Charlotte Knights
September record 10-7; Second half record 39-35; Overall record 81-68
Knights Player of the Month
Tim Elko .341/.364/.585, 41 at-bats
Rikuu Nishida .286/.444/.286, 49 at-bats Junior Perez .231/.302/.538, 4-for-4 stolen bases, 39 at-bats Mario Camilletti .200/.333/.286, 35 at-bats Jake Cave .191/.255/.468, 47 at-bats Shane Murphy 2.08 ERA, 17 1/3 IP, 3 BB, 10 K Jonathan Cannon 2.20 ERA, 16 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 15 K Drew Thorpe 2.51 ERA, 14 1/3 IP, 5 BB, 10 K Peyton Pallette 1.42 ERA, 6 1/3 IP, 6 BB, 10 K Aidan
Anderson 2.00 ERA, 9 IP, 3 BB, 5 K
The Knights finished strong, winning 10 of 17 in September to finish 13 games better than .500. Despite a strong effort the Knights fell short of the playoffs, but they had a solid season.
First baseman Tim Elko, 27, joined the Knights on July 21 after completing his rehab assignment with the Dash. Elko recovered from a torn ACL last year, and he finished the season on a high note. In September, Elko went 14-for-41 with two homers, a triple, two doubles, and two walks. That resulted in a .949 OPS that went a long way during Charlotte’s solid month. Elko only has 72 plate appearances at the highest level, all with the 2025 White Sox, when he slashed just .134/.194/.328. However, this excellent finish to the season is a good sign for Elko moving forward as he looks to position himself for a spot on next year’s MLB roster.
2026 Charlotte Knights Players of the Month
Jacob Gonzalez (March-April)
Jacob Gonzalez (May)
Ryan Galanie (June)
Ryan Galanie (July)
Riley Unroe (August)
Tim Elko (September)
Birmingham Barons
September record 6-6; Second half record 35-34; Overall record 61-77
Barons Player of the Month
Samuel Zavala .292/.564/.583, 24 at-bats
Ryan Burrowes .275/.370/.350, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 40 at-bats
Caleb Bonemer .250/.358/.432, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 44 at-bats
Dylan Campbell .227/.358/.432, 8-for-8 stolen bases, 44 at-bats
Colby Shelton .162/.244/.432, 37 at-bats
Pierce George 1.29 ERA, 7 IP, 2 BB, 6 K (promoted to Charlotte on September 18)
Mathias LaCombe 1.59 ERA, 5 2/3 IP, 1 BB, 8 K (promoted to Charlotte on September 19)
Connor McCullough 3.14 ERA, 14 1/3 IP, 0 BB, 8 K
Dylan Cumming 5.25 ERA, 12 IP, 10 BB, 12 K
It was a long shot for the Barons to make the playoffs, but they entered the month with a chance to qualify based on second-half record. The Barons’ 6-6 month was not enough, but they deserve some credit for the recovery after a disastrous first half.
Outfielder Samuel Zavala, 22, deserves to jump up some prospect rankings. In August, Zavala posted a .500 OBP and a 1.045 OPS to become Baron of the Month, and incredibly, he was better in September. This month, Zavala went 7-for-24 with two homers, a double, and 14 walks. Walks do help the OPS, and Zavala is fantastic at drawing them, and as a result, his OPS was 1.147 in September. I feel a bit like a broken record, but yes, his batting average (.292) was high, yet he drew twice as many walks as he had hits. At the moment, Zavala is No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s rankings of White Sox prospects (he was No. 27 at SSSbefore the season, so we already held him in high regard), but especially after these past couple of months, he appears underrated. Zavala plays all outfield positions, primarily center, and this flexibility increases his value as well. In addition, MLB Pipeline’s grades (60 field, 55 arm) indicate that hitting is not the only thing he does well. Great done to Zavala for ending the season so strong and positioning himself to be in the outfielder mix in 2027.
2026 Birmingham Barons Players of the Month
Braden Montgomery (April)
Anthony DePino (May)
Anthony DePino (June)
Boston Smith (July)
Samuel Zavala (August)
Samuel Zavala (September)
Winston-Salem Dash
September regular season record 4-2; Second half record 35-30; Overall regular season record 73-58; Postseason record 4-0
Dash Player of the Month
Grant Umberger 1.35 ERA, 20 IP, 4 BB, 30 K (regular season and postseason)
September – Postseason
Grant Umberger 0.64 ERA, 14 IP, 3 BB, 22 K
Nick McLain .333/.556/.917, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 12 at-bats
Javier Mogollón .313/.389/.813, 1-for-1 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
James Taussig .286/.444/.714, 0-for-0 stolen bases, 14 at-bats
Derek Cerda .500/.571/.500, six at-bats
Jake Curtis 2.84 ERA, 6 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 6 K
Carlton Perkins 0.00 ERA, 2 1/3 IP, 0 BB, 4 K
September – Regular Season
Nick McLain .389/.455/.722, 18 at-bats
Jeral Perez .320/.370/.480, 25 at-bats
James Taussig .320/.370/.640, 25 at-bats
Javier Mogollón .250/.280/.542, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 24 at-bats
Rylan Galvan .313/.313/.813, 16 at-bats
Kyle Lodise .200/.360/.500, 3-for-3 stolen bases, 20 at-bats
George Wolkow .250/.350/.313, 2-for-2 stolen bases, 16 at-bats
Roch Cholowsky Did not play (shut down for season due to wrist injury)
Grant Umberger 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Mason Moore 5 2/3 IP, 8 ER, 8 H, 6 BB, 8 K
Dylan Carmouche 5 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Jake Curtis 5 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 8 K
Justin Sinibaldi 5 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K
The Dash wrapped up a season to remember with a strong last week of the regular season and a postseason run that was even more impressive. The Dash wrapped up their regular season with a 4-2 series victory before sweeping Bowling Green and Greensboro en route to the South Atlantic League Championship.
Left-handed pitcher Grant Umberger, 24, could not be solved, and he wrapped up his season in the best way possible. In the regular season, Umberger posted a 4.70 ERA and a 4.88 FIP 120 2/3 innings, but he was on top of his game when it mattered most. Umberger provided an enormous amount of value in the playoffs, as he was terrific in both of his outings. By the end of the postseason, Umberger had a 0.64 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and three walks. Even before the dominant postseason, Umberger was trending in the right direction, as he posted a 2.81 ERA in 25 2/3 innings in August, and his only regular season start in September was a quality start. Well done to Umberger on his large role in Winston-Salem’s historic season.
It’s worth noting that while no outlet had Umberger regarded as much before or during the 2026 season, we at South Side Sox had him slated as our No. 26 preseason prospect.
2026 Winston-Salem Dash Players of the Month
Colby Shelton (April)
Boston Smith (May)
Boston Smith (June)
Ryan Burrowes (July)
Kyle Lodise (August)
Grant Umberger (September)
