Earlier this month, the Chicago White Sox pulled off a trade to send their ace Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox. In return, the White Sox received four prospects. This included the No. 3 catching prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, Kyle Teel. While Teel hasn’t made it to the big leagues, he’s considered to have a high floor and sits at No. 2 for White Sox prospects. However, with the new catching depth, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline suggests that Teel could change positions.
The Profile for Teel
The pool of White Sox prospects undoubtedly became much deeper after receiving two top-100 prospects in the deal with Boston. However, the addition of Teel added a high-floor prospect that is viewed as close to big league ready. He’s spent two years in the minors after falling to the Red Sox in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
This year, Teel made it up to Triple-A with Boston. Across 123 plate appearances, he slashed .255/.347/.343 with two homers and three doubles. All told in 2024, he hit .288/.386/.433 with 13 homers and 23 doubles. He has an all-fields approach and is likely to be more doubles-driven on offense.
However, he’s known more for his defense and his athleticism as a catcher more than anything. Teel has shown impressive accuracy and arm strength while cutting down 22% of would-be base stealers during his time in the minors. In fact, he is considered so athletic that he might find himself playing a different position within the White Sox prospects pool.
White Sox Prospects are Full of Catchers
The one thing the White Sox have in-house and in the system are catchers. Teel joins Edgar Quero, another catcher, among the top White Sox prospects. At the big league level, they have Korey Lee and recently acquired Matt Thaiss from the Los Angeles Angels behind the dish.
Could the White Sox move Teel? This is what Jonathan Mayo had to say:
“Teel wants to catch, but could he end up following a Daulton Varsho-type path? The White Sox clearly value the position, with GM Chris Getz saying “catching is gold” after getting Teel from the Red Sox. There’s no rush to get them to Chicago with Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss on hand, so perhaps they can figure out a rotation in Triple-A that will work once they do get called up. Once the club starts turning things around, they could always trade from this depth to help them elsewhere; these things have a way of working out.”
It’s an interesting notion, and one that could carry some weight, however it does come with a couple of caveats. Teel’s value is inherently in his ability to be a play-caller at the MLB level. He doesn’t have the thunder in his bat of a corner outfielder. While it might play in centerfield, he’s only registered one game there ever. There’s no guarantee it would be a smooth transition.
Plenty of Options for the White Sox
In the end, how the White Sox prospects are utilized could be kicked down the road. Both had short stints at the Triple-A level in 2024. This means they likely will need to spend a bit of time at Triple-A to make sure they’re truly ready. With the White Sox not ready to contend, they have no reason to rush this duo to the big leagues.
They may also be used to help improve the big league club when the time comes in trades. Catchers that display skills both offensively and defensively are hard to come by in the big leagues. That means if Teel can show he’s ready, or Quero, the club could trade for big league help. Either way, it is more likely that Teel will make it to the big leagues before the White Sox are ready to contend. This could complicate the matter, and would likely mean they’d need to make room for him.
The White Sox could do this by using Thaiss in a different role, as the Angels did. The other option would be to move on from Thaiss once Teel or Quero are ready. One thing is clear: Teel’s value to any club would be highest behind the dish.
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