Chicago — George Wolkow planned to go food shopping with his roommates in Arizona on June 2.
Instead, the Minor League outfielder was promoted to the White Sox’s Single-A affiliate in Kannapolis, North Carolina, before he could put a loaf of bread in his basket.
“I was kind of running low on stuff,” Wolkow said MLB.com with a giggle after being promoted from the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. “I was about to get into the car and told my roommate, ‘One second.'” I was going to go inside and put on a shirt because I was wearing a hoodie.
“As I stepped inside, I received a call from our manager. He kind of explained everything to me and delivered me the news, so I was happy he caught me before I went shopping for the week.”
The left-handed-hitting Wolkow, regarded as the club’s No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline, has been an intriguing tale since Chicago selected him in the seventh round (No. 209 overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft and signed him to an above-slot bonus. He is 6-foot-7 and has drawn early comparisons to Aaron Judge for his strong body and tremendous power, an All-Star analogy Wolkow readily accepts.
But, despite turning 18 on January 11, Wolkow remains a long way from the Major Leagues. He hit.333/.433/.561 with two home runs, seven doubles, and four RBIs in 15 games with the team’s Arizona club this season, but Wolkow had 24 strikeouts in 39 at-bats in 10 games with the Cannon Ballers.
Wolkow will not disregard their challenges with the easy youth excuse. They will not create concern for the charismatic and assured talent.
“I tend to be pretty hard on myself,” Wolkow added. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been playing my greatest baseball, but that’s part of the process of moving up here. I won’t be batting.500 right out of the gate and playing great. I don’t believe that was what was expected of me.
“It is sticking to that process. There will be some highs and lows. There were some great moments as well as some difficult ones. However, it is the name of the game, especially while young. Continue to keep my head down, work hard, and know that in two or three years, the process I’m currently going through will pay off.”
One of those bright moments came on June 6, when Wolkow hit a 457-foot homer in his third game with Kannapolis. Wolkow was on Kannapolis’ development list for two weeks at the close of the ’23 season, but he now gets to play with the Carolina League South’s first-half champions, as well as players he met in the autumn and throughout Spring Training.
George Wolkow’s first single-A homer.
“There are a lot of good baseball players, but overall, really good people,” Wolkow stated. “Just to have that chance to come up here and have some fun and win some games, it was almost as exciting as getting to move up the level on the baseball side.”
If Wolkow had not reclassified to the 2023 Draft after graduating early from Downers Grove (Ill.) North High School, which is about 20 miles west of Guaranteed Rate Field, he would have been selected in the first round this year. The White Sox benefit from the ’24 Draft’s defeat.
Wolkow nevertheless went to Costco with roommates Christian Oppor and Zachary Hammer after receiving the promotion, despite being on the phone with his mother to share the joyful news. His attention rapidly turned to the next level of competitiveness.
“At the end of the day, I hope I can make it to the big leagues really young,” Wolkow stated. “It’s going out there and trying to be the best baseball player I can be, just like the other guys. Find things to improve on and work my way up.”
Colson Montgomery hit a solo home run
Colson Montgomery hit a solo home run
Somewhere else on the property…
Triple-A Charlotte: The Knights won with a no-hitter from seven pitchers on Sunday, but shortstop Colson Montgomery also went deep. According to MLB Pipeline, the White Sox’s top prospect and number 10 overall has nine home runs and 30 RBIs in 61 games.
Double-A Birmingham: Noah Schultz, the White Sox’s No. 2 prospect and No. 39 overall, with 101 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 70 career innings since Chicago selected him No. 26 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft. He has 21 strikeouts without a walk since being promoted to the Barons on May 25.
High-A Winston-Salem: Right-handed reliever Billy Seidl was promoted to the Dash on Thursday after compiling a 2.63 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 24 innings for Single-A Kannapolis.
