Former Virginia Baseball Star Kyle Teel Traded to Chicago White Sox

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As for Teel, his position as a top prospect in Major League Baseball remains, as he has been freshly deemed the #2 prospect in the Chicago White Sox system. Teel’s move to Chicago does further exacerbate some previously lingering questions about the young star’s future at the catching position. The White Sox already have another […]

As for Teel, his position as a top prospect in Major League Baseball remains, as he has been freshly deemed the #2 prospect in the Chicago White Sox system. Teel’s move to Chicago does further exacerbate some previously lingering questions about the young star’s future at the catching position. The White Sox already have another top catching prospect in 21-year-old Edgar Quero, who may push the White Sox to experiment with Teel at other positions given his experience across the outfield during his time in Charlottesville (Teel logged 29 games at outfield over three years for UVA, all in his freshman season). After the trade, Teel was asked by Chicago media about a potential change in position, to which he said “I’m a catcher. I believe in myself as a catcher.”

In his second offseason at the professional level, Kyle Teel will be switching his socks from red to white as the Virginia baseball alumnus was traded this month from the Boston Red Sox to Chicago White Sox. The trade included a package of prospects from Boston alongside Teel, sending All-Star starting pitcher Garrett Crochet to Boston. At a minimum, the former Virginia Cavalier will have to compete for any time he receives behind the plate once he reaches the Major Leagues, which will more than likely occur at some point in the 2025 season. Given the Red Sox’s lack of a solid, day-to-day presence at the catching position throughout a mediocre 2024 season, Teel seemed poised to be promoted to the MLB during the ’25 season and stake his claim as the future behind the plate in Boston. As a lifelong Red Sox fan and current UVA student myself, the 22-year-old’s sudden inclusion in this month’s trade was certainly disappointing given his strong offensive attributes as a catcher – a rare commodity at the Major League level – but nevertheless not surprising given Boston’s need for an ace in their rotation. The Red Sox will look for Crochet, who was named an All-Star last summer and finished the season with a 3.58 ERA, to fill the number one spot in their starting rotation. Chicago fans should be enthused by their new catching prospect. Teel has been nothing short of excellent through two seasons in the Boston Minor League system, where he has most recently split time between AA Portland and AAA Worcester. The offensive firepower Virginia fans witnessed during Teel’s three years at UVA, where he carried a career .343 batting average, has translated well to the professional level. Across his first 619 plate MiLB plate appearances, Teel slashed .301/.404/.444 and carries an impressive .848 OPS, establishing himself as a plus-hitting catcher.