Despite Chris Getz and the rest of this front office insisting that they fully plan on putting together a competitive roster in 2024, it has become very clear that this year will act as more of a reset. With sights set more realistically on 2025, Sox fans can expect to see some brand-new faces throughout the season
With holes existing on the current roster, and trade rumors surrounding several players on the roster, the Sox will have to rely on organizational depth to fill a complete roster this season. Because of this, several prospects in the White Sox system have a chance to make their MLB debuts, whether it be on opening day or at some point later this season.It is hard to believe that the emergence of Colson Montgomery didn’t play a part in the decision to not pick up Tim Anderson’s club option. The consensus top prospect in the Sox organization, Montgomery is widely regarded as an elite prospect knocking on the door to the MLB roster. It is becoming more common for elite prospects to be called up sooner rather than later, and while he has not reached the Triple-A level yet, and has less than 200 plate appearances for Double-A Birmingham, his presence at the plate is more than advanced enough for him to handle more advanced pitching. His time in the Arizona Fall League allowed him to catch up on the time he lost due to injury, and it is becoming increasingly likely that he will be called upon as the franchise shortstop sometime in 2024.The headliner of the Lucas Giolito trade, Quero is a consensus top-100 prospect who the Sox think can join the team at some point this year. A patient approach should be taken with Quero, however, as he will be just turning 21 years old as the season kicks off. He was young for the Double-A level in 2023, and while he didn’t look overmatched, he also didn’t light up the stat sheet the way you would hope a top-100 prospect would. It is clear he is capable of being the long-term solution at catcher for the Sox, however a September callup would be more fitting for where he is in his development.Tatum was one of the big breakout candidates of the 2023 season for the White Sox minor league system and looks like he can be a future contributor as a fourth outfielder at some point in his career. While he was fantastic at the High-A level, his numbers dipped after his promotion to Double-A Birmingham, where his propensity to strike out caught up to him. He still gets on base frequently and is electric in the field and on the basepaths, so there’s a path to him filling a role on the MLB club. He still has a lot to clean up at the plate, however, and 2025 should be a more realistic target.
