White Sox Prospect Season Recap: No. 25, Wilfred Veras
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 25 on the White Sox top 30 prospect list is outfielder Wilfred Veras. Veras was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, and has strong baseball bloodlines, as according to MLB Pipeline, he is the cousin of Padres superstar, and ex-White Sox prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr.
Similarly to Tatis Jr., Veras has five tool potential, as he has a power and speed combination that has been on display in AA for the Birmingham Barons.
Veras has been playing affiliated baseball in the White Sox system since 2021, where he started in rookie ball for the White Sox affiliate in the Arizona Complex league. Since then, he has climbed his way through the system, making his way to AA for a stretch of games to end the 2023 season. AA is where Veras played throughout the entirety of the 2024 season and had himself a very nice year.
In 128 games, Veras hit .267 with a .319 OBP, while slugging .424. While those are solid numbers, these were all a bit lower than what Veras has done in the past. It took him a little bit to get accustomed to the best talent in the minor leagues, but once he did, he showed why he was a top prospect in the White Sox system.
By the end of the year, Veras finished with 16 homeruns, 60 RBIs, and he added 25 stolen bases, which gives him a solid power and speed combination. Those numbers all lead the Barons, as he was a threat in the middle of the order for most of the season.
Unfortunately, Veras did strikeout 140 times compared to just 34 walks. While he does have big time power, it comes with a lot of swings and misses, which is something he will need to work on if he wants to succeed at the highest level. He has cut it down slightly from the last few years while taking more walks, so it is clearly a work in progress.
If Veras can work on commanding the strike zone better, which comes with taking more walks, Veras could be a legitimate 20-20 threat in the major leagues. At this point, it is likely that he starts off in Birmingham again, but if he does well in Spring Training, he could start off at AAA.
Veras will turn just 22 in a few weeks, so he is still a very young hitter. It is likely that he continues to get better every year, which will be a great development for the White Sox, as he could fit in as one of their outfielders of the future.