Kyle Teel Headlines Strong Return Bundle for White Sox in Garrett Crochet Commerce

The White Sox completed the 2024 season with my fourth-ranked farm system, and now they’ve added 4 good prospects through their commerce with the Purple Sox centered round lefty starter Garrett Crochet, who’s underneath contract for 2 extra seasons. You’ll be able to examine Crochet and the Purple Sox right here. Coming again to Chicago in change are soon-to-be 23-year-old catcher Kyle Teel, 2024 first-round decide Braden Montgomery, 22-year-old developmental righty Wikelman Gonzalez, and knowledge darling 23-year-old infielder Chase Meidroth. Two of these gamers (Teel and Meidroth) have probability to debut in 2025.

I assumed this deal was significantly better than what the White Sox acquired again from San Diego final March for 2 years of Dylan Stop. A blockbuster rule of thumb: Get again at the very least one high-probability on a regular basis hitter. Teel matches the invoice. He’s a well-rounded participant who’s a digital lock to stay at catcher and who will in all probability hit for sufficient energy to be the White Sox main catcher a number of years from now. Montgomery is a switch-hitter with immense lefty bat velocity, and he can also flip into an on a regular basis, power-hitting proper fielder down the road. Meidroth (elite contact, no energy) and Gonzalez (three handsome pitches that don’t play as a consequence of poor management) every have a plus attribute or two that ought to facilitate an eventual large league function, and each have a puncher’s probability to be greater than that. Whereas it’s painful to half with a expertise like Crochet (who was a daring, injured draft decide in 2020), a four-for-one swap during which every prospect they acquired has a particular ability and doubtlessly significant upside offers the White Sox an important mixture of depth and ceiling on this transaction.

The headliner is Teel, who raked in highschool, opted out of the 2020 draft, raked in school, was picked in the course of the 2023 first spherical, and has raked as far as a professional. He posted a 145 wRC+ at Double-A Portland in 2024, his first full professional season, and was promoted to Triple-A Worcester in mid-August. It appeared believable Teel would possibly debut in Boston in 2025, partially as a result of he has performed so properly and partially as a result of incumbent catcher Connor Wong has struggled. As a substitute, Teel turns into probably the most well-rounded member of Chicago’s pretty crowded catching contingent on the MLB and Triple-A ranges. Projected Opening Day starter Korey Lee is a glove-first participant, whereas fellow well-regarded prospect Edgar Quero has immature plate self-discipline and isn’t as polished a defender as is Teel. Neither Quero (who’s more likely to be rostered after 2025) nor Teel (after 2026) are at the moment on the 40-man roster, which suggests Lee, who can be 27 in July and has solely been a main catcher for one large league season, is more likely to be given at the very least a lot of the 2025 calendar to point out the White Sox that he can minimize down on his strikeouts (31% in 2024).

Although Quero has the sooner 40-man/Rule 5 time horizon, Teel is a yr older, a greater defender, and fewer apt to provide away at-bats. He could also be forward of Quero on the depth chart when camp breaks, if solely due to the protection. Teel doesn’t have the prototypical measurement and bulk of an on a regular basis catcher; he’s a leaner athlete, and there are occasions when his lack of power impacts his receiving and pitch framing on the backside of the zone. However he does nearly all the things else properly on protection. He’s a extremely nice ball-blocker and has sensational arms when choosing balls within the dust. Teel’s uncooked arm power is common, however he’s very correct even when awkward pitch places drive him to contort his physique to throw. On offense, his skillset has begun to tackle a power-over-hit taste. He takes numerous high-effort swings and his bat path is geared for elevate in that traditional, low-ball lefty swing. Teel has struggled to cowl fastballs up and away from him sufficient that his contact charges have fallen a bit beneath the foremost league common at catcher, however his playable energy and selectivity (which helps him hunt pitches he can drive) must be sufficient for him to carry out like a median main backstop.

Montgomery was the twelfth decide within the 2024 draft and doubtless would have gone larger if he hadn’t fractured his proper ankle sliding into dwelling throughout the 2024 collegiate postseason. Montgomery comes from a household of a number of Division-I athletes and was among the many most distinguished of the 2021 excessive schoolers to go to school slightly than signal. He spent two seasons at Stanford, the place he performed each methods and confirmed significant bat-to-ball enchancment as a sophomore after a strikeout-prone freshman yr. He transferred to Texas A&M for his draft yr and was probably the most gifted participant on the Faculty World Collection runner-up squad. Montgomery slashed .317/.428/.646 all through his whole school profession, with 20% Ok% as a junior.

A brilliant bodily 6-foot-2 switch-hitter, Montgomery has monster bat velocity from the left facet. He has a crouched leg kick, his arms load at a conservative depth, and his hips completely explode although contact and assist ignite his superior hack, which has large end within the dust behind him. Montgomery’s lefty swing generates energy to all fields, and he has some means to change his higher physique’s posture throughout his swing with a purpose to filter the highest of the zone, one thing that he solely appeared to develop throughout his time at A&M. His righty swing is extra generic; he has a low-ball tendency from that facet and his minimize isn’t particularly dynamic. He’s susceptible to changeups as a lefty, and up-and-away fastballs and back-foot breakers as a righty.

Montgomery has an enormous arm in proper subject. He was as much as 97 mph as a freshman reliever — his stuff was down throughout his sophomore yr at Stanford and he didn’t actually pitch at A&M — and, at the very least earlier than his ankle harm, he had the velocity to provide middle subject a strive in professional ball. A few of the modifications he made at A&M improved the strikeout points that had been as soon as attributable to his lever size. This can be a switch-hitter who was additionally a two-way participant till 2023, and his efficiency is much more thrilling on condition that context. Above-average plate self-discipline and a swing geared to get to his energy will assist Montgomery overcome what are more likely to be elevated strikeout totals. He has the ceiling of a power-hitting proper subject cleanup batter, however he’ll in all probability be a comparatively sluggish developmental burn for a school participant.

Gonzalez grew to become well-known beginning in 2021 when he and his monster stuff dominated the FCL sufficient to advantage a promotion to full-season ball earlier than the tip of the yr — whereas he was nonetheless simply 19 years previous. Since then he’s been an untameable tease and struggled fairly badly with walks. The 2024 season was Gonzalez’s first on Boston’s 40-man roster and a story of two halves. He ran a 7.38 ERA by the tip of June and a 1.98 ERA thereafter. Gonzalez even managed to restrict himself to fifteen walks over his remaining 41 innings. He pitched in 24 video games throughout the yr however was typically so inefficient that a number of of his begins lasted solely three innings, and he threw 83 2/3 whole frames. All of Gonzalez’s pitches look extremely nasty once in a while, however proper now he doesn’t execute them persistently sufficient for any of them to generate an above-average fee of swing-and-miss. His sinking 93-95 mph fastball has at all times performed down a bit as a consequence of ineffective form and poor command, and his secondary stuff (which nonetheless seems to be prefer it has a ton of motion to the bare eye) has underperformed, too. It’s optimistic that Gonzalez has now held mid-90s velocity for the final a number of years, however his command wants to enhance if he’s going to be a giant league starter. He has incredible arm velocity and it’s believable that, at age 22, he merely hasn’t corraled it but. Wild pitchers whose possibility years begin to dwindle typically get moved to the bullpen, however the rebuilding White Sox have the time to let Gonzalez battle and attempt to make changes on the large league stage. His ceiling is probably going larger in Chicago than in Boston as a result of the previous membership is extra more likely to be affected person on this regard.

The 23-year-old Meidroth is an enchanting participant who generates wildly divergent opinions from scouts, with some contemplating him a possible star and others evaluating him as light-hitting utility infielder. I fall into the latter group. Meidroth has extra professional walks than strikeouts, is a .285/.425/.408 profession hitter within the minors, and slashed .293/.437/.401 at Triple-A Worcester in 2024. His granular contact knowledge is absurd. Meidroth posted a 92% in-zone contact fee and three.2% swinging strike fee in 2024, and has had among the many greatest bat-to-ball metrics in professional baseball since he signed out of the College of San Diego. At a stocky 5-foot-10, Meidroth is ready to hold his pretty elaborate swing on time sufficient to spray a ton of contact towards the alternative subject, a lot of it on the bottom. Meidroth has posted groundball charges close to 50% since reaching the higher ranges of the minors, and this situation is extreme sufficient that, for causes associated to contact high quality, it detracts from his projected hit instrument in addition to his energy. Meidroth will tomahawk the occasional excessive pitch with additional base energy, however most of his contact is of the low-lying selection, with a number of oppo pokes and slaps. It’s pleasing to look at, however isn’t particularly impactful.

Meidroth has developed fairly a bit as a defensive participant in professional ball. He struggled to make correct throws from second base in school, and it wasn’t clear at what place he would possibly find yourself. He has improved as an infielder and gotten reps at shortstop and third base along with his native second. Meidroth nonetheless produces the occasional errant throw, however his actions and vary are each wonderful for brief. He might play there in a pinch, however that isn’t splendid as a consequence of his arm. Jamey Carroll’s offensive output is a reasonably good proxy for what to anticipate from Meidroth — it’s sufficient for him to be a giant league function participant however in all probability not a Steven Kwan sequel, regardless of the swinging strike excellence.

Three of those 4 of those gamers ought to arrive in Chicago throughout the subsequent two seasons. Gonzalez is already on the 40-man and getting into his second possibility yr. Teel completed 2024 at Triple-A and Meidroth performed there all season. If Luis Robert Jr. finally ends up getting traded this offseason for the type of package deal that the White Sox appear to be asking for, they may go into 2025 with the sport’s greatest farm system.