Since Chris Getz took the reins as the White Sox general manager, he has made it a priority to establish a winning culture throughout the organization. His efforts began with an overhaul of the front office and increased investment in analytics and technology across the minor league system.
As part of this restructuring, the White Sox hired Josh Barfield, former Diamondbacks farm director, and Jin Wong, longtime Royals executive, as assistant general managers. They also brought in Brian Bannister, former Giants director of pitching, to serve as Senior Advisor to Pitching, and former MLB infielder and college coach Paul Janish as Director of Player Development.
Another notable addition was Brian Mahler, a former Harvard lacrosse player, Navy SEAL, and Georgetown Law graduate, who was named the team’s Director of Leadership, Culture, and Continuing Education. According to the White Sox, Mahler’s role centers on developing coaches and staff within baseball operations, as well as providing leadership guidance at the minor-league level.
On the field, results have been slow to follow. In Getz’s first two seasons at the helm, the major league club has endured consecutive 100-plus loss campaigns. Still, signs of progress are beginning to emerge—most notably with the recent success of the Birmingham Barons, the White Sox Double-A affiliate.
Barons Battle to a Championship
On Thursday, the Birmingham Barons celebrated back-to-back Southern League titles with a 6-3 victory in the deciding game of a best-of-three series with the Montgomery Biscuits.
The Barons faced plenty of adversity throughout their playoff run. After dropping the first game of the divisional series, the Barons battled back, securing a 4-0 and 9-6 victory over Chattanooga to get to the finals.
But once again, the Barons found themselves on the brink of elimination after losing Game 1 in a tight 2-1 loss to Montgomery. Tanner McDougal, the White Sox fifth-round draft pick, took the ball in Game 2 with the season on the line and proceeded to fire four scoreless innings while racking up six strikeouts en route to a 7-3 victory.
Former first-round pick Hagen Smith took the mound in a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday, striking out six over four innings. The Barons’ offense gave him plenty of support early, building a 5-1 lead by the fifth inning before rain forced a delay.
The scoring began in the third, when Rikku Nishida crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Caden Connor followed with an RBI single. In the fifth, Jordan Sprinkle added an RBI double to stretch the lead to 5-0. Smith then surrendered his first run of the game in the bottom half of the inning, just before the weather halted play. The contest was ultimately suspended and resumed on Thursday afternoon.
Weather, Delays, and Determination
When play resumed, right-hander Caleb Freeman replaced Smith with runners on first and second and no outs. Freeman limited the damage, allowing just one of those runners to score before escaping the inning.
However, Mother Nature wasn’t done making an impact, with rain resuming in the eighth inning, which eventually resulted in a second rain delay in the ninth inning, that lasted over half an hour. Despite the stoppages, the Barons held on to secure their 14th title in franchise history, in a game that took 19 hours and 40 minutes to complete.
The team was led by Guillermo Quiroz, who stepped in as manager after Sergio Santos was promoted to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights following his 2024 championship run with the Barons.
After hovering above .500 the first half of the season, Quiroz's squad posted a 43-26 record in the second half with a plus-56 run differential. The Barons also led the Southern League in hits (1,090), batting average (.245), ERA (2.99), WHIP (1.21), opponent average against (.212), and strikeouts (1,237).
Prospects Paving the Way
The roster featured contributions from several names expected to be part of the White Sox future, with seven of the team's top-30 prospects finishing the season in Birmingham. This includes top-ranked prospect Braden Montgomery, who missed the playoffs due to an injury.
William Bergolla and Sam Antonacci emerged as some of the Barons' biggest contributors throughout the season, with Bergolla finishing the postseason with a .522 batting average. The 20-year-old shortstop also posted a .286 average in 125 games with the Barons this season. Meanwhile, Antonacci hit .292 in 49 games after being promoted to Double-A and recorded an RBI in the title-clinching game.
The White Sox second-ranked prospect, Noah Shultz, made 12 starts in Birmingham, posting a 3.34 ERA before getting promoted to Triple-A. Shultz told MLB.com that he texted some of his former Baron’s teammates as they were celebrating Thursday night.
Winning has become contagious in Birmingham, and the White Sox are hopeful that momentum will eventually carry over to the major league club. As the organization works to build a winning culture, developing players in environments where they compete in meaningful games down the stretch could prove invaluable in the long run.
The Barons played in four elimination games down the stretch and never trailed in any of them.
“This is what we’re trying to build here for the future of the Chicago White Sox,” Quiroz told reporters after the game. “These are the winners that we need at the big league level.”
