With the White Sox rebuilding, the focus is once again on the farm system. This time, however, the club and its affiliates are trying to bring about innovative ways to get fans interested in the next wave of future South Siders.
Last week, the White Sox’s High-A affiliate, the Winston-Salem Dash, announced the “Future Sox Showdown,” which will be an Extended Spring Training Game between the Dash and the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. The game will take place at Truist Stadium, home of the Dash, on April 2nd at 6:30 p.m.
The Dash had the following to say in their press release:
“This action-packed game will feature several of the top young prospects in the Chicago White Sox organization, which was ranked the fourth-best farm system in MLB according to a recent poll of MLB executives. On April 2, fans will get a sneak preview at the Opening Day roster, along with a look at who may get called up to Winston-Salem later in the 2025 season.”
Beyond the game itself, there will also be opportunities for fans to interact with select Winston-Salem Dash players during an on-field autograph session. Currently, tickets are on sale for as low as $0.52 – and, given that this is a minor-league stadium, tickets all around the ballpark are incredibly cheap. Gates will open at 5 PM on game day.
As mentioned in the release, the White Sox’s farm system has shot up the rankings, thanks in part to some successful recent draft picks like Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz as well as the acquisition of Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth, and Wikelman Gonzalez in the Garrett Crochet trade. MLB Pipeline ranks the White Sox as the fourth-best system, though similar rises are expected from outlets such as Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus when their rankings come out closer to Opening Day 2025. One notable difference in this rebuild has been a greater focus on building up the depth of the minor-league system, rather than focusing on just a few top prospects who were expected to carry the load.
Given that the game is so early in the season, it is unclear who among the White Sox’s top prospects will start at the A-ball level. Players who finished at the levels include the following:
- Dash: Aldrin Batista (RHP), Jared Kelley (RHP), Seth Keener (RHP), Hagen Smith (LHP), Wes Kath (INF), Jordan Sprinkle (INF), Jacob Burke (OF), Loidel Chapelli (OF), Casey Saucke (OF), Samuel Zavala (OF)
- Cannon Ballers: Frankeli Arias (LHP), Tanner McDougal (RHP), Grant Taylor (RHP), Ryan Burrowes (INF), Drake Logan (INF), Jeral Perez (INF), Sam Antonacci (INF), George Wolkow (OF)
The White Sox will begin to announce their rosters shortly before the game begins, so you can expect more details on who will participate as the date gets closer.
If you live in the area, don’t miss a unique chance to watch part of the future on the South Side. Credit to Chris Getz, Paul Janish, and the rest of the White Sox’ front office for being creative in what is certainly a difficult time for some to get excited about the White Sox.
Tickets to the event can be purchased here.
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Featured Image: @WSDashBaseball/X
