Eric Adler
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
6´2´´
210 pounds
Age: 25
2023 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 41
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 33
2025 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 36
2025 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -3.3 years
SSS rank among all right-handed relievers in the system 10
Overall 2025 MiLB stats (AA/AAA) 3-5 ⚾️ 1 SV ⚾️ 34 games (1 start, 19 finishes) ⚾️ 36 2/3 IP ⚾️ 5.89 ERA ⚾️ 1.991 WHIP ⚾️ 33 K ⚾️ 31 BB ⚾️ -0.4 WAR

At No. 191 in the 2022 MLB draft, the White Sox selected RHRP Eric Adler out of Wake Forest.

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The righthander from a football family came to the Sox in with some built-in Chicago toughness, and was rated as prospect No. 242 on the MLB 2022 Prospect Ranks.

Adler packs a great, if not overwhelming, fastball. His high spin rates also suggest absolutely stellar stuff. Unfortunately, mechanical issues in Adler’s delivery led to him struggling over his college career to throw strikes consistently.

Perhaps in part to break any nasty habits, the White Sox didn’t waste any time running him into the system after the draft, as Adler saw six games total, four in Kannapolis. There’s nothing to make of those numbers, but certainly foretold that the organization sees a potential fast mover in the righty.

Adler’s first full professional season in 2023 did little to dispel that, with the season fairly split between Low- and High-A but far more defined closer role after his promotion to Winston-Salem. There, Adler peripherals suffered a touch (more traffic) but his ERA dipped almost half a run, to 2.70.

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In 2024, Adler continued his ascendance, spending almost all of his time at Double-A Birmingham and amassing eight of his 13 season saves while there. The competition overwhelmed a bit, as all of Adler’s numbers suffered with the challenge of more experienced (1.5 years older) batters, but the righty established himself as the closer on the rise in the system.

After the regular season, the White Sox sent Adler to the Arizona Fall League for some additional exposure, an assignment cut short by the reliever heading over to Japan with Team USA to finish the year.

However, 2025 was not kind to the closer, as Adler went from the doorstep of the major leagues to … completely lost. It’s almost tragic that two of the best right-handed relief arms in the system, Adler and Jairo Iriarte, lost the plate and with it the ability to get anyone out.

Actually, that’s not quite fair: Adler in 2025 was usually a passable reliever. But when he was bad, whoo boy, they were ERA crushers. The righty broke camp with Charlotte, with he and fellow Knight Adisyn Coffey the young arms on the cusp on the major league pen. But after nine games, Adler sat with 10 earned runs and more walks than Ks and was demoted to Double-A (incidentally, Coffey would see the same fate later on in 2025).

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Things really didn’t get better for Adler in Birmingham, and as a result his promising 2025 ended up reversing back to Double-A. Though he finished the season with four straight scoreless appearances, Adler did not appear in the postseason and can’t even claim a direct stake in the Barons’ second straight Southern League title.

It’s a bit of a mess trying to project Adler for 2026. The best case is a strong spring fortifies a case for Adler getting another shot; the bullpen arrangement in Chicago is no better (perhaps worse) off than it was in 2025, so with the right steps Adler could still find himself in Chicago this summer.

Full 2026 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects Storystream

2026 Top 100 Prospects no longer in the system
15. Peyton Pallette, RHRP (lost to Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft)
43. Ronny Hernandez, C (traded to Boston on Nov. 18, 2025)
51. Drew Dalquist, RHRP (declared free agency)
66. Andre Lipcius, 1B (declared free agency)
84. Caleb Freeman, RHRP (declared free agency)
90. DJ Gladney, RF (declared free agency)
98. Luis Pineda, C (declared free agency)

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Estimated prospect ratings for players added this offseason but too late for our Top 100
23. Alexander Alberto, RHRP (Rule 5 pick from Tampa Bay)
40. Tristan Peters, OF (trade from Tampa Bay)
44. Tim Elko, 1B (re-signed as MiLB free agent)
45. Jackson Kelley, RHRP (MiLB Rule 5 pick from Texas)
87. Tanner Murray, INF (trade from Tampa Bay)