South Side Hit Pen

Christian Oppor Named Chicago White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month

The 21-year-old left hander was lights out in August with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash.
Christian Oppor pitches for the High-A Winston Salem Dash.
Christian Oppor pitches for the High-A Winston Salem Dash. | photo credit @christian.oppor on Instagram

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CHICAGO –– Christian Oppor has taken a few notable steps forward in his third season in the White Sox organization.

He was recognized for those efforts Tuesday, when Oppor was named White Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August as voted by a panel of Chicago-area media members. The team's top prospect, outfielder Braden Montgomery, took home the award for position players.

Oppor, 21, is a 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher who the White Sox selected in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Fla. With the High-A Winston-Salem Dash in August, he made six starts and allowed just five earned runs across 23.1 innings, while striking out 31 batters and walking 10.

Oppor ranked ninth among High-A pitchers in August in opponents average and ranked among the South Atlantic League leaders in starts (tied for first), opponents average (fourth), strikeouts (fifth), WHIP (tied for fifth) and ERA (sixth).

He's been especially effective of late, recording two consecutive scoreless outings in his last two tries. On Sunday, he earned the win with five shutout innings, two hits, one walk and six strikeouts on an efficient 66 pitches.

Oppor began the season with the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, and he earned a promotion after posting a 2.42 ERA and an 0.85 WHIP across 22.1 innings with 34 strikeouts and just seven walks. Since making the jump to High-A, he's made 16 starts and pitched 60.1 innings, resulting in a 3.42 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.

Here's the full list of White Sox Minor league players and pitchers of the month in 2025.

Month

Player

Pitcher

March/April

Tim Elko

Grant Taylor

May

Kyle Teel

Jake Palisch

June

Sam Antonacci

Luis Reyes

July

Alec Makarewicz

Shane Murphy

August

Braden Montgomery

Christian Oppor

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox

  • RYAN FULLER IMPRESSED BY TOP PROSPECT: Chicago White Sox No. 1 prospect Braden Montgomery has excelled at three levels of the Minor Leagues in his first professional season. CLICK HERE
  • RAMOS GETS SECOND CHANCE: The White Sox recalled infielder Bryan Ramos, who was ranked No. 3 among the organization's prospects last season, ahead of Monday's game. CLICK HERE
  • CIVALE EXCELS IN NEW ROLE: After serving as a starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox earlier this season, Aaron Civale came out of the bullpen and helped the Chicago Cubs win Monday's game. CLICK HERE

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack

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