The Trending on the Farm series will highlight player trends from the top prospects in the White Sox system as well as any other notable performances across all affiliates.
Top of the Crop (Trending on the Farm)
NOTE: This piece will focus on players that are trending on the farm currently in the minor leagues. The “Top of the Crop” portion was determined prior to the Dylan Cease trade, hence why Drew Thorpe, Samuel Zavala, and Jairo Iriarte are all omitted.
| Rank | Player (Position) [Level] | Last Week (4/2 – 4/7) | Trend |
| 1 | Colson Montgomery (SS) [AAA] | .364/.440/.455, .895 OPS, 4R, 2 2B, 2 RBI | ↖ |
| 2 | Noah Schultz (LHP) [A+] | 4 IP, 2 H, 10 K | – |
| 3 | Bryan Ramos (3B) [AA] | .100/.357/.100, .457 OPS, 2R, 2 RBI | – |
| 4 | Edgar Quero (C) [AA] | .182/.231/.455, .686 OPS, 3R, HR, 5 RBI | – |
| 5 | Nick Nastrini (RHP) [AAA] | 3 IP, 7 H, 4R (4 ER), 2 BB, 5 K | – |
| 6 | Jake Eder (LHP) [AA] | 4 IP, 6 H, 2R (2 ER), 2 BB, 3 K | – |
| 7 | Jacob Gonzalez (SS) [A+] | .000/.267/.000, .267 OPS | – |
| 8 | Peyton Pallette (RHP) [A+] | Did not pitch | – |
| 9 | Jonathan Cannon (RHP) [AAA] | 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4R (3 ER), 2 BB, 5 K | – |
| 10 | Grant Taylor (RHP) [TBD] | N/A | N/A |
Colson Montgomery
Colson Montgomery put together a solid first full week with the Knights, but has been striking out at a higher clip than we’ve seen in the past.
Noah Schultz
Noah Schultz made his High-A debut on Saturday and was practically untouchable, striking out 10 Tourists in just 54 pitches (40 for strikes).
Bryan Ramos & Edgar Quero
Bryan Ramos drew three walks but otherwise scuffled at the plate in the Barons first three games.
Edgar Quero homered (on his birthday) and handled the Birmingham staff quite well behind the dish, but was mostly quiet at the plate in the opening weekend.
Jonathan Cannon & Nick Nastrini
Generally speaking, it was a rough time to be a pitcher in Charlotte last week. Jonathan Cannon fared better than most (especially on the Charlotte staff), falling just short of five innings pitched against a fearsome Norfolk Tides lineup.
Nick Nastrini had a rougher go than Cannon and his velocity was down a bit. The rightly was coming off an illness so the concern level regarding the velocity being down was relatively low.
Jacob Gonzalez & Jake Eder
While he didn’t record a hit, Jacob Gonzalez did manage to draw three walks in the Dash’s opening weekend in Asheville.
Jake Eder was the lone member of the Barons staff to have earned runs charged to them all weekend, but that should say more about how well the entire staff pitched in the opening series sweep of Chattanooga.
Peyton Pallette & Grant Taylor
Peyton Pallette did not see any action in the opening three game set, so he should debut in the upcoming series. Grant Taylor is not yet assigned to a full season affiliate but had been pitching in backfield games for the White Sox ACL team in Arizona recently.
Best of the Rest
Trending on the Farm: AAA (Charlotte)
Danny Mendick
Danny Mendick was truly the Swiss Army knife player for the Knights last week. The man hit, he pitched (in mop up duty), he homered, and even struck out a batter. Mendick slashed .385/.429/1.000 for a 1.429 OPS with four extra base hits (two doubles, two home runs) and four RBI in five games.
Chuckie Robinson & Rafael Ortega
Chuckie Robinson made the most of his four games last week with one home run, five RBI, and a 1.227 OPS.
Rafael Ortega also had a solid week with a double, home run, six RBI, one stolen base, and a .989 OPS in four games.
Chad Kuhl
Considering how the week went for pitchers in Charlotte, Chad Kuhl had a strong outing, throwing four innings of one run ball, with three hits allowed, one walk, and five strikeouts.
Trending on the Farm: AA (Birmingham)
Wilfred Veras
Outfielder Wilfred Veras picked up right where he left off in Birmingham, smashing baseballs around Regions Field during the opening weekend. The 21 year old slashed .545/.545/1.182 for a 1.727 OPS with three extra base hits (double, two home runs) and three RBI.
Brooks Baldwin
23 year old shortstop Brooks Baldwin had a great introduction to AA, hitting .364/.500/.636 for an 1.136 OPS, one home run and six RBI.
Drew Thorpe
Drew Thorpe was filthy across his five innings of work for the Barons. The 23 year old had the plus-plus changeup working, fooling Lookouts hitters time and time again.
Terrell Tatum & Duke Ellis
24 year old outfielder Terrell Tatum also had a strong opening week for the Barons, walking more (five) than he struck out (three) en route to a 1.192 OPS. Tatum was also 2-for-2 on stolen bases and had six runs scored in three games.
26 year old outfielder Duke Ellis was a menace on the basepaths during the opening weekend. Ellis went 5-for-5 on stolen bases, scored three runs, and also had an even 1.000 OPS in his two games of action.
Birmingham Pitchers
The Barons pitching staff had a strong opening weekend series against Chattanooga. When the entire staff only allows four total runs (two earned) across 27 innings of work, it’s apparent that things were clicking in the Barons favor all weekend long.
Trending on the Farm: A+ (Winston-Salem)
Chris Lanzilli & Shawn Goosenberg
25 year old outfielder Chris Lanzilli was great in the opening weekend series in Asheville, slugging one home run, three RBI, a 1.393 OPS, and went 1-for-1 on stolen bases.
24 year old Shawn Goosenberg was another member of the Dash lineup to excel in the opening weekend, knocking two extra base hits (double, home run), with four RBI, a 1.134 OPS, and went 2-for-2 on stolen bases.
Garrett Schoenle
25 year old southpaw Garrett Schoenle made the most of his lone appearance on the weekend. Schoenle logged two innings of work and struck out the side in each inning while also issuing two walks.
Samuel Zavala
19 year old outfielder Samuel Zavala made a strong first impression in his opening weekend as a member of the White Sox organization. Zavala had two extra base hits (triple, home run), a 1.042 OPS, and went 1-for-1 on stolen bases across the first three Dash games.
Trending on the farm: A (Kannapolis)
Ronny Hernandez
19 year old catcher Ronny Hernandez made his full-season affiliate debut during opening weekend and displayed some of what made him the top hitter on the ACL White Sox last season. Hernandez had an even 1.000 OPS with a double and RBI while also walking twice.
Seth Keener
22 year old Seth keener got the opening night start for the Cannon Ballers and pitched quite well, holding the RiverDogs scoreless through five frames.
Lucas Gordon
Outside of a pair of walks, 22 year old Lucas Gordon didn’t allow a hit across his five innings of work in what was back to back strong starts out of the Kannapolis rotation.
Rikuu Nishida
22 year old outfielder Rikuu Nishida had a stellar 5-for-5 Saturday that helped guide him to a .967 OPS with three runs scored and a double in the opening weekend.
Bryce Collins
23 year old right hander Bryce Collins made his professional debut and in two innings of work, struck out three batters and allowed just one hit.