Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 2025 Season Review

It was a steady and encouraging season for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, who finished 2025 with a 64–68 record in the Carolina League. The Ballers hovered right around .500 for much of the year but caught fire down the stretch, winning 11 of their final 14 games. While unfortunately they fell short of a playoff berth, Kannapolis proved to be a key developmental stop in the White Sox system, with several players earning recognition and promotions along the way.

Braden Montgomery, Chicago’s No. 1 and MLB Pipeline’s No. 32 prospect, made his way through three affiliates in 2025. His first stop was with Kannapolis. From the outset, the 22-year-old was nothing short of amazing. He slashed .304/.393/.493 in 18 games. His quick offensive outburst earned him a speedy promotion to Winston-Salem, and after 69 contests there, he moved on to Birmingham.

Indeed, no offense to Montgomery, but Caleb Bonemer, 19, was THE guy. The shortstop and Chicago’s No. 4 prospect spent nearly the entire year in Kannapolis, hitting .281/.400/.458 with 10 homers, 36 doubles, and 58 RBIs in 96 games. Bonemer’s performance was so outstanding that he became the first Cannon Baller ever to be named the Carolina League MVP. He’s now officially one of the must-watch players in the organization.

It’s notable that for both standouts, it was their very first taste of professional ball.

Outfielder T.J. McCants, 24, provided veteran steadiness with a .306/.409/.417 slash line and a .826 OPS, good for third best on the squad. Jordan Sprinkle, 24, was an on-base machine and speedster in Kanny’s lineup, posting a .411 OBP and swiping 65 bases in 74 attempts (87.8%), setting the franchise single-season stolen base record. Sprinkle’s versatility is also valuable as he played six different positions on the diamond.

Ely Brown, 21, a 2025 draft pick, hit .317/.417/.347 in 27 games and played strong defense across all three outfield spots without making an error. George Wolkow, 19 and the South Siders’ No. 10 overall prospect, took a step back offensively as his batting average was down to .223 from .257 in 2024. Additionally, he smacked the same number of homers with 13, but it took him 91 more at-bats to accomplish it. The silver lining is that his K-rate dropped from a ghastly 47% to a less awful 34.5%, so he was definitely striking out less.

On the pitching side, the Ballers staff was anchored by Grant Umberger, 23, who led the team in strikeouts with 113 across 102 innings. The southpaw posted a 2.56  ERA and limited opponents to just a .223 batting average.

Lefthander Justin Sinibaldi, 23, was Mr. Reliable, delivering a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts while demonstrating excellent command (80 strikeouts to 35 walks). Things really started clicking for him late in the season as he surrendered only five earned runs over his last five contests.

In the bullpen, Illinois native Jack Young, 23, stood out before a midseason promotion, posting a 0.35 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP across 26 innings in Kannapolis. Jonathan Clark, 25, was another late-inning weapon before moving on to the Dash, converting five saves and earning three holds with a 2.40 ERA and punching out hitters with an 11.73 K/9.

The Cannon Ballers’ 2025 campaign may not have ended with a playoff run like it did in 2024, but it was definitely a win in the player development department. The prospects in Kannapolis should give fans several reasons to believe that the White Sox farm system IS alive and kicking.