White Sox Monthly Minor League Update: May 2022

Charlotte Knights

Romy González: .200/.333/.400 - 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 RBI, 1 SB
Seby Zavala: .342/.442/.685 — 6 HR, 13 BB, 32 K, 16 R, 10 RBI **Monthly MVP**
Micker Adolfo: .284/.319/.478 — 2 HR, 3 BB, 27 K, 9 R, 11 RBI
Yolbert Sánchez: .261/.337/.341 - 1 HR, 8 BB, 16 K, 11 R, 12 RBI
Carlos Pérez: .278/.350/.486 - 4 HR, 7 BB, 10 K, 11 R, 15 RBI
Kade McClure: 15 ¹⁄₃ IP, 5.28 ERA, 4 BB, 16 K
Jimmy Lambert: 3 IP, 3.00 ERA, 3 BB, 4 K
Davis Martin: 3 IP, 4.71 ERA, 4 BB, 16 K (Triple-A) 5 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1 BB, 7 K (MLB)

Good on Seby Zavala to come out with the Knights this year and have his best offensive season since 2018, back in Double-A. As recently as the second half of last year, Zavala was on the 40-man roster and even got MLB time over Zack Collins. When Zavala was DFA’d off of the major league roster he did not get claimed — and he’s not even a full-time catcher any longer, as in 2022 he has 75 innings behind the plate and 207 ²⁄₃ at first base. On offense so far in 2022, things have slightly changed too: Zavala is walking a bit more (14.9%), which would beat his previous highs, but he still has a pretty high K-rate (36.5%). That rate is better than Zavala’s time in Triple-A last year, but still very high. He is showing power again, with eight homers and a .270 ISO, so he is pretty close to being back to what he was that 2018 season, the height of his prospect-dom. However, Zavala is just an organizational piece now. He doesn’t have options left, so it’s hard to see adding him to the 40-man roster.

Birmingham Barons

José Rodríguez: .250/.308/.302 — 7 BB, 12 K, 13 R, 12 RBI, 10 SB
Lenyn Sosa: .351/.388/.649 — 8 HR, 6 BB, 15 K, 22 R, 26 RBI **Monthly MVP**
Yoelqui Céspedes: .261/.282/.406 — 3 HR, 1 BB, 21 K, 9 R, 6 RBI, 2 SB
Jason Bilous: 19 ²⁄₃ IP, 10.07 ERA, 16 BB, 23 K
Sean Burke: 9 ¹⁄₃ IP, 2.89 ERA, 1 BB, 8 K (High-A) 16 ²⁄₃ IP, 4.32 ERA, 8 BB, 19 K (Double-A)
Caleb Freeman: 3 IP, 3.00 ERA, 5 BB, 4 K

Lenyn Sosa is not like Seby Zavala in many respects, but they are hitting really well, and doing things a little differently in the field. Sosa was basically an everyday shortstop last year in High-A and Birmingham. Right now, he is an infield everyman, getting most of his time at short: Sosa has nine starts at second, 12 at third (a career high), and 21 at shortstop. Will he fill a jack-of-all-trades role is if Sosa is a major leaguer in the future? Wherever he actually ends up on the field, in the batter’s box, Sosa has been amazing. His walk rate has dropped over the course of this season, but 6.6% is still a good improvement over 2021, while the 14.1% K-rate is probably more impressive. Sosa still has a high ISO (.225) but it is shaping out to be wholly reliant on homers. He has 11 doubles/triples and 10 homers, and if the homers start to dip, Sosa’s production might as well. Still, his first two months have been fantastic.

Winston-Salem Dash

Oscar Colás: .178/.260/.378 - 2 HR, 5 BB, 13 K, 6 R, 7 RBI
Bryan Ramos: .180/.260/.326 — 3 HR, 9 BB, 15 K, 11 R, 9 RBI
Luis Míeses: .330/.374/.460 — 1 HR, 6 BB, 12 K, 11 R, 13 RBI **Monthly MVP**
Terrell Tatum: .300/.373/.567 - 3 HR, 6 BB, 17 K, 12 R, 16 RBI, 4 SB
Duke Ellis: .306/.373/.398 - 2 HR, 9 BB, 23 K, 19 R, 9 RBI, 15 SB
Adam Hackenberg: .271/.329/.429 — 3 HR, 5 BB, 19 K, 10 R, 9 RBI
Drew Dalquist: 20 ¹⁄₃ IP, 6.20 ERA, 15 BB, 16 K
Matthew Thompson: 21 IP, 7.71 ERA, 9 BB, 19 K

Luis Míeses has somehow turned in to an underrated prospect. It probably has to do with Dash teammates Bryan Ramos and Oscar Colás at the top of people’s minds, and fantastic seasons so far from Duke Ellis and Terrell Tatum. But still, Míeses should get some notice. The outfielder has continued to the show production he flashed to end the year in 2021, currently holding a 116 wRC+ for the Dash with an improved walk-rate and a very similar K-rate (14.1%) to his time in Low-A last year. Míeses’ ISO is .152, and that is probably where it hold as he moves up in the system, but maybe some of his doubles can turn in to homers as he ages. If this continues, Míeses should be in Birmingham in no time, to further prove he is a prospect to watch.

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Misael González: .119/.284/.220 — 1 HR, 8 BB, 25 K, 6 R, 5 RBI, 5 SB
Colson Montgomery: .327/.435/.538 - 2 HR, 9 BB, 15 K, 10 R, 8 RBI
Wes Kath: .258/.358/.419 — 3 HR, 12 BB, 36 K, 13 R, 13 RBI, 2 SB
Wilfred Veras: .321/.371/.395 — 1 HR, 7 BB, 25 K, 10 R, 10 RBI, 1 SB
Jared Kelley: 6 ²⁄₃ IP, 8.10 ERA, 6 BB, 5 K
Cristian Mena: 23 ¹⁄₃ IP, 4.24 ERA, 12 BB, 32 K
Kohl Simas: 24 IP, 2.25 ERA, 7 BB, 25 K **Monthly MVP**

You can check out the latest write up on one Kohl Simas in this week’s MVP roundup, but if Colson Montgomery had not missed the beginning of the month he would have been Kanny’s MVP. His season has been great, and the Sox might actually have something here with 2021’s first round selection. He is showing more and more power as the season goes on (.182 ISO); it is still mostly gap power, but that will still play. That power, along with a 13.4% BB-rate has helped Montgomery to a slash line of .300/.403/.482 for a 147 wRC+ so far in Low-A. He is a high school draft pick, so it would not be a surprise for Montgomery not to get a promotion until after the draft, if at all, but he might play himself into one sooner than later. The K-rate is fine at 21.6%, but too big an increase would be concerning as he moves up the system.