The White Sox May Have Found Diamond In The Rough

One of the silver linings of a rebuild is giving former top prospects another opportunity in the big leagues that they would not get elsewhere. The White Sox have brought in several of these types of players over the last couple of years, striking out on most of them. However, one of their newest lottery ticket pickups, Yoendrys Gómez, has made the most of his opportunity and is now worth paying attention to moving forward.

Former Top Yankees Prospect

Gómez likely is not a household name for most White Sox fans, but he didn't come entirely out of nowhere. He was one of the best pitching prospects in the Yankees organization for several years, appearing consistently on their top prospect lists from 2019 to 2023. His minor league stats backed up his prospect hype, too. In 2022, he recorded a 2.49 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 across 47 innings between High-A and Double-A. In 2023, he put up a respectable 3.58 ERA and 10.7 K/9 in 65.1 innings in Double-A.

Like many other prospects in winning organizations, Gómez never got much chance to prove what he could do with the Yankees' big league club. He only appeared in 12 games over three seasons with the Yankees before being DFAed earlier this year. The Dodgers claimed him after that, but he didn't last long there either. He appeared in three games with them, putting up an ugly 14.54 ERA in 4.1 innings. Los Angeles then DFAed him again, with the White Sox claiming him off waivers in early May. And that decision looks to be a good one for Chris Getz and the rest of the front office.

Second Chance With White Sox

After making three uneventful relief appearances with the big league club in mid-May, the White Sox optioned him to Triple-A Charlotte. In 46.2 innings across 14 games with the Knights, he put up a 2.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 12.3 K/9 in very hitter friendly league. He showed enough to put himself back on the map, and earned another chance at the big leagues in early August.

Gómez has taken the opportunity and run with it. In three starts since joining the White Sox starting rotation, he has a 2.45 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, and 10.1 K/9 across 14.2 innings. He has also walked just five batters over that span, a notable development considering walks have been a significant issue for him in recent years in the minors. He hasn't gotten lucky either, generating 16 swings and misses in his first start, eight in his second start, and 11 yesterday afternoon. It is a small sample, but he is quickly proving that his stuff is good enough to play in the big leagues.

Unique Pitch Mix

Gómez is unique because of his arsenal. Most pitchers have three or four pitches in their repertoires. He has seven, consisting of a four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball, sinker, cutter, changeup, and slider. The sheer number of pitches at his disposal keeps hitters off balance, and several of his pitches have been very effective this year. Opposing batters are hitting just .226 against his sweeper, .238 against his four seamer, and .158 off his curveball. He hasn't pitched deep into games yet, but the early returns are promising.

Name To Watch

Yoendrys Gómez will have to prove himself for a lot longer than three starts to keep himself on the radar, let alone a factor in the White Sox starting rotation plans moving forward. But it is tough to make a better first impression than he has. At just 25 years old, he fits perfectly with the core the team is assembling. Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke getting sent down made the White Sox pitching depth look iffy a couple of weeks ago, but Gómez has stepped in and opened eyes. He is now a player to watch as the season nears its conclusion.