SCOUTING REPORT: ROCHESTER VS. CHARLOTTE

The Rochester Red Wings will look to begin a run of three consecutive series victories when they return to ESL Ballpark on Tuesday night, but the Charlotte Knights stand in the way.

The Knights come into this six-game set at 20-19, good for sixth place in the International League East second-half standings. The Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate is an offensive powerhouse; they rank first in the International League in RBI (159), second in home runs (166), and third in extra-base hits (386).

Here’s a look at four Knights to keep an eye out for when they toe the rubber or step in the batter's box this week.

11. 2B/OF Rikuu Nishida

Old school baseball, that's what you think of when you watch or view Rikuu Nishida’s stat line. The White Sox 21st best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has just one home run this season and certainly isn’t a Statcast darling with an exit velocity average of only 84.6 MPH, but he has 85 hits in 75 games, with seven of them coming off bunts, good for third in the International League. He has also added 17 stolen bases to his small-ball game.

Nishida displays a slap hitter approach at the plate; his .302 batting average (85-for-281) with a .427 on-base percentage, which is third-best in the IL among players with at least 275 at-bats. In addition, the righty is hitting over .300 when pulling and hitting the ball up the middle, but boasts an impressive .471 average (40-for-85) when he takes the ball to the opposite field.

Nishida made his MLB debut on Memorial Day, making him the first Japanese-born and raised player to play Division I college baseball and play in the Majors. He registered a hit and threw out Minnesota Twins shortstop Orlando Arcia at home plate from right field in a 3-1 White Sox win.

88. C Korey Lee

Korey Lee is a former top 30 prospect and 2022 World Series champion with the Houston Astros before he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Major League reliever RHP Kendall Graveman in July of 2023. The right-handed catcher has caught fire at the plate this season despite being designated for assignment this past offseason and being outrighted to Charlotte.

MLB Pipeline projected him to have plus raw power when he was first drafted, and he’s lived up to the hype this season, smashing 16 home runs, his most since 2022 when he was with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (HOU), and the fourth-most among International League catchers this season.

In eight games spanning two seasons, the University of California product has had the upper hand against Rochester’s pitching staff, slashing .313/.395/.500 with one long ball and five driven in. In six games this month, he is slashing .316/.364/.684, with two round trippers and five RBI.

16. 3B Ryan Galanie

Galanie is a fundamental ballplayer and a complete hitter who is viewed as one of the most underrated players in the White Sox system. The former 2023 13th-round pick is as confident as any player in almost any situation at the plate, his former manager at Double-A Birmingham, Guillermo Quiroz, said.

The 26-year-old is a slugging machine; he has 18 homers, 55 RBI, and 41 extra-base hits overall, the ninth most in the International League, as well as ranking third among International League hitters with at least 275 at-bats in Isolated Power (.283).

Since July 1, the pride of Mason, Ohio, has put his power bat on display; he ranks fourth in OPS (.971), T-5th in extra-base hits (15), and seventh in RBI (24) among International League hitters with at least 100 at-bats in that span.

After a down 2024 season, the right-handed third-baseman proceeded to purchase a Class C Motor Home and travel the country for a better part of a month, with time split by himself and with friends, Galanie told Scott Merkin of MLB.com, “It’s a good mental cleanse for me… I felt it was one of the best things I ever did for my career.”

Since the trip, Galanie is slashing .280/.341/.475 with 85 extra-base hits and 155 RBI in 781 AB’s across three levels.

41. RHP Jairo Iriarte

This big, hard-throwing righty was acquired by the White Sox alongside three others from the Padres in exchange for Major League starter RHP Dylan Cease in March of 2024. Iriarte, who was a top 30 prospect in 2024, quickly fell off the list after two tough seasons and was designated for assignment and outrighted to Charlotte before this season.

But things have changed. Iriarte has been absolute nails out of the bullpen, posting a 1.91 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while striking out 26 in 28.1 innings of work. The 24-year-old produces a lot of ground balls, 63.4 percent to be exact, up 17.8 percentage points from last season. This not only lowered his fly ball rate (15.5%), but even more impressive, the fly balls he’s giving up aren’t leaving the infield; he’s putting up a great 27.3% infield fly ball percentage, and I might mention he hasn’t allowed a homer.

What makes Iriarte challenging to hit? Well, he’s 6’4” and throws his four-seam fastball at an average of 94.7 MPH that, at times, can top 100 at an average 30-degree arm angle at a decent 2,300 RPM’s while working in a change-up as his secondary pitch.

When narrowed down to 94.7-96 MPH, International League batters are hitting a combined .228 against four-seam fastballs from that arm angle.

His FIP- is 56, which tells a lot of the story. This isn’t luck; he’s about as elite as you can get for a relief pitcher.

The Red Wings' power force of SS Trey Lipscomb and 1B Yohandy Morales will face off against the might of the Knights starting on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. The Wings won four of the first six games the two teams played back in June.