The White Sox are trending in the right direction, but ESPN’s latest rankings show the roster still lacks the kind of superstar talent that carries teams over a 162-game season.
After a strong second half last season and some intriguing offseason acquisitions, the Chicago White Sox are no longer the bottom-of-the-barrel MLB franchise they were just a few years ago.
The club enters 2026 with legitimate internal expectations, and some of that growing optimism has started to spread to the fan base.
What’s just as obvious, however, is that the White Sox still have a long way to go. They’ve lost 100 games in three consecutive years, and even with another step forward coming, they could easily finish dead last in the AL Central once again.
The White Sox have some exciting young talent, but they lack the high-end players capable of carrying a team over the course of a 162-game season. Maybe some members of the current core continue to develop and emerge as legitimate stars. Maybe that superstar talent is still on its way through the farm system or arrives via the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Perhaps there’s a premium free agent signing in the cards somewhere down the line as the team becomes more competitive – though this option feels unlikely considering Jerry Reinsdorf has never signed a player to a contract worth more than $100 million in total value.
The solution to the problem isn’t really the topic of conversation right now. The reality is simply that the White Sox do not enter 2026 with any of baseball’s premier players.
ESPN recently released its list of the top 100 players in baseball heading into the 2026 season, and the White Sox were one of just four teams without a player included. The other three were the Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, and St. Louis Cardinals, meaning the White Sox were the only American League team without a top-100 player in the eyes of ESPN.
Now, ESPN is notorious for having something of an unconscious bias against the White Sox and this wouldn’t be the first time the organization was snubbed or had parts of its history overlooked by the platform. But I don’t think this one's off base at all.
The only White Sox player who could realistically be in the conversation right now is shortstop Colson Montgomery, who led the team with 2.7 fWAR in 2025.
That still ranked just 131st in baseball, and it’s probably unrealistic to expect Montgomery to maintain the same pace he showed as a rookie in the power department.
Over a full 162-game season, he was on pace for 48 home runs and 125 RBIs. What he did after the All-Star break was a legendary run that White Sox fans will remember for years. But how sustainable is it? It’s hard to say right now.
Had Montgomery made ESPN’s top-100 list, I wouldn’t have batted an eye. In fact, he was included on MLB Network’s list, which felt like well-deserved recognition for one of the best second halves in all of baseball last year.
But I also can’t be up in arms about him being left off. To be confidently labeled one of the 100 best players in the sport, you have to prove it over the course of a full season. And right now, there isn’t really an argument for anyone else on this White Sox roster, at least not until they show it on the field.
And that’s exactly what 2026 is all about. White Sox players taking the next step.
The Kyle Teels and Colson Montgomerys of the world need to sustain their production over a full season and establish themselves among the best players at their respective positions. If that happens, maybe by this time next year we’ll be talking about the White Sox as a team with legitimate star power.
Until you draft and develop with the consistency of organizations like the Tampa Bay Rays or Cleveland Guardians, star power is what carries teams to the playoffs. It’s what makes a franchise an attractive destination for free agents. And it’s what helps shake the reputation of being a bottom-feeder after three straight 100-loss seasons.
The White Sox aren’t there yet. And that’s okay.
In some ways, that might even be the exciting part. There is real optimism and growing expectations surrounding this White Sox team, and they don’t even have a top-100 player in baseball on the roster yet.
Just imagine what the buzz will feel like on the South Side when some of these prospects finally realize their superstar potential.