Between a college-heavy 2024 draft class and an international program that's in the middle of a transition after its previous director was fired, you might expect the White Sox's Arizona Complex League roster to be short on intrigue in 2025.
You'd be correct, at least on the surface. It's a decidedly older roster, and of the players who are on the younger side of it, most of them have known track records at lower levels. It doesn't help that third-round pick Blake Larson would've been here had he not undergone Tommy John surgery. This roster will eventually have Alexander Albertus, whenever he's cleared from rehabbing his broken leg to make his White Sox org debut after coming over from the Dodgers in the Erick Fedde/Michael Kopech/Tommy Pham trade, but it's short on the good kind of mystery otherwise.
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Danny Gonzalez
- Pitching coach: Rob Hardy
- Hitting coach: Gerardo Olivares
- Bench coach: Mike Gellinger
The only coach who isn't returning from last year's staff is Hardy, who might have become known to Paul Janish after spending a few years as an assistant coach at Rice, before being named the pitching coach at Gardner-Webb University. Gellinger returns to the ACL after serving as an assistant hitting coach for Grady Sizemore after the firing of Pedro Grifol.
Pitchers of note
Without Larson leading the way, you'll have to settle for a hodgepodge of curiosities. There's LaCombe, the Frenchman whom James met last year in Arizona. Though drafted in the 12th round of the 2023 draft, he didn't throw his first professional pitch until this past Saturday. He's joined by fellow Fegan feature subject Snelten, the 32-year-old Lake Villa product who is effectively Chicagoland Cam Booser at an earlier stage in his rebirth, including the part where they're both former Chicago Dogs.
Speaking of area arms with fascinating journeys, Davis hails from Homer Glen and went undrafted out of University of South Carolina Upstate in 2022. He'd spent his four-year professional career in the independent leagues up until this point -- two in the Frontier League, and two in the Mexican League. If you're wondering why the White Sox are giving him a look just days before he turns 26, maybe it's because he stands 6'9" and 280 pounds.
The other guys are cut from more traditional cloth: Bello is the youngest pitcher on the roster and had encouraging peripherals last year as a 17-year-old in the DSL, and he'll try to have better luck than Chirinos, whose effectiveness took a hit stateside last season. Martinez is trying to bounce back from an abysmal four appearances in the ACL last year, as he couldn't enjoy the same success as Aldrin Batista after coming over from the Dodgers in an international pool money deal. Roberts is 27 and struggled at Birmingham last year, so he's the most out of place guy on this roster.
Pitchers not (yet) of note
- Marco Barrios
- Reudis Diaz
- Jeremy Gonzalez
- Jommy Hernandez
- Connor Housley
- Denny Lima
- Gray Thomas
- Fabian Ysalla
Barríos and Hernandez both walked more hitters than they struck out in the DSL last year. Diaz, González and Ysalla both threw a respectable amount of strikes in the Dominican in 2024, but only after repeating the level. Lima is returning to the ACL White Sox after an unremarkable performance last year. Housley pitched 18 games in the org last year after being recruited out of the Pioneer League in the middle of the 2024 season. The White Sox signed Thomas from the MLB Draft League's Williamsport CrossCutters last July, but he hasn't yet appeared in a game for them.
Catchers
Rios is new to the roster, but he hit just .241/.326/.241 in the DSL last season. Hernandez and Flores split time behind the plate for the ACL White Sox last year, and both had moments, but Flores couldn't provide much impact with his contact, and while Hernandez's early power didn't stick around. Magill went undrafted as a college senior at Indiana State, and hasn't yet played a professional game.
Infielders
Profar had the most productive season of any member of the DSL White Sox after signing out of Curacao for $660,000, hitting .264/.397/.390 while playing mostly shortstop. He carried a strikeout rate of 22 percent while being successful on only half of his 16 stolen base attempts, so a carrying tool has not yet emerged, but having just turned 18 last month, he's the youngest player on this roster, so he's the only one with precociousness on his side.
Gíl and Tejada both open the season repeating the ACL. Gíl posted a .392 OBP in Arizona last year, although his 21-percent walk rate isn't as impressive when paired with a 34-percent strikeout rate that reflects a weakness at putting balls in play earlier in counts.
Willits and Dinesen have experience in the White Sox system -- Willits as an 18th-round pick in 2022, Dinesen as an undrafted free agent who played in the ACL after the White Sox signed him out of the Pioneer League.
New to the organization, Perez is a former second-round pick for the Astros who struck out in his only MLB plate appearance in 2022. He finished out last year in the Atlantic League. Joining him is Smith, who went undrafted out of Kentucky and was teammates with 15th-round pick Mason Moore, and Eblin, who went undrafted out of Alabama, where he was teammates with...
Outfielders
...McCants, who had had a decent pro debut with Kannapolis last season (.230/.356/.443) after being selected in the 16th round. The strikeout rate needs to come down, which is maybe why he started the season on the outside of a crowded Kannapolis outfield picture.
Alcala is making his stateside debut at 19 after two decent seasons in the DSL, where he hit .261/.390/.427. That was the story with Alsinois last year, and his first season stateside underwhelmed. Asigen is 23 and filled a Kannapolis outfield spot last year, so he's the most org player of the bunch.
