Farm Fortnight: The calm before the draft

If the White Sox don't shuffle the roster of their minor league affiliates this week, then it's probably because there's already a natural line of demarcation right around the corner. The MLB draft starts Sunday, followed by the All-Star break. By the time the seasons resume the following Friday, they should have a better idea of which players will be ready to back-fill the vacancies left behind.

As James wrote this morning, Chris Getz said that he hopes to supply bats to the system one way or another, be it through the draft or the trade deadline. When you go through the performances level by level, it's easy to understand where he's coming from. There wasn't a whole lot of competition when it came to determining the...

Fortnight's Finest

Position player: Tim Elko. While Colson Montgomery was rewarded for his excellent performance against Toledo with a promotion to the majors, Elko whomped on the Mud Hens, then was left to do it again against Jacksonville. He hit .324/.432/.676 with three homers and four doubles over 10 games. He also struck out 15 times, a reminder of why the White Sox aren't readily convinced that a third cup of coffee will go much different than the first two.

Pitcher: Tanner McDougal. McDougal might've been given this honor simply by snapping his 63-game winless streak, but he earned both the W's and the nod by allowing just one run over 16 innings in three starts -- two against Knoxville, and one against Chattanooga. He's been pitching better than ever, and rewarding the patience of everybody involved, including himself.

Now, onto the less laudatory!

Charlotte Knights

• Last two series: 4-2 @Toledo; 3-2 vs./@Jacksonville
• Record: 43-43 (7-4 in second half)
• Next two series: @Memphis, vs. Durham
• Individual stats

With Colson Montgomery, Brooks Baldwin and Tristan Gray all in Chicago, the Charlotte Knights lineup looks different. That's not to be confused with unfamiliar, because the Charlotte roster has 14 players who have spent time with the White Sox this season, with Vinny Capra the latest to clear waivers. Beyond them, you also have five more players who wore White Sox uniforms last season, and seven if you count players on the injured/developmental lists.

The abundance of AAAA players didn't help the White Sox, obviously, but it's helped Sergio Santos' squad, which is 2-0-1 in its last three series. On the International League leaderboard, the Knights are first in homers by a healthy margin and third in runs scored, which is enough to overwrite the fact that they're fourth in runs allowed.

Position Players

*Bryan Ramos went just 4-for-32 over eight games against Toledo and Jacksonville, and three of those hits came against lefties. His line against righties dropped to .172/.304/.311 on the season, and with Gray joining the 40-man and 26-man rosters, he's getting crowded out of the depth chart.

*Tim Elko stole his first two bases of the season during the Toledo series, among the other accomplishments previously noted. Maybe he's bored.

*Dru Baker finally had a proof-of-concept series against Toledo, and then he did it again versus Jacksonville. He went 10-for-32 with three doubles, good for a .313/.371/.406 line over 10 games, so this is probably closer to what the White Sox had in mind when they traded Matt Thaiss for him.

Pitchers

*Noah Schultz found a way to switch it up. After struggling against right-handed hitting for most of the season, he gave up his first two homers to a lefty in 2025 in his latest start against Jacksonville. His line through three starts at Triple-A: 11.1 IP, 18 H, 15 R, 15 ER, 8 BB, 13 K, 3 HR, 1 HBP, .391/.482/.696 line against.

*Jairo Iriarte avoided walking a batter in three of his four appearances over the last two weeks, even though he's throwing his slider nearly as often as his fastball. He's been effective since returning to Charlotte as a reliever (13 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 17 K), so he might be one of the next in line for a look in the bullpen the next time a need arises, since the White Sox have already used his second minor league option.

*Tyler Schweitzer was able to put a dent in his ERA with 4⅓ scoreless innings of relief between the Toledo and Jacksonville series. Since the White Sox moved him to the bullpen a few weeks ago, he's been assigned one multi-inning relief appearance a series. It's gone well for him -- one run allowed over seven innings -- but it's also not a particularly useful role.

*Peyton Pallette changed his pitch mix considerably since that gruesome three-outing stretch where he gave up 10 runs over two-thirds of an inning.

• Before June 17: 54.8% FB, 18.1% SL, 14.2% CU, 12.9% CH
• Since June 17: 49% FB, 31.7% CB, 10.6% SL, 8.7% CH

It's working well for him, as he's allowed just one run and six baserunners over eight innings, striking out eight.

*Wikelman González was promoted to the White Sox for a pair of two-inning outings that conveniently briefed fans on the positives (hard to square up) and negatives (his control loves the Irish goodbye). He's since pitched three scoreless innings with Charlotte during the Jacksonville series, even though he's walked four against one strikeout. Also, he's 6-0 for the Knights. He contains multitudes.

Birmingham Barons

• Last two series: 3-3 @Knoxville; 2-4 vs./@Chattanooga
• Record: 43-38 (5-7 in second half)
• Next two series: @Biloxi, vs. Knoxville
• Individual stats

It's a good thing the Charlotte Knights are scoring runs, because the offensive picture disintegrates pretty quickly below Triple-A. The Birmingham Barons have hit just 30 homers over 81 games, which trails seventh-place Knoxville by 15. That's nothing new, but extra-base hits of all kinds have dried up over the last two weeks. The Barons mustered just two homers and eight doubles over their last two series. That's a total of 10 extra-base hits when the rest of the league was good for at least 17 over that same span, and a slugging percentage of .265 that's last by 61 points.

The pitching staff received reinforcements from above (Jake Palisch), below (Tanner McDougal, Lucas Gordon) and the injured list (Hagen Smith), so the strength remains a strength, but man, is the weakness a weakness.

Position Players

*Jacob Gonzalez was held in check by Knoxville, as he went 3-for-19, and all those hits were in the same game. He then resumed his steady production against Chattanooga, returning to the extra-base hit column with a couple of doubles. He's now played 171 games at Birmingham, and with Colson Montgomery in Chicago, the time seems right for a promotion to Charlotte.

*Wilfred Veras missed a couple weeks with a hamstring injury. He returned for the last two games of the Chattanooga series, going 0-for-7 with a walk and two strikeouts.

*DJ Gladney is still stuck at nine extra-base hits, as it's been 13 games since his last non-single. He missed the last three games of the Chattanooga series after taking a fastball to his right forearm/elbow area in his final plate appearance on Thursday.

*William Bergolla enters the fresh week in a slump, as he went 1-for-16 over the last five games of the Chattanooga series. On the other hand, he went 9-for-23 the previous week against Knoxville. It all balances out to a .340 OBP that's light on slugging, which has been the general idea for most of the season.

*Rikuu Nishida has gone 18 games without an extra-base hit, and he's also gone 15 games without a stolen-base attempt. The former isn't anything new, but the latter is unusual for him.

*Ryan Galanie broke a 27-game homer drought with a three-run shot against the Lookouts on Friday. It was a productive couple weeks, as he hit .300/.354/.400, and some of the OBP was reduced by three sacrifice flies.

Pitchers

*Hagen Smith is back in action after being sidelined for a month and a half, throwing 33 and 49 pitches in his starts against Knoxville and Chattanooga as he works his way back into starting form. The results don't look terribly different yet (4.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP), but he is throwing more strikes (61 percent, up from 57 percent).

*Riley Gowens has been struggling for about five starts now, as he's been hit to the tune of a .347/.422/.545 line since June 13. The last hope for value in the Aaron Bummer trade is running on fumes.

*Tanner McDougal on the other hand, is just hitting his stride. His line since being promoted to Double-A: 21.1 IP, 14 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 29 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP.

*Lucas Gordon hasn't pitched since throwing six shutout, one-hit innings in his only Double-A start on June 20, but he's supposed to be back in action over the next week or two.

*Shane Murphy set a career high by throwing eight innings against Chattanooga on Thursday, and given that he only threw 83 pitches he probably could've gone the distance. As a starter, he's allowed a line of .178/.210/.280 this year. That seems damn near impossible for a guy who has to sweat to break 90, but he keeps doing it somehow.

Winston-Salem Dash

• Last two series: 1-5 @Greensboro; 1-5 vs./@Hub City
• Record: 29-51 (4-11 in second half)
• Next two series: @Greensville, vs. Greensboro
• Individual stats

The offensive picture isn't much better at Winston-Salem, except the second-half record accurately reflects the lack of firepower. The Dash hit just .166/.286/.234 as a team while losing five of six against both Greensboro and Hub City, while a pitching staff that's short on prospects has posted a league-worst 5.10 ERA over that time.

Position Players

*Braden Montgomery was named to the Futures Game roster, but he's in a rut otherwise. He's 2-for-28 with 15 strikeouts over his last eight games.

*Sam Antonacci won White Sox Player of the Month honors for June, but it's been a slower start to his July. He went 4-for-23 during the six games against Hub City, although as always, the combination of walks and HBPs (five) buoyed him against the fluctuations in BABIP fortune.

*Jeral Perez can be added to the "slumping" list, as he went 4-for-35 over the 10 games against Greensboro and Hub City. At least three of those hits went for extra bases (a homer and two doubles).

*Samuel Zavala disappeared against the Grasshoppers, but responded from that 1-for-15 showing by reaching base 10 times in five games against the Spartanburgers, including a homer and a double.

Pitchers

*Christian Oppor tied his career high with 10 strikeouts over five innings against Hub City last Wednesday. It seems like he's gained comfort in High-A with three consecutive respectable five-inning outings in a row (15 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 19 K, 3 HR, 5 HBPs).

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

• Last two series: 3-3 @Fredericksburg; 2-4 vs./@Hickory
• Record: 37-44 (5-10 in second half)
• Next two series: vs. Myrtle Beach, @Columbia
• Individual stats

In a pleasant change of pace, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers don't have the Carolina League's least-productive offense over the last fortnight. Their .245/.327/.306 line, while unimpressive, is effectively the league median over the last 12 games.

If the output has felt underwhelming when reading the Minor Keys on a daily basis, it's probably because the Ballers offense has been divided into haves and have-nots. Four regulars have OPSes better than .700 over the last two series, while three couldn't even get theirs above .500, and the unevenness dates back to the start of June.

Position Players

*Caleb Bonemer seemed to hit a wall in June, batting .192/.326/.231 over 95 plate appearances, with one homer his solitary extra-base hit. He then closed out the series against Hickory by going 6-for-10 with a homer and two doubles, so perhaps he's getting his second wind.

*Javier Mogollón fared even worse over his 95 plate appearances in June, hitting .141/.223/.188 with a homer and a double. He was also successful in only three of six stolen base attempts, and the hamstring issue he's battling has him back on the injured list.

*Ronny Hernandez had no such problems in June, as he's hitting .289/.388/.337 since the start of that month. He's now played 152 games in Kannapolis the last two seasons, so it's probably worth testing his game against more advanced pitching to see whether his ability to hit for average, draw a walk, and poke the occasional double can hold up.

*George Wolkow is in a 3-for-42 slump, although he closed out the Hickory series by drawing five walks over his last two games. His performances have morphed over the course of the season, and this current form is one of his stranger shapes.

*Ryan Burrowes is one of the few Ballers who can feel happy about his past month, as he hit .315/.354/.438 in June with two homers, three doubles and nine stolen bases. If you have to pick a nit, the walks dried up on him, but if that's because he's putting the more hittable pitches into play, it's a trade-off he'll take.

*Lyle Miller-Green hasn't managed an extra-base hit in 12 games, but the rest of his game is holding together. He's on the right side of the have/have not divide in Kannapolis' lineup, hitting .309/.430/.404 since the start of June.

*Abraham Nuñez had the toughest June of anybody, hitting .122/.167/.176 over 78 plate appearances. The White Sox must think the project is worthwhile, because they could crowd him out of the outfield if they wanted to.

Pitchers

*Seth Keener is allowing a a 1.015 OPS to right-handed hitters this season, which is not what you want to see out of a right-handed pitcher. His Kannapolis-only ERA is 6.39, and he hasn't completed five innings in any of his last four starts.

*Luis Reyes was named the White Sox's Pitcher of the Month for allowing just one run over 25 innings in June. He then started July with four more scoreless innings against Hickory before a five-run fifth ruined his line, but the arrow is still pointing up.

*Pierce George still hasn't allowed a single run in an outing this year. In 26 games, he has 17 scoreless outings, three with two runs allowed, five with three runs, and one with five runs.

*Blake Shepardson started mashing the strikeout button after hitting everything else this season. His line over four appearances split between the Fredericksburg and Hickory series: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 11 K, 2 HBP.

ACL White Sox

• Record: 26-22
• Individual stats

With barely more than two weeks remaining in a regular season that ends on July 24, the ACL White Sox are in a surprising battle for first in the Arizona Complex League West division, a game behind the Royals and a half-game ahead of the Rangers. Similar to the 2024 AL Central, four of the five teams are above .500, and the last-place ACL Padres are 10-37 after losing 12 in a row.

Position Players

Alexander Albertus hasn't played since June 23. He's in "wait and see" mode as he continues to struggle with his recovering from the fractured tibia he suffered last year. Adrian Gíl continues to mix in the occasional start at catcher to his first base duties. Jurdrick Profar is still struggling to the point that hitting .194/.306/.323 over his last 10 games counts as a hot streak.

Pitchers

Mathias LaCombe has allowed just 11 baserunners over his last 15⅔ innings as he continues to thrive under his once-a-week workload. Noah Syndergaard is stretched out to four innings, so it'd be a surprise if he spends much longer in the desert.

DSL White Sox

• Record: 10-14
• Individual stats

The DSL White Sox are regressing to the middle of the pack on both fronts. Their ERA improved from 7.20 to 6.65, and the improvement is heartening when considering that they boast the youngest pitching staff in the whole Dominican Summer League (17.6 years old). The offense has still been effective in terms of contact and average, but just like the levels above, the extra-base hits are getting fewer and further between.

Several DSL White Sox hitters started hot, but Christian Gonzalez is the only one of them who has refused to cooll off. He's hitting .462/.576/.731 over his last nine games, although his speed refuses to translate to base-stealing, as he's 13-for-28 in his DSL career. Like Gíl a level above him, Eduardo Herrera continues to mix in the occasional start at catcher, which probably doesn't reflect a whole lot of faith in getting $1.8 million out of his bat. Orlando Patiño hasn't played since June 20.

It took Diego Perez a handful of appearances to experience success, which I suppose is acceptable for a 16-year-old, but he seems to have found something of late:

• First 4 games: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 7 K, 1 HBP
• Last 4 games: 9 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 11 K

Yobal Rodríguez won't have a spotless ERA by the next Farm Fortnight, as he finally gave up his first runs in Monday's suspended game. I suppose that's also acceptable.

White Sox Minor Keys

ACL Reds 15, ACL White Sox 10

• Jurdrick Profar went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. He was also caught stealing.

DSL White Sox vs DSL Pirates Black, suspended