deep into counts proves that he is more than an undisciplined free swinger. Still, major adjustments are needed if he is going to achieve any sort of success as he progresses through the White Sox farm system.
Samuel Zavala, OF
Part of the three-prospect package that sent Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, Samuel Zavala showcased some serious upside in the 2023 season. Despite displaying five-tool ability and a knack for getting on base, he regressed in 2024 and spent the entire season with High-A Winston-Salem because of it.
There are reasons to be optimistic that Zavala can get back on track in 2025. He cut his strikeout rate by 5% from the previous year while still showing an elite ability to draw walks. It is also easy to assume that luck wasn’t on his side, as a .238 BABIP is well below the average for any minor-league hitter and should correct itself in the coming season. On top of all that, he has been among the youngest players at every level he’s appeared in, and spending his 19-year-old season in High-A is no different.
Expect Zavala to repeat at that level in 2025, and with more time to adjust, he could very well get back to being the prospect who garnered top 100 consideration.
Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP
Widely considered to be the fourth piece of the Garrett Crochet trade, Wikelman Gonzalez is coming off one of his worst seasons as a minor-league pitcher. He has always exhibited command issues, but they were especially noticeable this past season as he walked nearly five batters per nine innings and held a 4.73 ERA at the Double-A level, the lowest of his career.
When he’s on, Gonzalez can be a strikeout machine and effectively limit opposing batters, as shown during his strong 2023 season. His fastball can be a plus pitch when he can locate it and has breaking pitches that feature plenty of movement. Gonzalez’s command will ultimately determine if he will reach the MLB as a starting pitcher, or if he is destined for a bullpen role. Luckily for him, the 22-year-old is now with an organization that has been successful at developing pitchers.
If Brian Bannister can clean up some of his mechanics and help him work deeper into games, Gonzalez could have everything he needs to have a huge bounceback season.
Javier Mogollon, INF
Javier Mogollon is one of the most intriguing prospects in the White Sox system, while also being one of the most volatile. On one hand, he has shown off his loud tools in both complex leagues and has an elite ability to get on base. However, like Wolkow, his strikeout rate was far too high this past season. At 38.3%, he will need to cut that down substantially to produce any sort of sustainable success moving forward.
The 19-year-old put himself on scouts’ radars in the DSL two years ago and built off that with an attention-grabbing stateside debut in 2024. Despite his high strikeout rate, Mogollon produced a 134 wRC+ and .930 OPS. He also added eight home runs and 16 stolen bases, all while walking at an 18.3% rate.
Expect to see Mogollon promoted to Low-A Kannapolis this season, where he will be tested even further. If he can get the strikeouts in check, the youngster could put up some massive numbers this season and see his stock skyrocket.
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