One of the top relief pitchers in the White Sox farm system has just received a promotion. Eric Adler, who was not ranked as one of the White Sox top prospects, but was included in Sox on 35th’s preseason honorable mentions, has been promoted from the High-A Winston Salem Dash to the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
Adler was drafted by the White Sox in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. He was viewed by many as arguably the top reliever in his draft class. His stuff includes a fastball that tops out at 98, a sharp upper 80s slider that generates a ton of movement, and a hammer curveball, and was viewed as one of the best arsenals of all the 2022 pitching draft prospects. His problem in college, however, was his ability to command his pitches and throw strikes.
While there is still plenty of room for improvement in his command, it has been much better since he turned pro. In 2023, his BB/9 was a bit over 5. However, he was virtually unhittable at both the Low-A and High-A levels. On the season e had a 2.87 ERA and struck out 42 batters in 31.1 innings.
In 2024, he has taken his production to another level. Through 9 innings, he has yet to give up a run and has already struck out 14 batters. His command has appeared to take at least a small step forward as well, as he has only walked 4 batters during that span. It is clear that the 23-year-old was overmatching opposing batters, so a promotion to Double-A was due.
Adler has the upside to be a high-leverage relief pitcher in the major leagues when he gets to that point. His command may always hold him back a bit, but when his stuff is on opposing hitters will always struggle to make contact against the right-hander.
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Featured image: MiLB.com
