White Sox Prospect Season Recap: No. 22, Jake Eder

The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans. 

However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the seasons of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.

Ranked at 22 on the White Sox top 30 prospect list is starting pitcher Jake Eder. Eder took a tumble in the latest prospect update, as he was in the top half of the prospects prior to MLB Pipeline updating their list. 

Eder was acquired by the White Sox in the surprise trade deadline trade that sent Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins. Most people were confused by that trade, as Burger was one of the better hitters on the team at the time, especially for a team that was desperate for hitting.  

While Burger went on to have a nice season for the Marlins, Eder had an up and down season for the White Sox. However, Eder eventually found his way to Chicago, where he would make his major league debut. Eder started off the year in the stacked rotation in Birmingham, where he would have a 5.09 ERA over 15 starts. The stats were worse than he looked, as Eder had a nice string of quality starts that were overlooked by a few bad games that inflated his ERA. 

Due to his performance, he was called up as the 27^th man in a double header, but didn’t get in either game. After that, they sent him down to AAA, so it was essentially still a promotion for Eder. He didn’t fare too well at Charlotte, as he had a 9.87 ERA over nine starts for the Knights. The rest of his stats were exactly what you’d expect someone’s stats would be with a 9+ ERA, as he had a 1.99 WHIP and a .304 batting average against.

Despite those stats, the White Sox called him up to the major league team to end the year and he finished the season with two appearances. In those two innings, he gave up one run, two hits, one walk, while striking out one. It was good to see Eder look better than he did in the minors, as he still has plenty of potential.

At this point, it is likely that Eder opens the season up with the big-league team in a bullpen role. This could change however, as his Spring Training performance is likely to determine where he opens the year.

Eder still has a lot of talent, so hopefully it all comes together in 2025. If not, he could fall out of favor, as the White Sox have no shortage of pitching prospects in the minors waiting to come to Chicago.