Scouting report on Pierce George who jumped from unranked to 16th. He wasn't on my radar at all.

16. Pierce George

RHP

Ht: 6'6" | Wt: 215 | B-T: R-R

Age: 22

Previous Rank: Unranked

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Adjusted Grade: 30

Track Record: George’s radar gun readings made him a top recruit coming out of high school, but his control issues meant he barely pitched at Texas or Alabama in two years of college ball. The White Sox drafted him in the 13th round in 2024. He took his lumps in 2025, walking 45 in 47.2 innings, but the consistent work helped him start to find the strike zone. The payoff has come this year, as he’s shown the same power stuff with much better control.

Scouting Report: George has long had the ability to tickle triple digits. He sits at 96-97 mph and has touched 102, but now it’s around the strike zone enough for it to be effective. George’s control has jumped two grades in one season, from well below-average to fringe-average. George relied in 2025 on a curveball that he couldn’t land for strikes. He’s now throwing a cutter in the low-90s that he can consistently spot in the zone. He’s also able to turn to a 82-84 mph slider that gets whiffs. His fastball doesn’t have exceptional movement, but when he’s sitting 99-100 as he will in some outings, it doesn’t really matter. Now that he’s getting ahead, hitters have been relatively helpless. As of mid-May he was striking out more than 40% of batters.

The Future: George’s one-season transformation is remarkable. He walked 17 of the last 58 batters he faced in 2025. This year, he walked four of the first 63 batters he faced. With his well-above-average velocity, he profiles as a high-leverage reliever if he can build on his early-season success.

Tools Grades Fastball: 65 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 55 | Control: 45.

Nice to see some big jumps by Pierce George and Davis. Oppor hurts, though.

1 hour ago, DirtySox said:

Top 20 from the new top 30 at BA. Will note previous ranks in parenthesis. Jacob Gonzalez is ranked 23rd. Was previously 25th for those wondering. Seems criminally low. I also think Gabe Davis is far too low. He's a top 10 guy for me.

I know it's my irrational mind, but all of the sudden, Andy Wilkins popped into my head. I know we keep hearing the numbers, but has anyone looked at him and said that something looks for real, instead of one of those 4A type of explosions we see every once in a while? Has something really changed, or is he maxxed out here?

From today's BA hot sheet chat.

Anonymous

When do we see Caleb Bonemer in AA? Are they looking for a lower K rate before that happens?

Ian Cundall

I'd guess sometime this summer. More consistent contact and defense are the areas I think the White Sox want to see from him before making that move.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/hot-sheet-mlb-prospects-chat-5-18-26/

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by DirtySox

More from the BA chat.

AJ

Do we buy the Jacob Gonzalez resurgence? How much of this is Truist field effect? Seems he only moved up from 25 to 23 on the new top 30 rankings.

Ian Cundall

His underlying data is mixed. No real huge changes in his contact rates, but his power is up and so is his walk rate. Definitely a step in the right direction but not sure if it's a drastic change yet.

4 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

I know it's my irrational mind, but all of the sudden, Andy Wilkins popped into my head. I know we keep hearing the numbers, but has anyone looked at him and said that something looks for real, instead of one of those 4A type of explosions we see every once in a while? Has something really changed, or is he maxxed out here?

I've been keeping close watch on the Statcast expected stats. Like nearly all players on Charlotte, his actual production is well ahead of what's expected. That said, he's tops in expected stats among the remaining players in Charlotte. Ranks 40th out of 338 full-time AAA players in xwOBA. So he's legitimately hitting well. His xwOBA is a notch higher than Tim Elko's was last year. So as I see it, Jacob has certainly hit some chipshots over the short porches in Charlotte, but he's also hitting the ball a ton better than he did last season and better than most AAA hitters.

Whether he can keep that up or if it's somehow not able to be translated to better competition, I don't know. One thing he has over the Wilkins and Elko types is he's not that old and he doesn't have to hit that well to be a useful player since he's a middle infielder. Even better, a left-handed hitting one. Of course, for now the MLB club seems to have infielders in spades so IDK what you do with Jacob besides see if he keeps it up in Charlotte.

Edited 15 minutes ago15 min by Jake

What's the report on Gonzo as an IF? Capable defender at all 3B, SS and 2B? If that's the case and they thing Montgomery can backup CF when he's in Chicago Acuna's time might be limited.