White Sox Minor League Update: June 25, 2025

The affiliates went 4-1, and Brooks Baldwin went deep again

Charlotte Knights 4, Toledo Mud Hens 3 (10 innings) (Statcast box)
After dropping a close game to Toledo on Tuesday, Charlotte (37-40) took a nail-biter in extras on Wednesday to even the series.

Starter Owen White, 25, was on top of his game for the Knights. White pitched four shutout innings, issuing no walks and only allowing two hits. White also struck out six while maintaining decent efficiency (17.75 pitches per inning).

When White left the game, Charlotte had a 2-0 lead. Corey Julks, the second batter of the game, was hit by a pitch. Joshua Palacios was next, and he crushed a 2-2 slider that caught too much of the plate.

Palacios got every bit of this pitch, launching it 429 feet. This was his third home run in the past week, as Palacios would like to get back to the majors.

In the fifth, Fraser Ellard pitched a scoreless inning in relief of White. Gus Varland took over in the sixth, and he was not as successful. Varland faced four batters, and he struck out two of them, but the other two doubled. After the second double, Chase Plymell took over, inheriting a runner on second, two outs, and a 2-1 lead. Plymell walked a batter, and Riley Unroe tied the game with a double to right.

After nine innings, the game was still tied at two, and the Knights started the 10th with the ghost runner on second. Bryan Ramos struck out, and Zach DeLoach grounded out, but Brooks Baldwin made sure that the Knights did not go away empty-handed.

What a run this has been for Baldwin, who has won the last three of our Knights Player of the Week awards. Can he make it four?

Peyton Pallette took over to begin the bottom of the 10th. Pallette retired the first two batters he faced, but Jace Jung doubled to drive in a run and extend the game. Ryan Kreidler, the next batter, hit a bloop single, and Jung rounded third to head home. DeLoach promptly picked up the ball in right and fired a strike home. After the excellent throw by DeLoach and a good tag by Korey Lee, the Knights held on for a thrilling victory.

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Birmingham Barons 8, Knoxville Smokies 6
The Barons (39-32) put a pair of big innings together en route to a competitive victory over Knoxville.

Barons starter Riley Gowens, 25, did not have his finest stuff. Gowens pitched four innings, and he piled up nine strikeouts, but he struggled outside of that. Gowens needed 88 pitches to make it through four frames, and he allowed four earned runs. Gowens issued five walks, which hurt him quite a bit. Despite the struggles, when Gowens left the game, Knoxville only had a one-run lead.

With one out in the second, DJ Gladney singled, he stole second, and he advanced to third on an error. Then, Mario Camilletti picked up the first of his four hits with an RBI single. Jacob Burke followed with a single, and Camilletti advanced to third. Burke stole second, and Jason Matthews picked up a clutch single to drive in a pair.

Entering the sixth, Birmingham trailed by a score of 4-3, but the Barons had plans for another big inning. There was a merry-go-round on the bases, as Ryan Galanie, Gladney, Camilletti, Burke, Calvin Harris, and Matthews hit six consecutive singles. That parade resulted in a four-run frame, and the Barons held that lead.

The Barons collected 16 hits in this game, and they finished 8-for-14 with runners in scoring position. All 16 hits were singles, but when a team has that many of them, there is a clear path to a win.

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Greensboro Grasshoppers 3, Winston-Salem Dash 2
In this low-scoring game, the Dash (27-43) tied the game in the top of the ninth, but the Grasshoppers walked it off in the bottom half.

Christian Oppor, 20, had a decent performance, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings. Oppor only needed 71 pitches to make it through five innings, which is quite efficient (14.2 pitches per inning).

When Oppor left the game, the Dash had a 2-1 deficit. Winston-Salem scored that run in the third, when Braden Montgomery singled to drive in Wilber Sánchez, who drew a leadoff walk.

The bullpens performed admirably, so the score remained 2-1 until the ninth. Finally, the Dash broke through in the top of the ninth to tie the game. Alec Makarewicz drew a leadoff walk, and pinch-runner Jordan Sprinkle stole second. Jackson Appel laid down a successful sacrifice bunt, and Sánchez tied the game with a single to center.

Dash reliever Carson Jacobs took over in the eighth, and he retired all three batters he faced that inning. However, Jacobs was not effective in the ninth. Lonnie White Jr. hit a leadoff double, and after an intentional walk and an unsuccessful bunt, Jesus Castillo lined a walk-off single to left.

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Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 3, Fredericksburg Nationals 1
The Cannon Ballers entered this game with an 11-game losing streak, but at long last, it is over. Kannapolis (33-38) scored three in the first two innings, and they did not score after that. However, thanks to an outstanding effort by the pitching staff, Kannapolis got the victory.

T.J. McCants, who has been a great contact hitter this season, launched his first homer of the year in the top of the first. In 14 games with the Cannon Ballers, McCants is slashing .306/.452/.408. Earlier in the season, McCants played 13 games in the Arizona Complex League, where he slashed .292/.333/.417.

In the second, Ryan Burrowes singled and wreaked havoc on the bases. Burrowes stole second and advanced to third on an error. Then, with two outs, Grent Magill hit an RBI double, and Abraham Núñez hit an RBI single to make it 3-0.

Meanwhile, stop me if you have heard this before, but Grant Umberger had a great outing on the mound. Umberger, 23, is having no trouble at this level. Umberger only allowed one run on five hits in six innings. Umberger collected nine strikeouts without issuing any walks, and he was in control from start to finish. In 55 ²⁄₃ innings this season (all with Kannapolis), Umberger has a 2.43 ERA, and opponents are slashing only .206/.288/.268 against him.

Connery Peters pitched two shutout innings, and Hale Sims picked up the save with a scoreless ninth. Well done to the Cannon Ballers for ending the long skid.

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ACL White Sox 13, ACL Brewers 7 (7 innings)
The bats of ACL White Sox (22-17) could not be stopped down the stretch of this dominant performance.

Drake Logan led off the game with a walk, and he advanced to second on a passed ball. After a productive out, Adrian Gil drove in Logan for the game’s first run. The ACL White Sox led for the rest of the game.

The ACL White Sox scored four in the fifth, five in the sixth, and three in the seventh to pull away. Marcelo Alcala had the most impactful hit, launching a three-run blast for the only homer for either team.

The bottom of the seventh did not go smoothly for ACL White Sox reliever Gray Thomas, who issued four walks and allowed four earned runs. However, due to the size of the lead, the ACL White Sox held on comfortably.