Glendale Desert Dogs 2022 Season Review

Moises Castillo: .347/.429/.510 — 1 HR, 6 BB, 8 K, 11 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB (14 games)
Adam Hackenberg: .160/.279/.220 — 7 BB, 16 K, 7 R, 11 RBI (16 games)
Terrell Tatum: .263/.364/.263 — 3 BB, 5 K, 5 R, 4 RBI, 4 SB (6 games)
Chase Solesky: 20 ²⁄₃ IP, 6.53 ERA, 10 BB, 16 K
Sammy Peralta: 14 IP, 3.21 ERA, 4 BB, 14 K
Lane Ramsey: 10 IP, 4.50 ERA, 6 BB, 12 K, 2 saves
Declan Cronin: 10 IP, 4.50 ERA, 0 BB, 7 K

It was a successful month-plus of games for the Glendale Desert Dogs. They made it all the way to the championship game, but fell 7-6 in extras in the winner-take-all affair. Adam Hackenberg, Sammy Peralta, Lane Ramsey, and Declan Cronin each appeared in the title matchup. Hackenberg did not provide much help offensively, but he did get one base once. Sammy Peralta was not able to hold one of the three leads the Desert Dogs had. On the good end, Cronin and (especially) Ramsey did well. Ramsey went two innings, the eighth and ninth, and struck out four while allowing just one hit. The Desert Dogs still fell short, but with the second-place finish Justin Jirschele did at least prove he was probably the best Sox prospect in the AFL.

Actual full-season successes are few in the player pool. The clear winner, or prospect who boosted his standing, was Moises Castillo. He did not play the final two weeks, but in his 14 games before then he had an OPS of more than .900 and earned an appearance in the Fall Star Game. Sammy Peralta, performance in the championship game notwithstanding, was the sole good pitcher in the AFL for the Sox. He showed good command and better strikeout rate than one would expect, pitching to the only ERA of less than four (3.21) for White Sox pitchers.

The other two relievers, Ramsey and Cronin, started out slow and made up for it by the end of the season. Ramsey became one of the more reliable late-inning relievers after his first couple of games. In his final 9 ²⁄₃ innings (including the two in the postseason), he had a 0.93 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two saves.

To round it out, the final three players on the roster did not do much. Terrell Tatum makes this list just because he only appeared in six games and did not show much power in them. Hackenberg, the top prospect coming into this fall season, failed to show good pop and his inability to get on base was a drag to the offense. Chase Solesky did have a couple of good starts to end the year, but overall, a 6.53 ERA is not going to cut it. The Sox player pool did not really distinguish itself well overall, but given the names that were sent, it was expected.