Birmingham Barons Prospects Are Making A Strong Case For Call-Up

The White Sox are currently focused on building for the future, as they are expected to be very busy over the next day as we approach the trade deadline. The future starts with the farm system, as the White Sox already have a solid foundation of prospects in their system.

There is talent at each level in the minor leagues, as the White Sox have done a good job over the last few yeas of drafting and adding players with different timelines to the major leagues. Prior to what will likely be significant additions to the farm system before Thursday at 5 P.M., we can take a look at each level to see who’s performed well over the last month.

We now take a look at the Birmingham Barons, the AA affiliate of the White Sox. The roster is likely to change over the next few weeks, as some players from high-A could get a promotion when they assign the 2025 draft class to their respective teams.

Shane Murphy

One of the hottest pitchers throughout all levels of the minor leagues is Shane Murphy. In 95.2 innings this year, he has a stellar 1.60 ERA with 79 strikeouts and an elite .80 WHIP.

In July he’s been even better, as he threw 25 innings of 1.08 ERA ball, while hitters only hit .176 against him. He had a fantastic .76 WHIP due to only giving up 15 hits and walking just four batters. He also struck out 16 batters in those 25 innings. 

Shane Murphy does what he wants. He tosses up 5 more ????'s. 5 innings and 3H. He strikes out 3 while making crazy spinning backhanded plays in the field. I don't know what else to say other than he's a craftsman. He gets a ND, due to a 0-0 tie. #Barons win 2-0 in extras. pic.twitter.com/T0Bar2aaZc

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) July 30, 2025

While Murphy doesn’t have the gaudy strikeout numbers of some of the other top pitching prospects, he knows how to pitch, as he has consistently gotten outs at each level he’s played at. At 24, it is not out of the question that Murphy could get a callup to the major leagues towards the end of the year, as depending on how many pitchers they trade, they’ll need people to eat up a ton of innings.

If Murphy doesn’t get called up this year, he has a good shot to make the team next season out of Spring Training.

Wilfred Veras

On the hitting side, 22-year-old outfielder Wilfred Veras had a nice month of July. In 56 at-bats, Veras hit .286 with a very solid .317 OBP and a .429 slugging percentage.

Veras added two homeruns, eight RBIS, and stole three bases. This was a nice month for Veras as he struggled in the month of June, hitting just .135 with a .179 OBP over 52 at-bats.

Wilfred Veras with a double just out of the reach of the LF'er. #Barons pic.twitter.com/RFCXBpTiDv

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) July 29, 2025

Veras has some very solid power and has been taking more walks this season, but his average is down. Still just 22, there is plenty of time for him to make adjustments, as another solid month will continue to bring his season stats in line with where usually are. 

Birmingham doesn’t have the star-studded roster they had last season, especially now they promoted Jacob Gonzalez to AAA, but they still have some very good players. Hagen Smith has pitched well since returning from his biomechanics break and William Bergolla has continued to hit.