2025 South Side Sox Prospect Vote: Round 5
Who is the fifth-best prospect in the White Sox system?
It is the eighth year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!
First, let’s review past years:
- Here’s how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here’s an archive of every article in the 2018 series.
- Here’s how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well.
- Now 2020, with the archive.
- Here’s the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive.
- Here’s the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
- Round 24 of voting was 2023’s last (we didn’t do an actual wrap for last year’s voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick!), and the full archive.
- A year ago, Abraham Núñez was our 34th pick to end the series, and here’s the wrap-up post and full archive of each profile.
We have eight players from last year’s 100 Top Prospects on our initial ballot this year, as one 2024 Top 10 player matriculated from rookie status (Dominic Fletcher) and another was traded out of the organization (José Rodríguez). All 10 players on this first 2025 ballot were in the system in 2024.
Last year, Lenyn Sosa was spending his sixth year among our Top 100 Prospects; that seemed amazing, but this year we have FOUR players entering their sixth year on the list: Bryan Ramos, Caleb Freeman, DJ Gladney and Drew Dalquist. (Ramos, in fact, is the definition of a steady climber, beginning at No. 33 in 2020 and improving each year, to No. 21 in 2021, No. 10 in 2022, No. 3 in 2023 and, well, he dropped to No. 4 last year.) Interestingly, we have no players in their fifth year on the ballot, which would seem to be a consequence of the short draft and lost pandemic season in 2020.
All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!
It was again a two-player battle this round, but on this occasion Hagen Smith maintained a small but consistent lead on Colson Montgomery. Smith prevailed with 45 of 199 votes (23%):
Drafted in 2024, this is Smith’s first year on the ballot.
Here are the past No. 4s in our Votes:
- 2024 Edgar Quero (36%)
- 2023 Lenyn Sosa (43%)
- 2022 Oscar Colás (31%)
- 2021 Nick Madrigal (70%)
- 2020 Andrew Vaughn (74%)
- 2019 Luis Robert Jr. (58%)
- 2018 Alec Hansen (64%)
For the first time in the voting, we had a big shake-up in the order, as Jeral Perez jumped from No. 10 to fourth in his second turn on the ballot. George Wolkow, Ky Bush and Jairo Iriarte slipped a bit on the list as a result. Jacob Gonzalez made his debut on the ballot at No. 8, earning 13 votes.
Chicago’s second round pick in 2023, Caleb Bonemer, debuts on the ballot this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2025
- Brooks Baldwin — 37% (Schultz 26%, Quero 13%, Smith 4.5%, Montgomery 4.1%, Adams 3.8%, Wolkow 3.5%, Taylor 3.1%, Iriarte 2.8%, Ramos 2.4%)
- Noah Schultz — 21% (Quero 19%, Smith 11.4%, Montgomery 10.7%, Adams 9%, Wolkow 8%, Taylor 7%, Bush 6%, Ramos 5%, Iriarte 4%)
- Edgar Quero — 25% (Smith 15%, Montgomery 12%, Adams 9%, Wolkow 8%, Taylor 7.4%, Bush 6.9%, Ramos 6.3%, Iriarte 5.7%, Perez 5.1%)
- Hagen Smith — 23% (Montgomery 18%, Adams 11%, Perez 9%, Taylor 8.0%, Wolkow 7.5%, Ramos 7.0%, Gonzalez 6.5%, Bush 6.0%, Iriarte 5.5%)
Mason Adams
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 25
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 29
2024 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -3.0 years
Overall 2024 stats 7-5 ▪️ 23 games (22 starts, one finish) ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 120 1⁄3 IP ▪️ 2.92 ERA ▪️ 110 K ▪️ 28 BB ▪️ 1.146 WHIP
At every level, Adams is not considered the ace of the rotation. And at every level, Adams pitches like the ace of the rotation. His sneaky greatness could find fans sleeping on him even as he steps to the mound for his major league debut — a game likely to happen in 2025.
Caleb Bonemer
Shortstop
Age 19
2024 High Level Okemos (Mich.) H.S.
Age relative to high level N/A
2024 prep stats 8 HR ▪️ 35 RBI ▪️ .541 BA ▪️ 15 SB
There’s scant stat evidence available for Bonemer, but the White Sox dipped back into the plans of prior drafts by picking a prep high up in the draft, and a shortstop at that (Jacob Gonzalez was 2023’s first-rounder, Colson Montgomery 2021’s). Bonemer was Michigan’s player of the year as a prep, but at just 19 should see a lot more developmental (Camelback Ranch) play than game action in 2025.
Ky Bush
Left-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 25
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 19
2024 High Level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -5.0 years
Overall 2024 MiLB stats 7-4▪️ 20 games (18 starts, 1 finish) ▪️ 71 2⁄3 IP ▪️ 3.30 ERA ▪️ 100 K▪️ 49 BB ▪️ 1.166 WHIP
Bush made big and unexpected strides in 2024, improving greatly on a career that to date had been more promise, less delivery. He was a stalwart in the crushing Birmingham Barons rotation for most of the summer, then made his MLB debut in August, after spending a short stopover in Triple-A.
Jacob Gonzalez
Shortstop
Age 22
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 9
2024 High Level Birmingham (Double-A)
Age relative to high level -1.7 years
Overall 2024 MiLB stats 130 games ▪️ 8 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .238/.307/.343 ▪️ 47 BB ▪️ 74 K ▪️ 17-of-23 (73.9%) SB ▪️ .975 FLD%
Gonzalez got off to a strong start at High-A Winston-Salem (particularly in slugging .399, flexing far harder than he had in his 2023 debut) but tailed off pretty badly as the season wore on. A shortstop who for a second seemed like he might keep pace with the ascendance of Brooks Baldwin and catch Colson Montgomery at Charlotte ended up running out of gas completely.
Jairo Iriarte
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 23
2024 High Level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -7.0 years
Overall 2024 MiLB stats 5-7 ▪️ 23 games (22 starts, 1 finish) ▪️ 126 IP ▪️ 3.71 ERA ▪️ 122 K ▪️ 57 BB ▪️ 1.278 WHIP
As the co-headliner (or darn close) of the Dylan Cease trade last spring, it was no surprise when GM Chris Getz touted Iriarte as sure to get a call-up to the majors by season’s end. Almost every moment of his 2024 pointed in that direction, as he dominated at Double-A. Following a trend that also included Drew Thorpe and Bryan Ramos, Iriarte was one of the two September call-ups to begin September and worked out of the bullpen for six innings to end the season. He’s on the short list to break camp with the big club this spring.
Colson Montgomery
Shortstop
Age 23
2022 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 5
2023 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 2
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 1
2024 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -4.3 years
Overall 2024 stats 130 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 63 RBI ▪️ .214/.329/.381 ▪️ 88 wRC+ ▪️ 69 BB ▪️ 164 K ▪️ 8-of-10 (80%) SB ▪️ .963 FLD%
A year ago, Montgomery was a “can’t-miss” prospect. But after a dreadful year in Charlotte that served to prove he had a power stroke but not much else, at all, there’s a bit of tarnish. His second straight AFL season yielded a buff 1.167 OPS over 11 games and Colson ended his Charlotte season with a bit of a sprint, so perhaps 2025 will yield good things, quickly.
Jeral Perez
Shortstop
Age 20
2024 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -1.5 years
Overall 2024 stats 105 games ▪️ 12 HR ▪️ 52 RBI ▪️ .262/.370/.423 ▪️ 62 BB ▪️ 110 K ▪️ 4-of-7 (57.1%) SB ▪️ .939 FLD%
Despite seeming to be the secondary, or at best equal, prospect in the controversial trade deadline giveaway of Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Tommy Pham, Perez proved a sheer masher with the Cannon Ballers. The White Sox have been smart to collect solid middle infielder prospects over the years, and Perez could prove to be the best of the bunch.
Bryan Ramos
Third Baseman
Age 23
2020 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 38
2021 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 22
2022 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 12
2023 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 3
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 4
2024 High Level Chicago (MLB)
Age relative to high level -4.3 years
Overall 2024 MiLB stats 88 games ▪️ 10 HR ▪️ 44 RBI ▪️ .242/.320/.387 ▪️ 98 wRC+ (AAA) ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 86 K ▪️ 8-of-11 (72.7%) SB ▪️ .952 FLD%
Once again slowed by injury, Ramos slumped all season in spite of making the jump from Double-A to the majors. Third base should be his to lose in spring training, however.
Grant Taylor
Right-handed starting pitcher
Age 22
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 15
2024 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level +0.3 years
Overall 2024 stats 0-0 ▪️ 5 starts ▪️ 19 1⁄3 IP ▪️ 2.33 ERA ▪️ 32 K ▪️ 2 BB ▪️ 0.724 WHIP
The White Sox have made such a commitment to bolstering arms over the past few years, they even use plum selections for injured players like Taylor. The LSU righty finally made his pro debut (post-TJS that robbed him of 2023) and acquitted himself well. Pay particular plaudits to Taylor’s vastly-improved (and a typo, right?) K-BB ratio ... yeah, that’s a 16.0, people.
George Wolkow
Right Fielder
Age 19
2024 SSS Prospect Vote ranking 14
2024 High Level Kannapolis (Low-A)
Age relative to high level -2.5 years
Overall 2024 stats 91 games ▪️ 13 HR ▪️ 56 RBI ▪️ .257/.357/.451 ▪️ 9-of-11 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 47 BB ▪️ 158 K
Just 19, you can forgive some of the holes in Wolkow’s swing and just dream on his speed-power combination moving through the system. He suffered the teenage extremes, from dominance to helplessness, but should be ready to explore High-A in 2025.