White Sox Farm Report: Charlotte Knights
The White Sox have not gotten off to a good start to the season, as they are 6-22 and one of the worst teams in the major leagues. However throughout the minor leagues, there are many exciting prospects playing well for the White Sox affiliates, which is something to get White Sox fans excited. Here are some of the players that are making waves in AAA for the Charlotte Knights:
The first is Zach DeLoach. DeLoach was acquired in the Gregory Santos trade and many thought that he would compete for the starting right field job, but he was beat out by Dominic Fletcher and assigned to AAA. However, he has played very well to start the season and he could be one of the next outfielders called up to the major leagues.
So far, DeLoach is hitting .265 with 10 RBIs and five stolen bases in 85 at-bats. This is a solid start to the season for the young lefty, as he is vying to make his way to Chicago as soon as possible.
Personally, I would have called him up instead of Rafael Ortega, as they would not have had to DFA any player, as DeLoach is already on the 40-man roster. I would prioritize DeLoach as a call up, as he is a young player with a lot of potential. If Ortega does not play well, DeLoach should be the man that gets the call next.
DeLoach hasn’t shown the power like he did last year, as he hit 23 home runs, but hopefully that shows up shortly, as he could be a difference maker if the power comes back. The White Sox have lacked offense to start the season, so they should see what DeLoach can do, as they should figure it out now while they aren’t competing for anything.
Unfortunately, he is one of the few bright spots, as most players on the Knights are underperforming statistically. One of the more concerning lines is Colson Montgomery, as he has not fared well in AAA to this point.
So far Montgomery is only hitting .217 with a .327 OBP. He has hit three homeruns, which puts him in a tie for third on the team, but he only has nine RBIs, good for 6th on the team. He has also struck out 36 times compared to just 13 walks. Unfortunately, he leads the team in strikeouts, so hopefully he gets it figured out soon. For the number 9 prospect in all of baseball, this start is not very encouraging, but he is still just 22, so he has time to figure it out.
It has been a rough start to the season for a lot of the guys on the Knights. Yet, for some reason, Chris Getz continues to send players up and down without them getting a chance to figure it out at AAA or in the majors. Hopefully they figure it out soon, as there is some legit talent on this roster, it just hasn’t shown in their stats yet.