2025 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Preview

The next wave of White Sox stars are set to ignite 

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the Low-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, should have an intriguing 2025 season, building upon their successful 2024 campaign in which they won the Carolina South Division championship. With a roster of promising prospects, can the coaching staff again create a winning culture that fosters the growth and development of these young players?

Speaking of coaches, Chad Pinder will manage the Ballers this season, taking over the helm from Pat Leyland, who was promoted with much of his 2024 Ballers core to the Winston-Salem Dash.

The Ballers will play their first game of the season at home on Friday, April 4, at 6:00 p.m. CT. They’ll take on the Hickory Crawdads, an affiliate of the Texas Rangers, in a three-game set.

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Position Players

With the recent trades and drafting during the Chris Getz and Co. era, Chicago’s lower-level minors have quite a bit of offensive depth and talent. Unfortunately, though, the hitters are so young that they are several years away from being able to contribute at the big league level. Let’s take a quick look at a few of them.

Caleb Bonemer
The second round (No. 43) 2024 draft pick of the White Sox is the No. 11 overall prospect in Chicago’s system per MLB and is rated at No. 17 at South Side Sox. Selected out of high school, Bonemer demonstrates considerable strength and executes a quick swing. The 19-year-old shortstop earned the honor of the Gatorade Michigan Player of the Year for both his junior and senior seasons. In 2024, he hit .541 with eight home runs, 35 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. This will be his first year playing professional ball.

Nick McLain
Chicago selected the 22-year-old in Round 3 (No. 78) of the 2024 draft. Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 28 prospect for the White Sox (No. 33 at SSS), baseball blood runs thick in the McLain family, as both of his big brothers play professionally: Matt with the Cincinnati Reds, and Sean is a prospect in the Dodgers minor league system.

McLain is a switch-hitting outfielder with consistent contact from both sides of the plate, hitting .339 with a 1.086 OPS vs righties and .317 with a 1.125 OPS vs lefties. He suffered some pretty severe injuries in college, including breaking his right and left hamate. Persevering through both fractures, he concluded his collegiate career with a 20-game hitting streak. Additionally, with a 55-grade arm, McClain’s defense plays in right field.

Braden Montgomery
The power-hitting outfielder sits at No. 5 on the South Siders’ Top 30 prospect list (No. 6 at SSS) and No. 54 in MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100. Raw power is the 2024 first-rounder’s standout tool. He also boasts a truly elite arm, earning grades of 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. This prodigious arm strength, switch-hitting ability, and athletic frame paint the picture of a true five-tool talent.

During his collegiate career, the 21-year-old switch hitter was dominant. He played for both Stanford University (2022-23) and Texas A&M (2024), and smashed 27 home runs for the Aggies. Unfortunately, he broke his ankle sliding into home plate last year in the Super Regionals for the Aggies, and he could not participate in the College World Series finals with his teammates.

As a result of the ankle injury, Montgomery also did not play professional baseball after the draft. However, the Sox invited him to Spring Training, where he was impressive in a small sample size: .333/.556/.333 with a .889 OPS, three walks, and three Ks.

George Wolkow
The hometown kid slots in at No. 10 with both MLB and South Side Sox on Chicago’s Top 30 prospect list. The Sox drafted the 6´7´´, 239-pound left-handed-hitting outfielder in Round 7 of the 2023 MLB Draft. After graduating a year early from high school, Wolkow spent 15 games in the ACL and the remainder of the year with Kannapolis. The 18-year-old hit .241/.342/.428 with a .770 OPS and 13 home runs for the Ballers. While his batting average wasn’t great, the rest was fantastic, especially considering he was in a league with players who are, on average, 1.8 years older than him.

Wolkow demonstrates extraordinary strength and power, but obviously needs to improve his pitch selection after striking out 47% of the time. On the defensive side, Wolkow exclusively played right field for Kanny and could also use a little work there, committing nine errors out of 124 total chances. No panicking allowed, however, because there’s still plenty of time for the youngster to make progress, and he’s got all the tools and raw talent needed to do it. Wolkow participated in Spring Training this year and played in two games, going 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

Other position players to watch are Ronny Hernandez (C), Jordan Sprinkle (INF), and Casey Saucke (OF).

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Pitching

The biggest strength of the White Sox system is the pitching. As a matter of fact, when you examine the last 20 years of development, the only thing we seem to be capable of doing with any level of competency is producing quality arms. Adding Brian Bannister to the mix is hopefully helping to advance the players’ progression even more.

Ricardo Brizuela
At 18, the righthander joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent in 2022. He spent most of his early career in the ACL and DSL. Last season, his potential was on display in the ACL, recording a 2.33 ERA and 0.852 WHIP in 27 innings. He pitched to a ridiculously outstanding 11.33 K/9 with 34 strikeouts coupled with a 1.00 BB/9 and only three walks. After the ACL ended, he punched his ticket to Kannapolis for the remainder of the year, where he produced a more moderate performance. The 21-year-old went 3-2 with a 4.33 ERA and 1.214 WHIP with 35 Ks and 10 free passes. He’s South Side Sox’s No. 48 prospect.

Pierce George
The 21-year-old righty was a member of the 2024 draft class. The White Sox selected him in the 13th round (No. 379) out of the University of Alabama. A bullpen arm for the Tide, he went 1-0 in 12 appearances with a 4.76 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 11 1⁄3 frames. At 6´6´´ and 240 pounds, George is a hefty fella with a steamy fastball that sits 98-100 mph, but he often tosses it wildly. He got his cup of coffee with Kannapolis after the draft where he saw action in six contests. Over six innings of work he acquired a 6.00 ERA with a 1.167 WHIP. With the firey fastball yet glaring control issues, this pick seems like a tailor-made Bannister project. It will be interesting to see what offseason tweeks, if any, were made to harness the heat of our No. 88 prospect.

Blake Shepardson
Selected by Chicago in the 11th Round of the 2024 MLB Draft, the 21-year-old played NCAA Division I ball for both Regis University and the University of San Francisco. As part of the USF pen last year, the 6´5´´ and 220-pound reliever was 3-2 with a 7.80 ERA with 34 Ks and 29 walks. According to Mike Shirley’s post-draft comments, despite a shaky collegiate career, the organization viewed the righthander as a potential sleeper pick. He didn’t play for an affiliate last season, but in the MLB Draft League, he was sharp, tossing 5 ⅓ innings of shutout ball with 11 Ks and only two walks.

Jack Young
Chosen by the White Sox in Round 9 (No. 259) in the 2024 draft, the righthander is a funky sidewinder. The Springfield native pitched two seasons at Parkland College and then transferred to the University of Iowa. As one of the most dominant relievers out of the Hawkeyes’ pen, he owned a 2.76 ERA, the lowest on the team, over 32 ⅔ frames. He held opponents to a .198 batting average, earned four saves, and struck out 47, resulting in a 12.9 K/9 over 28 appearances.

Other pitchers to watch are Carlton Perkins (RHP), Justin Sinibaldi (LHP), and Nick Pinto (LHP).

And there’s one guy bridging both hitters and pitchers, and that is Lyle Miller-Green (1B/RHRP), who this season is being listed on the roster as a two-way player.