The Birmingham Barons had a rough year in 2023, finishing with a record of 51-87 despite featuring the most talented affiliate roster in the second half. Regardless of the results, numerous players from last year’s club are among the top assets in the farm system and should reach Chicago this season.
After another frustrating year for the Barons, the coaching staff will look very different in 2024. Former White Sox pitcher Sergio Santos is the new manager of the team while John Ely, former third round draft pick of the White Sox and Barons star, takes over the pitching coach duties. Former White Sox outfielder, Nicky Delmonico, will remain the hitting coach for the second season.
Many of the standout prospects that spent 2023 largely in Birmingham will now be set to move up to Charlotte or even Chicago in the case of Nick Nastrini. However, a few holdovers will remain at the core of the roster and other talented prospects have been been added in the offseason and promoted from Winston-Salem.
The Barons open the year at home on April 5th against the Chattanooga Lookouts. They will look to improve upon last season’s disappointing results but the development of a few key players is still the ultimate focus for the White Sox at this level. Plenty of reinforcements should arrive as well when the current stars of this roster begin to make their way to Charlotte.
Starting Pitching
- Drew Thorpe (RHP, 23)
- Jairo Iriarte (RHP, 22)
- Jake Eder (LHP, 25)
- Mason Adams (RHP, 24)
- Ky Bush (LHP, 24)
- Connor McCullough (RHP, 24)
- Josimar Cousin (RHP, 26)
The rotation received a massive boost two weeks ago when the organization acquired Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte in the Dylan Cease trade. They will start the year as the clear leaders of this rotation after huge breakout seasons last year with the Yankees and Padres organizations respectively. Read all about what both of them bring to the table in this trade analysis.
Following those two will be two players also acquired within the last year that finished their season here in Birmingham after being brought in at the deadline. It wasn’t that long ago that Jake Eder posted a 1.77 ERA with a ridiculous .169 batting average allowed in his first professional season. Lingering aspects of Tommy John surgery, a toe injury, and switching teams mid-season certainly derailed his 2023, but he is someone to watch closely at this level.
The upside is evident for the 6-4 left-hander and he has shown elite upside previously. A fully healthy season is much needed for Eder which leads to why he’s in Birmingham despite being a 25-year-old highly-regarded prospect.
Ky Bush had a similarly rough year to Eder as he never found his groove. He burst onto the scene for the Angels in 2022, but failed to reproduce any of those results last year after starting the season on the shelf. These two are names to tune into as they did not show nearly what they’re capable of in their first few months with the Barons.
The last surefire starter for this team is 2022 13th-rounder Mason Adams who was one of the breakout stars of the year for the organization last year. He cruised through Kannapolis and Winston-Salem before finishing the year with three great starts in Birmingham. Adams posted a 3.14 ERA while displaying strong command of many offerings. He could move to Charlotte soon if he maintains that same level considering he’s 24-years-old.
Connor McCullough and Josimar Cousin are the other two arms that should make starts for the Barons this season. Following a stellar performance in Low-A, McCullough struggled in High-A but he’ll seemingly get a chance to push himself further this year. Cousin struggled much of 2023, but has lively stuff and finished the season on a relatively high note in Birmingham.
Relievers
- Jared Kelley (RHP, 22)
- Adisyn Coffey (RHP, 24)
- Gil Luna (LHP, 24)
- Tristan Stivors (RHP, 25)
- Caleb Freeman (RHP 26)
- Andrew Dalquist (RHP, 23)
- Jake Palisch (LHP, 25)
- Juan Then (RHP, 24)
- Jordan Mikel (RHP, 25)
This bullpen is filled with mostly older pitchers who are attempting to make it to the big league level but have a ways to go still. Former highly-ranked prospect Jared Kelley is one arm to watch as he has always possessed the stuff necessary to make it to the next level.
Adisyn Coffey turned in a good year at Winston-Salem and finished with the Barons while Gil Luna spent the whole year with Birmingham but didn’t see the best results. His pickoff move is one of the best you’ll see but he has trouble locating pitches in the right spots and has dealt with injuries.
Another intriguing name to watch is Tristan Stivors who had an excellent first full professional season in 2023. He pitched his last 10 games with Birmingham and could move to Charlotte quickly if he can sustain his success at this level.
One pitcher who could be in line for some starts but is blocked by the strong core of pitchers is Andrew Dalquist who is a former 3rd-rounder but had a very tough go at things last season. Caleb Freeman has a great showing with the Barons last year as he registered a 1.96 ERA at this level but faltered once promoted to Charlotte. He could make his way back to the next level soon with a solid start to the year.
Juan Then made his MLB debut last season in 9 games with the Mariners, but was acquired by the White Sox and will now start the year in Double-A. He struggled in the minors last year but is still young enough to make a jump this season.
This unit is rounded out by Jordan Mikel, who posted great numbers at Winston-Salem last year, and Jake Palisch
Catchers
- Edgar Quero (20)
- Michael Turner (25)
- Troy Claunch (25)
The fascinating story here is that the two best performing catchers for the organization in the minor leagues last year will be on the same team. Edgar Quero, brought in via the Lucas Giolito trade, is the catcher of the future and will demand at least 60% of games behind the dish as he continues to improve defensively.
The much older yet less experienced Michael Turner was simply too good for High-A baseball so he’ll join Quero in Birmingham. He’s got a cannon behind the dish and has experience defensively that he should be able to use to help Quero develop. The time split behind these two will be important to watch, but they should both be starting most days between catcher and DH.
This is the strongest positional duo on the roster and there’s a chance these two are catching together in Chicago as soon as 2025.
Troy Claunch will largely provide depth behind two of the best catchers in the system after spending most of 2023 with White Sox affiliates: Kannapolis and Winston-Salem. He may not provide much with the bat, but has ample experience behind the plate.
Infielders
- Bryan Ramos (22)
- Brooks Baldwin (23)
- Tim Elko (25)
- Alsander Womack (25)
- Jason Matthews (26)
- Angelo Castellano (29)
The first player of note is a consensus White Sox top 5-7 prospect in Bryan Ramos. His start of the year in Birmingham was derailed by injury last spring which is likely why he will open the season once more with the Barons. He started a bit slow out of the gate, but the powerful third baseman finished with a .808 OPS and showed noticeable improvement with the glove.
Tim Elko is a well know name due in part to a massive Ole Miss community, but more importantly because of his ability to mash the baseball. He truly destroyed the lower levels in his first professional season with the White Sox org as he put up 22 home runs with an OPS over .900 between Low-A and High-A, but slowed down when he reached Birmingham in the last month. If he can find his groove like he did earlier last year, Elko will make his way to Charlotte rather rapidly.
Brooks Baldwin is an exciting 2023 quick riser, and White Sox front office favorite. He finished very strong in Winston-Salem and will breeze past it after just 26 games there. Baldwin slashed .327/.375/.495 with 5 home runs in his brief stop in High-A. He can play all over the field but will likely start games at shortstop or second given the rest of the roster.
They both were on and off the field, but Alsander Womack and Jason Matthews both spent most of 2023 with the Barons. They’re both older players for the level and could potentially move to Charlotte if the infield logjam there clears up. Angelo Castellano was signed this offseason after a strong season with the Royals Triple-A affiliate. As a primary shortstop with the ability to play all over the infield, Castellano will get playing time at many spots.
Outfielders
- Wilfred Veras (21)
- Terrell Tatum (24)
- Jacob Burke (23)
- Duke Ellis (26)
- Tyler Neslony (30)
Three players who took huge steps last season will man the outfield on most days for the Barons and are all well within the top 30 White Sox prospects.
Terrell Tatum’s combination of speed and patience makes him an entertaining outfielder with upside of a major league 4th outfielder. He was incredible with Winstom-Salem as he walked nearly as much as he struck out and stole 32 bases, but struggled with the strong pitching in Birmingham. A second year with the Barons makes sense for Tatum as he works to refine his hitting to pair with his incredible speed and defense.
This does not happen often, but Wilfred Veras got better once elevated to Birmingham in 2023 with a .879 OPS and 20 extra base hits in just 38 games. His defense and plate approach is the emphasis moving forward for the raw, but extremely talented, 21-year-old.
The third starting outfielder is someone that broke out in a big way last season and finished his season in the Arizona Fall League. Jacob Burke should split time in center and left with Tatum as he’s truly a human highlight reel defensively. Between Low-A and High-A, Burke flashed a consistent hit tool with above-average speed, elite defense, and room to add more impact.
Known for his speed, Duke Ellis missed most of the 2023 season with an injury but stole 57 bases while posting an OBP of .363 during the 2022 campaign. Tyler Neslony is a well-traveled MiLB veteran who was solid between Birmingham and Charlotte last year, but will seemingly take a backseat to the trio of impressive outfield prospects on this roster.