White Sox Minor League Update: June 13, 2022

Hi there, name’s Brett, and I’m here to tell you about the White Sox rookie leaguers, for my first solo update of the season. And I wish the news could be better, but the Complex White Sox let an early 4-0 lead slip away, and the DSL youngsters dropped their first game of 2022.

In Arizona, Manuel Veloz had a rough outing. Possible proof that some of these players pre-draft might be more, er, expendable is that Velez was not babied through this outing. Sure, it’s Arizona so there is hardly a reliable box score, much less a pitch count, but 12 outs plus four runs plus five Ks seems like it would add up to a decidedly non-rookie ball pitch count. At any rate, Veloz was not strong, but evaded a loss due to the bounty of four first-inning runs. Those digits came courtesy of two, two-out, two-run blasts, the first from Caberea Weaver, the second from Victor Quezada. After that, nada. In fact, in a decidedly DSL-esque effort, the ACL Sox whiffed 15 times, with three apiece from Cameron Butler, Elijah Tatís and Alavaro Aguero. The best news besides the homers came from the middle relief tonight, with Emerson Talavera and Yohemy Nolasco crushing it with a combined four innings, three hits, one walk and seven Ks. Woof!

Clearly, I am bad luck, for I have brought the six-game winning streak in the Dominican to a crashing halt. Boooooo. Well, as Erick Hernández goes, so go the DSL Sox, as the CF phenom took the collar for the first time in his pro career, 0-for-5 with two Ks, a GIDP, four left on base, and even an error. On the other hand, the second HIGHLIGHT prospect in the DSL, my brother from another Loidel Chapelli, was the lone star of this ballgame, going 4-for-5 with a run and a double. Sure, an error, too, but what’s a simple miscue among paisans, eh?

One of what seems to be a perpetual gaggle of Jiménezes at DSL, Juan, made his pro debut a solid one, finishing this long-lost game with a clean ninth, including two Ks.