Four White Sox minor-leaguers who deserve recognition
Applause is due for these standout performances over the first six weeks of the MiLB season
Pope Leo XIV may have been the good-luck charm the Chicago White Sox needed to kick-start their road to 42 (maybe 45?) wins, but most of their minor league affiliates haven’t needed any help. The Birmingham Barons, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Charlotte Knights are all hovering around .500, with the Barons atop their division. The only team that’s floundering is the Winston-Salem Dash, which broke camp with possibly the weakest talent (per Top 30 prospects, at least) in all the system. Given the uncommonly decent starts in the system (even if the overall minors record packs more losses than wins), let’s shine the spotlight on a few guys who have been outstanding so far.
Dan Altavilla, Charlotte Knights
Altavilla stands out among the rest of the team in North Carolina. As one of the few relievers who has been effective throughout the entire season, Altavilla has proven to be a reliable reliever. He has a 2.79 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 19 ⅓ innings, with 18 strikeouts and six saves in his 17 appearances. Despite the presence of more logical candidates to finish games (Adisyn Coffey, Eric Adler, Keone Kela), Altavilla has been the club’s closer from the jump. Outside of a three-run outing against Nashville, Altavilla has only allowed three earned runs.
Altavilla is on the short list of promotion-worthy guys still in Triple-A. Ignore that he had an embarrassing 14.73 ERA last year with the Royals: Altavilla is the best reliever in Charlotte right now, and the Sox are hurting for bullpen pitchers who don’t allow runs.
William Bergolla, Birmingham Barons
There are a lot of noteworthy players in Birmingham, but Bergolla has been the best guy in the lineup. He has a .294 batting average with 16 runs and 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. Bergolla’s biggest plus is that he has a keen eye and puts the bat on the ball consistently. He’s only struck out 11 times in 109 at-bats. What he lacks in power, he certainly makes up for in contact.
Bergolla is only 20, and he’s batting like a top-notch player. He’s got another year left in the minors until he’s expected to be called up, but he’ll surely be promoted to Triple-A in the second half of the season. Not a bad return in a trade for ... Tanner Banks.
Hagen Smith, Birmingham Barons
The hype for Smith never seems to end, and that’s because he hasn’t given anyone a reason to doubt him. Over seven starts, Smith has a 2.10 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 25 ⅔ innings. He also leads the Barons pitching staff with 42 strikeouts this season, which includes a career-best 10 strikeouts in his first start of the season.
Smith hasn’t disappointed as MLB’s No. 3 prospect (No. 2 South Side Sox prospect) in Chicago’s farm system. The White Sox are going to cap Smith’s workload in 2025, but like Bergolla Smith could get a taste of Triple-A before the season ends.
Braden Montgomery, Winston-Salem Dash
Montgomery has been crushing it the entire season. After slashing .304/.393/.493 with 19 RBIs in just 18 Low-A games, Montgomery leapt to High-A. Since the end of April, his output has only improved. He is now slashing .365/.452/.712 with four home runs and 13 RBIs in 13 games with the Dash.
Between his power hitting and defensive strength (center field speed, right field arm), Montgomery is quickly becoming a fan favorite who Sox fans are cheering for in the minors. He almost assuredly will play for three affiliate teams, with a promotion to Birmingham, if he keeps up this level of hitting.