Down On The Farm: Hitters Crushing It At Winston-Salem

As the major league team continues to struggle, all eyes have been on the farm system, with the hope that there are some players that will be able to contribute at a high level for the White Sox very shortly. Luckily, there has been a lot of talent that has been playing well at High-A Winston Salem. Here are some of the players that are standing out...

Colson Montgomery

This is the easiest choice, as Montgomery has no business being in A ball for any longer. He has nothing to prove and he should hopefully be promoted to AA after the trade deadline.

So far since returning from injury Montgomery has hit .345 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in just 17 games. After playing most of the season at this level last year, it is time for him to return to Birmingham.

Montgomery seems to be the future at the shortstop position, but the White Sox seem hesitant for whatever reason to promote him back to Birmingham. He needs to take that next step, as he is clearly better than everyone in A ball.

I'm hoping after the deadline and all the new prospects and draft picks get assigned to their levels he goes to Birmingham, as I would like to see him get a full two months at the best level in minor league baseball. At that point, we will be able to truly tell if he is the future SS for the Chicago White Sox. At this point, it seems likely, but it would be nice to see him push to get to the major leagues within a year or so.

Tim Elko

A name White Sox fans should begin to familiarize themselves with, Elko has been crushing it since he got promoted from Low A. He has been on an absolute tear lately.

Elko has true gap-to-gap power and has been absolutely crushing it at the plate. To this point, he has hit .320 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in just 24 games. At this point, he also needs a promotion to Birmingham, as we need to see if he is the real deal.

He is much older than most of the people in A ball, as he is 24, so he should expect a promotion soon, as there is no need to waste time having him crush pitching at this level.

Unfortunately, he is a 1B and DH type player and there is a current logjam in Chicago with those types of players. But, some of them could be on the move at the deadline and he is a year or two away from the big leagues so there could be a spot for him at that point in time.

Regardless, Elko has been very fun to follow and he should be added to the White Sox top 30 prospect list very shortly.

These are some of the two best players on the Dash and they could both be teammates in Birmingham very shortly. If they finish out the season in AA, they will likely get a chance to go to spring training and get an extended look. If they play well you could see Elko start the season in AAA, as he is a bit older. These players will be fun to follow and should be regular contributors on the White Sox soon.