2025 South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 25: Wilfred Veras
You won’t find a better “lost” year on the White Sox docket — but where can the slugger take it from here?
Wilfred Veras
Right Fielder
6´2´´
180 pounds
Age: 22
2022 South Side Sox Top 100 Prospect Ranking 23
2023 South Side Sox Top 100 Prospect Ranking 20
2024 South Side Sox Top 100 Prospect Ranking 19
2024 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.7 years
SSS rank among all right fielders in the system 3
Overall 2024 stats 128 games ⚾️ 16 HR ⚾️ 60 RBI ⚾️ .267/.319/.424 ⚾️ 25-of-34 (73.5%) SB ⚾️ 34 BB ⚾️ 140 K ⚾️ .966 FLD% ⚾️ 0.7 Simple WAR
Wilfred Veras is part of an athletic family: The son of former Red Sox corner infielder Wilton Veras, nephew of former Cardinal infielder Fernando Tatís (which of course means that he’s the cousin of both Fernando Jr. and former Sox farmhand Elijah). Veras’ signing was relatively unheralded on 2019’s International Signing Day, as he was overshadowed by the signings of Yolbert Sánchez, Cristian Mena and even Elijah Tatís. Several scouts gave Veras a power grade of 55, and he was set to begin ball in 2020 — but the season was lost to the pandemic.
Veras struggled out of the gate with the AZL Sox in 2021, as he slashed just .195/.377/.441 in June. However, things really clicked for him once the calendar flipped to July. How does .387/.450/.632 sound the rest of the way? For the entire year, Veras slashed .322/.416/.533 with 16 doubles, two triples, four homers, 21 walks (11.8%), 42 strikeouts (23.6%) and 147 wRC+. He actually fared better against righties (.339/.424/.556) than southpaws (.250/.382/.429).
Beginning the year at third base, which is considered his more natural position, Veras switched midseason to first base to make room for newcomer Wes Kath. In 31 combined games defensively, he did commit eight errors (five at third, three at first) but he’s expected to be more fluid with additional experience.
The White Sox kept Veras at first base in 2022, and he positively mashed all year — including over 12 games where he should have been well over his head, jumping from Kannapolis all the way to the Barons as part of Project Birmingham. All told, he slashed .267/.318/.462 and surged to 20 home runs after just four in his debut year.
Thus he was promoted to Winston-Salem on full merit for 2023, and was outstanding, including a second straight second half promotion to Birmingham whereupon he MASHED. Almost four years young for the level, Veras finished 2023 with a flurry of six homers and 30 RBIs in 38 Double-A games, slashing .309/.346/.533. Oh, and he was doing all of this playing a new primary position, right field.
So entering 2024, Veras was with certainty the most underrated, high-ceiling prospect in the White Sox system — one seemingly capable of making a jump not only to Triple-A, but possibly even the South Side. And yet, what we got in Veras’ full season at Double-A (still almost three years young there) was ... good. Stolen bases were up, defense was solid, power still pretty much there. It just didn’t ... overwhelm like his previous seasons.
Beyond that, there’s the significant and persistent swing-and-miss that has been a calling card of Veras’ game. When he’s clubbing 20+ homers and slugging .500+, you might be able to live with the high-K/low-BB diet, with hopes of it all rounding out. But 140 whiffs in pursuit of just a .424 slugging percentage in a third turn at the level has introduced cracks into Veras’ seeming sure star turn on the South Side.
Veras’ Baseball Cube player ratings
Durability 89
Power 81
Hitting 80
RBIs 75
XBH 71
Speed 58
Runs 46
Contact 42
Average 67.75
While Veras hasn’t mastered Double-A per se, he’s a superior prospect to Tim Elko, and Elko surged to Charlotte last summer. There is no point in running Veras back out to Birmingham, and expect him to break camp as a Knight. Once in Charlotte and its hitter-happy environment, Veras could be one hot month away from debuting in Chicago.
2025 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
25. Wilfred Veras, RF
26. Seth Keener, RHSP
27. William Bergolla, 2B
28. Samuel Zavala, CF
29. Peyton Pallette, RHRP
30. Jake Eder, LHSP
31. Juan Carela, RHSP
32. Javier Mogollón, SS
33. Nick McLain, RF
34. Ronny Hernandez, C
35. Casey Saucke, RF
36. Eric Adler, RHRP
37. Rikuu Nishida, 2B
38. Shane Smith, RHSP
39. Tim Elko, 1B
40. Zach DeLoach, LF
41. Riley Gowens, RHSP
42. Prelander Berroa, RHRP
43. Sam Antonacci, 2B
44. Adisyn Coffey, RHRP
45. Jarold Rosado, RHRP
46. Ryan Galanie, 1B
47. Trey McGough, LHRP
48. Ricardo Brizuela, RHSP
49. Lucas Gordon, LHSP
50. Aaron Combs, RHRP (traded to Phillies on January 1)
51. DJ Gladney, RF
52. Abraham Núñez, CF
53. Andre Lipcius, 1B
54. Shawn Goosenberg, 1B
55. Caden Connor, 1B
56. Mario Camilletti, 2B
57. Jake Peppers, RHSP
58. Ryan Burrowes, SS
59. Garrett Schoenle, LHRP
60. Jackson Appel, C
61. Tommy Vail, LHSP
62. Bryce Collins, RHRP
63. Tanner McDougal, RHSP
64. Stiven Flores, C
65. T.J. McCants, CF
66. Gil Luna, LHRP
67. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
68. Zach Franklin, RHRP
69. Drew Dalquist, RHRP
70. Nick Altermatt, RHRP
71. Carson Jacobs, RHRP
72. Alec Makarewicz, 1B
73. Jacob Burke, CF
74. Calvin Harris, C
75. Terrell Tatum, CF
76. Phil Fox, RHRP
77. Reudis Diaz, RHSP
78. Jurdrick Profar, SS
79. Drew McDaniel, RHSP
80. Michael Turner, C
81. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
82. Braden Shewmake, SS (designated for assignment on January 1, claimed by Royals)
83. Connor McCullough, RHSP
84. Shane Murphy, LHSP
85. Mikey Kane, 1B
86. Daniel González, LHRP
87. Wes Kath, 3B
88. Pierce George, RHRP
89. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
92. Eddie Park, CF
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
99. Drake Logan, LF
100. Cole McConnell, CF