Minor League Baseball

Chicago White Sox's Stacked Double-A Roster Catches the Attention of the Experts

Baseball America lauded the Birmingham Barons as one of the most talented teams in the minor leagues.
Jami Leabow|
Chicago White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz (76) throws the first pitches of his major league career during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb 26, 2025.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Noah Schultz (76) throws the first pitches of his major league career during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the San Diego Padres at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb 26, 2025. | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

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Chicago White Sox

The Birmingham Barons are one of the two kings of Double-A baseball when it comes to the amount of talent on their roster.

Baseball America released its list of the most-talented teams in the minor leagues on Thursday and listed the Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, as No. 6 on its list of the Top 10. Coming in at No. 9 were the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels affiliate).

Seven of the teams on Baseball America’s list were Triple-A organizations, joined by the High-A Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners).

What makes the Barons so special in the eyes of the Baseball America evaluators? It starts with the pitching staff.

The Barons have two players listed on Baseball America’s Top 100 list – both pitchers – and six from the list of Top 30 prospects in the White Sox organization. While the roster of Chicago’s Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, is stacked with top position players, the Barons are pitching-heavy.

Here’s what Baseball America had to say about the Birmingham Barons:

“If the White Sox’s Triple-A club has a lineup to watch, their Double-A Birmingham club has the pitching to envy. A rotation of LHP Noah Schultz (No. 9 on Top 100), LHP Hagen Smith (No. 39) and RHP Grant Taylor (No. 18 on the Top 30 and soon to rise) is one of the most talented and hardest-throwing in the minors. RHP Peyton Pallette (No. 22) and RHP Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 20) are also worth keeping an eye on. The lineup doesn’t match the pitching staff’s star power, but the infield of Jacob Gonzalez (No. 16) and William Bergolla Jr. (No. 30) is solid.”

If this crop of pitchers proves as successful as it projects to, Barons fans might not have them in Birmingham for long. The Triple-A Charlotte Knights, or the White Sox, could come calling.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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