White Sox Minor Keys: June 5, 2025

Hagen Smith ranked 49th on Keith Law's preseason top 100 MLB prospects list, so it wouldn't have taken a massive swing in fortune to fall out of Law's midseason top 50 list, which he posted last week.

That said, he still explained Smith's drop in a companion piece explaining some of the more significant movers:

Smith was the White Sox’s first-round pick in 2024, going at No. 5, but his Double-A debut this year hasn’t gone well — he made seven starts, and in 25 2/3 innings, he walked 20 batters before hitting the IL with soreness in his left elbow. An MRI didn’t show any damage, so the injury isn’t a catastrophe, but his 18.7 percent walk rate puts him in the bottom 5 percent among all minor-league pitchers who’ve thrown at least 20 innings this year. I’m hopeful this is just a matter of a small sample where Smith may have been fighting through some discomfort and thus unable to command the ball as he has in the past. That kind of walk rate, if sustained over a larger sample, will push him to the bullpen.

(On the plus side, Caleb Bonemer broke into the positive side of this column, saying that Bonemer returned to using the middle of the field when pulling the ball wasn't flattering him as an amateur.)

Smith hasn't appeared in a game since May 10 due to said elbow soreness, and Birmingham pitching coach John Kovalik didn't have a timetable for a return when I asked him Tuesday, saying they're "trying to get him healthy" and he's playing catch. The next day gave me a better understanding of what that meant. I saw Smith participating in a pregame workout at Rickwood Field, throwing a weighted ball (above) and a decently intense medium toss session. He may not be ready enough to state a return date, but he isn't so injured that he's inactive.

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I also asked about Noah Schultz, whose journey into normal starter expectations has been bumpier than expected, results-wise. His walk rate has doubled (6.7 percent to 13.7 percent), while his strikeout rate has dropped (32.1 percent to 22.9 percent). He's been especially susceptible to righties, who are hitting .333/.447/.462 against him, as opposed to a .405 OPS against lefties.

"The performance against right-handed hitters this year has been something that we've been trying to troubleshoot," Kovalik said.

Talking to Kovalik during the first weekend of the season when Schultz endured a barrage of singles against his sinker when he lacked the feel for his slider, he said Schultz could have leaned on his cutter. Two months later, Kovalik says Schultz's seam-effects changeup has taken a step forward in serving that purpose.

"It's definitely a very nice complement to that hard running two-seamer that he has," Kovalik said. "Good velo separation, nice vertical movement, and he's been able to get it into some really good spots against right-handed hitters, and I think that's also helped protect his slider."

Otherwise, he and Birmingham manager Guillermo Quiroz both expressed no concerns about the transition to the typical workload expected from starting pitching prospects. Every one of Schultz's outings in 2025 has had a higher pitch count than his max from 2024 (67).

"I think that's the No. 1 thing for his development throughout he course of his season, just consistently getting deeper into games and then finding a routine that allows him to recover," Kovalik said.

Lehigh Valley 11, Charlotte 4

• Brooks Baldwin went 1-for-3 with a double and two walks.
• Colson Montgomery was 2-for-3 with a pair of homers and an HBP.
• Andrew Vaughn was 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.
• Bryan Ramos wore the collar and silver sombrero.
• Tyler Schweitzer: 1.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 37 of 51 pitches for strikes.
• Tyler Gilbert: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 17 of 27 pitches for strikes.

Highlights:

*Montgomery went 435 feet to dead center, which suggests that his effort is going in the right direction.

His second homer was shorter, but more aesthetically vicious:

He then took a 91-mph fastball off his right hand. After a visit from the trainer, he stayed in to run, but then exited for a defensive sub after the inning. That might've been because Charlotte trailed 10-4 at the time.

Birmingham 6, Rocket City 0

• Rikuu Nishida went 0-for-3 with two walks, a strikeout and a stolen base.
• William Bergolla was 2-for-5 with a strikeout and a stolen base.
• Ryan Galanie, 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and a CS.
• Jacob Gonzalez, 1-for-2 with three walks.
• DJ Gladney walked once and struck out thrice.
• Tommy Vail: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 47 of 79 pitches for strikes.

Asheville 2, Winston-Salem 0

• Sam Antonacci returned to High-A, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Jeral Perez singled, walked and struck out twice.
• Braden Montgomery was 1-for-3 with a walk.
• Samuel Zavala was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Kannapolis 12, Myrtle Beach 1

• T.J. McCants went 2-for-5 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
• Abraham Nuñez was 1-for3- with a double, two walks and a stolen base.
• Javier Mogollón, 2-for-4 with a walk, strikeout and stolen base.
• George Wolkow scored four runs while going 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk.
• Lyle Miller-Green went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
• Ryan Burrowes singled twice, struck out twice, bunted and stole a base.

Highlights:

*Wolkow's homer was the opposite of a moon shot:

ACL White Sox 5, ACL Brewers 3 (7 innings)

• Adrian Gíl was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
• Mathias LaCombe: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 25 of 47 pitches for strikes.

DSL White Sox vs. DSL Pirates Black, suspended