The post Which White Sox prospects could break out in 2025? appeared first on Sox On 35th.
As Spring Training approaches, the efforts of the Chicago White Sox’s latest rebuild attempt will be on full display. With several of their top prospects participating as members of the 40-man roster or non-roster invitees, fans will be getting an up-close glimpse of the future.
While several prospects shone down in the farm system, no prospect in the organization had a more impactful 2024 season than Noah Schultz, who is now a consensus top-20 prospect in baseball. After a dominant showing on the mound in 2024, he is widely regarded as one of the biggest rising prospects in the MiLB. Aside from Schultz, the Sox saw some breakout performances from other farmhands, further bolstering the strength of this organization. One prospect whose breakout season last year came out of nowhere was Brooks Baldwin, whose efforts at the plate and defensive versatility earned him a promotion to the MLB roster to make his debut with the White Sox. Pitchers such as Mason Adams and Sean Burke also saw major steps forward in their development, and figure to factor into the Sox Major League starting pitching depth in 2025 and beyond.
While the White Sox farm system is one of the strongest in baseball, highlighted by six top 100 prospects, the continued development of their lesser-known prospects will be pivotal to building a roster that can sustain success. Who could be this year’s Brooks Baldwin? Will another pitcher come out of nowhere and put themselves in the White Sox’s future plans? Here are five prospects whose stocks could rise dramatically this upcoming season.
Grant Taylor, RHP
While Taylor has already received some love in the scouting industry, highlighted by his appearance in Fangraphs’ most recent top 100, he has a chance to cement himself as one of the premier pitching prospects in all of baseball this season. Just two years ago, it was supposed to be Grant Taylor and not Paul Skenes who was going to be the ace of the LSU Tigers pitching staff. Unfortunately for Taylor, he required Tommy John surgery just before his final collegiate season and fell to the White Sox in the 2nd round that year while Skenes became one of the best pitching prospects of the modern era.
Still, Taylor has legitimate frontline potential, which he was able to showcase in his brief minor league stint last year before a lat strain cut his season to just 19.1 innings. When on the mound, he has a four-pitch mix that can be lethal, headlined by his upper 90s fastball. The questions aren’t around Taylor’s upside, but more around his ability to stay healthy. If he can stay on the mound throughout the 2025 season, expect him to appear on more top 100 lists by mid-season.
George Wolkow. OF
An Illinois native, George Wolkow was a bit of a surprise pick in 2023. While considered a potential 1st round prospect for the 2024 draft, he reclassified to the 2023 draft and fell to the Sox in the 7th round, although he signed for the equivalent of 2nd-round money. With the timing of the MLB Draft and the beginning of the Arizona Fall League shifting this past year, Wolkow most likely wouldn’t be making his MLB debut until this coming season if he hadn’t reclassified. Instead, he is now entering his third season (second full season) with the White Sox and has held his own with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannonballers at just 18 years old.
There might not be a prospect in the White Sox loaded farm system who has more offensive upside than Wolkow. At 6’7 240 lbs, he generates elite raw power at the plate, posting 90th-percentile exit velocities last season. He was surprisingly successful after an aggressive promotion to full-season baseball, sporting a .770 OPS and 126 wRC+ despite being significantly younger than the competition. The concern is with his astronomical strikeout rate, which topped 40% in his 325 plate appearances at the Low-A level. There is some optimism that the root is more mechanical and can be honed in, as his 12% walk rate and ability to work deep into counts showed that he isn’t an undisciplined free swinger. Still, major adjustments are needed if he is going to achieve any sort of success as he progresses through the White Sox farm system.
Samuel Zavala, OF
Part of the three-prospect package that sent Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres, Samuel Zavala showcased some serious upside in the 2023 season, displaying 5 tool ability and a knack for getting on base. Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2024, where he spent the entire season with High-A Winston-Salem.
There are reasons to be optimistic that Zavala can get back on track in 2025. He cut his strikeout rate by 5% from the previous year while still showing an elite ability to draw walks. It is also easy to assume that luck wasn’t on his side, as a .238 BABIP is well below the average for any minor-league hitter and should correct itself in the coming season. On top of all that, he has been among the youngest players at every level he’s appeared in, and spending his 19-year-old season in High-A is no different. Expect him to repeat at that level in 2025, and with more time to adjust, he could very well get back to being the prospect who garnered top 100 consideration.
Wikelman Gonzalez, RHP
Widely considered to be the fourth piece of the Garrett Crochet trade, Wikelman Gonzalez is coming off one of his worst seasons as a minor-league pitcher. He has always had command issues, but they were especially present this past season at the Double-A level, where he walked nearly 5 batters per 9 innings and held an ERA of 4.73, the lowest of his career.
When he’s on, Gonzalez can be a strikeout machine and effectively limit opposing batters, as proven by his strong 2023 season. His fastball can be a plus pitch when he can locate it and has breaking pitches that feature plenty of movement. His command will ultimately determine if he will reach the MLB as a starting pitcher, or if he is destined for a bullpen role. Luckily for him, he is now with an organization that has been successful at developing pitchers. If Brian Bannister can clean up some of his mechanics and help him work deeper into games, Gonzalez could have everything he needs to have a huge bounceback season.
Javier Mogollon, INF
Mogollon is one of the most intriguing prospects in the White Sox system, while also being one of the most volatile. On one hand, he has shown off his loud tools in both complex leagues and has an elite ability to get on base. However, like Wolkow, his strikeout rate was far too high this past season. At 38.3%, he will need to cut that down substantially to produce any sort of sustainable success moving forward.
Mogollon put himself on scouts’ radars in the DSL in 2023 and built off that with an attention-grabbing stateside debut in 2024. This past season, despite the aforementioned high strikeout rate, Mogollon produced a .930 OPS with a 134 wRC+. He added in 8 home runs while swiping 16 bases, all while walking at an 18.3% rate. Expect to see Mogollon promoted to Low-A Kannapolis this season, where he will be tested even further. If he can get the strikeouts in check, he could put up some massive numbers this season and see his stock skyrocket.
Right on cue #WhiteSox Javier Mogollon shows the power with this
into left! @FutureSox pic.twitter.com/6CHwLa2iMB
— Prospects Worldwide (@ProspectsWorldW) May 17, 2024
For more updates on the White Sox farm system, follow us @SoxOn35th and @PipelineTo35th.
Featured image: @MLBPipeline / X
The post Which White Sox prospects could break out in 2025? appeared first on Sox On 35th.