After he now won back-to-back Southern League championships, the Double-A Birmingham Barons (81-57) were again the clear place in the Chicago White Sox Minor League system this season. The barons ended with the best record in the Southern League with three games and showed dominance on both sides of the ball: they placed the best Run differential (+101) and the lowest team era (2.99).
Lephner Noah Schultz Started with the barons before he was promoted to the Triple-a Charlotte Knights and struggled early in the season with his control, placing a 1,588 Whip with the barons while still manages an ERA of 3.34. Despite the fact that he only threw 56 2/3 frames with Birmingham, Schultz registered the fourth walks in the team with a running speed of 14.4% and a 1.61 Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio.
At the next level, opponents Schultz attacked more (.359 stroke average). In 16 1/3 Innings (five games) he allowed 17 earned points on 23 hits and collected a 9.37 ERA with a 1.96 Whip, although he has lowered his running speed to 11.7% while retaining the same strikeout percentage. Schultz floated up and out of the IL with the knights with an apparent knee injury and was closed for the last few weeks of the season to prevent further damage. There is still hope and expectation that Schultz will be the big league team in 2026, and hopefully he can get healthy and work to improve his control to be active that we know that he can be.
In his first full professional season, Hagen Smith The year very strongly finished, supplemented with a few Playoff performances on the road to the victory of the Barons Championship – including a start of 10 K to win a victory while they are eliminated. Smith was closed a bit for part of May and most of June with elbow pain, but luckily it was not serious and he was able to return at the end of June.
In 20 Starts (75 2/3 innings) the Southpaw placed an ERA of 3.57, which is even more impressive when you take his struggle into account with his order. Hagen ran most of the strikers for the barons (56) seventy than Riley Gows in half of the innings, and was bound for the eighth for most walks in the Southern League while placing the highest running speed in all Double-A (17.6%). Smith also had five games where he ran five or more, including a play-off performance of five Walk, despite the fact that Birmingham won that match. He clearly has the talent to be an elite world, so his most important focus this off season should establish the command so that he is able to make the leap to the next level – or even the Bigs – effective in 2026.
Just as he did in 2024, Goods Missed bats on the left and right, throw most strikeouts in all Double-A (151), while his strikeout percentage of 27.7% was in fifth place. The Righty made 27 starts with the barons in 2025 and ended with a 7-6 record and a 3.34 ERA, and his reliability makes him a solid potential addition to the future White Sox-Pitching Staff. Gowens could still use some work to lower walks (9% running speed), but he improved his whip with the barons when he ended last season with a 1,355 whip and brought it to 1,189 in more than twice the innings while in 2024 (122). It is unclear why Gowens did not jump to Charlotte this season, but we will probably see him that he will receive an invitation to the main class camp to start spring training.
Shane Murphy Speed-Ran de White Sox Minor Leagues this season. He started the year with the Winston-Salem Dash for three games (10 innings), was promoted to Birmingham towards the end of April and ended the season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights (three games, 14 innings). It is no wonder that he was promoted consistently, because his statistics with the Baron Borderline are out of hand. Among all qualified Double-A-Appers, Murphy placed the Top Era (1.38), best Whip (0.831), the lowest stroke average of the opponent (.197), the lowest walking percentage (3.7%), and the least hits are allowed (77), and are 89.4% in the left-basis cash. Murphy was also efficient when joining the knights, and in those 14 2/3 innings he allowed four earned runs and placed a 2.45 ERA. Hopefully we will see much more from 2026 here – including on the south side.
Significantly improve from 2024, Jake Palic Was an important piece from the bull pen for the barons, but he was also efficient as a spot starter (13 of his 29 performances were starts). The 27-year-old placed a 2.14 ERA and a 1,067 whip in his 105 innings with the barons, and although he does not withstand a lofty rate (16.1%), he is still quite efficient. Palisch was once called to the White Sox at the end of June as a father of paternity leave for Adrian Houser, and had a heavy inning where he allowed two points on three hits. I personally hope that at some point he will receive the call, because these bullpen needs all the help it can get. Someone with a lower whip may have an impact on this white SOX -Pitching staff.
The bats were just as solid for the barons.
Although Broading Montgomery I didn’t start in Birmingham, he was still a staple for the team with his defense in the outfield and his attacking production. Montgomery worked both single-a-teams and made an impression on both levels before he earned the promotion to the Double-A team in mid-July. In 34 games with Birmingham, Montgomery finished with the second highest Ops (.780) in the team and the best Slug percentage (.416). The first-year Pro even represented the White Sox next to Schultz in the MLB Futures game during the All-Star Break.
Sam Antaccini Was immediately excellent after drawing up the White Sox last season, and he certainly earned his promotion to Double-A in 2025 after cutting .279/.425/.412 with the High-a Winston-Salem Dash. Antonacci remained an on-base trader in Birmingham and ended the season that was first bound in all Double-A (at least 100 pass) with a .435 on-base percentage. He closed the season with a .816 Ops and I am looking forward to seeing Sam continuing to develop. He has been great to look so far.
Speaking of fun to watch, Rikuu Nishida Perhaps the most exciting player in the White SOX lesson. Just like Antonacci, Nishida often reached the basis – and when he did, he often found a way to score, because his 72 scored the highest of the barons. Under qualified batters, Nishida was in second place in on-Base percentage in all of Double-A, and he ranked 10th in stolen base with 40. His speed on the bases and in the outfield has already had an impact, and he will be an asset to the White Soox while the organization is moving, where Outfield is the weakest position group in the weakest position group.
The player who took the most hits for the barons was William Golla (139). The stroke average of the Infielder .286 was the second highest in the team behind Antonacci, and he finished for the most doubles of the season (19), with 36 RBIs. The strengths of Bergolla are that he seldom Examples, although its insane walking speed of 4.7% the lowest was in all double A and twice better than the next lowest (9.2%) of qualified batters.
It is no wonder that Birmingham was able to secure back-to-back championship titles with all the talent in their team. There has been a bit of a trend in which some players fell a bit while they go to the Triple-A Knights, but in general the barons played well as a team and have taken individually important steps in terms of players’ development. Time will learn where these players will start next season, but for now we can still celebrate all their achievements from 2025.
Enjoy the low season, barons, you deserve it!
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