As mentioned in Friday's Minor Keys, the number of breakout performances in the White Sox farm system from truly off-the-radar types were outnumbered by setbacks for more prominent names, so when I saw MLB Pipeline's article identifying one player who made a leap for each team, a favorite didn't immediately come to mind.
When I clicked through, the White Sox's choice made enough sense:
White Sox: Anthony DePino, 1B (No. 22)
Though DePino set Rhode Island single-season and career marks for runs, homers, extra-base hits, total bases and walks in 2025, when he also was just one of two NCAA Division I players to total 20 homers and 20 steals, teams didn't love his age (22) or his profile as a righty-hitting first baseman. His power, penchant for hard contact and mental toughness led the White Sox to take him in the seventh round and translated into a .262/.363/.481 first full pro season with 25 homers in 125 games between High-A and Double-A.
DePino finished with a .260/357/.482 line at Birmingham, which is pretty good for a 23-year-old's first exposure to Double-A, although he might have to hit even better than that to support a first base profile.
Lower down, you realize the White Sox's choice would have been more obvious had they not traded him to the Seattle.
Mariners: Boston Smith, C/OF (No. 13)
Smith began Spring Training with the team that drafted him in 2025’s sixth round, the Nationals, but was sent to the White Sox before the year officially started. He had mashed his way to Double-A by the time the Mariners got him at the Trade Deadline in the Luis Castillo deal. He wasn’t on the White Sox Top 30 to start the season, but was in the middle of that list and had hit 22 homers over 79 games when he was dealt. He added nine more to be one of 22 hitters with more than 30 homers this season and he also finished in the top 20 in all of the Minors with 97 walks. His 158 combined wRC+ was fourth among all hitters.
Norfolk 3, Charlotte 1
- Rikuu Nishida singled, walked and struck out twice.
- Edgar Quero was 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout.
- Ryan Galanie went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
- Huascar Brazobán: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 11 of 15 pitches for strikes.
