In Power-Hitting Era, Birmingham Barons Reversed Trend To Win Second Straight Title

As manager Guillermo Quiroz made the jump from High-A to Double-A going into the 2025 season, he was tasked with defending the Birmingham Barons' 2024 Southern League title.

Some look at the Minor Leagues with an eye on individual development, rather than team success, but there can be room for both. Quiroz wanted to foster a winning culture from day one of spring training, so he put up a whiteboard that tallied wins and displayed messages as reminders of the ultimate goal.

The team bought into it, and by the end of the year, the Barons had won back-to-back Southern League titles. But look closer, and they did so in a unique way compared to the modern-day prioritization of power hitting.

Barons back to back Champions! pic.twitter.com/xmec7GkOFi
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) September 25, 2025

Flipping the script

Last season, the World Series consisted of two of MLB's top three home-run hitting teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2025, four players hit 50-plus home runs for just the third season in MLB history, while just seven players had batting averages over .300 for the second consecutive season.

The Barons were quite the opposite. Just one player, DJ Gladney, hit 10 home runs, and the 12 players with the most plate appearances each slugged below .390.

For Quiroz, it was all about recognizing and highlighting his players' strengths. And once they were invested in winning –– knowing that would in turn reflect positively on each individual –– Birmingham was tough to beat. They posted a Southern League-best 81-57 regular season record and went 4-2 in the playoffs.

pic.twitter.com/LLRSc6Jjnb
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) September 25, 2025

"We were not a team that was gonna hit the ball over the fence all the time," Quiroz said. "Those guys know how to play baseball, you know. They grew up playing like that. Guys that can bunt, guys that can run, guys that defensively are elite, to be honest."

"They knew when to do their job and move runners from second to third base, a sac fly, a safety squeeze. All that, just knowing that type of player that you are and that as a manager you know that you have on your team, that was awesome."

Why it worked

Instead of power, the lineup was fueled by hitters like Sam Antonacci (.292/.435/.381), William Bergolla (.286/.342/.333) and Rikuu Nishida (.273/.403/.308), and complemented by others who executed a selfless offense.

Quiroz felt this approach made the Barons difficult for opponents to figure out in an era where that style of play has become increasingly rare.

"I'm gonna be honest, a lot of teams didn't know how to defend it," Quiroz said. "They were playing close in, infield in, as you say, and even like that, we forced the defense to make errors and we took advantage of it. Those guys are so fast, and having a guy like Nishida, he could just put the ball in play and run and make things happen."

"And then you have Bergolla, he can handle the bat, and then all of a sudden he'll drop a bunt for a hit. And all of sudden, you have Antonacci, a grinder taking a lot of pitches, 8-10 pitches in an at-bat. It's unbelievable. To be honest, on a lineup like that, that dynamic, those guys were basically playing by themselves to be honest. It was fun to watch."

Barons starting pitcher Hagen Smith taking the mound in Game 3 tonight. First pitch 7:05 pm. pic.twitter.com/fzrdM43ike
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) September 24, 2025

The team also boasted a deep pitching staff, featuring the organization's No. 5 prospect Hagen Smith and No. 7 prospect Tanner McDougal, along with Riley Gowens (3.34 ERA, 132 IP), Shane Murphy (1.38 ERA, 110.2 IP) and Jake Palisch (2.14 ERA, 105 IP), to name a few. The White Sox top two prospects, outfielder Braden Montgomery and Noah Schultz, also spent part of their seasons in Birmingham.

Beyond having pure talent, Quiroz credits the organization's messaging that led to another title run.

"I think the player development staff has done a really nice job trying to get those guys to work hard, not to take anything for granted, to hustle, to go out there and give you 100% every day," Quiroz said. "And that's what it's about, playing fundamental baseball and making sure they do things the right way."

Flipping the script

Why it worked

Related stories on the Chicago White Sox