William Bergolla Jr. doesn’t fit the modern mold, but his rare contact ability and speed could still make him a key piece of the White Sox future.
Before they reach the major leagues, most prospects in professional baseball are graded and evaluated based on their tools. And if you scroll through a list of the top prospects in the game, the players receiving the most attention are typically those with the highest ceilings.
But as we see time and time again in baseball, it’s not always the most predictable tools that translate to long-term success. There are plenty of players in today’s game who were not highly touted prospects. Scouts and evaluators believed they lacked the necessary tools to succeed. Yet sometimes, all it takes is being elite in one or two areas for an unconventional profile to thrive.
That could be exactly what the Chicago White Sox are dealing with when it comes to infielder William Bergolla Jr.
Bergolla is not just the most unique prospect in the White Sox organization—he may also be the most difficult to project. Admittedly, it’s hard to get overly excited about a player who has just one professional home run in more than 1,200 career plate appearances. It’s rare to find a player who contributes at the MLB level with that little power, and yet some of the ways Bergolla has produced are undeniable.
He batted .286 with 40 stolen bases over a full season at Double-A Birmingham at just 20 years old. In 14 spring training games this year, Bergolla has logged 33 plate appearances, seen 89 pitches, and swung 38 times—while swinging and missing just once. He also owns a lifetime .378 batting average in big league spring training.
A recent article from MLB.com compared Bergolla's statcast data to players like Steven Kwan and Luis Arraez—hitters who don’t fit the traditional mold of the modern game, but make enough consistent contact and offer enough value on the bases to impact winning.
Arraez hasn’t aged as gracefully, and his defensive limitations make him a categorically different player than Kwan. But Kwan remains a key contributor for Cleveland every year, and both players have carved out undeniably successful careers.
As I’ve said before, it hasn’t been easy for me to get fully bought in on Bergolla as a prospect, simply because it’s difficult to justify regular playing time for a player who doesn’t offer power. But if this level of elite contact ability continues, Bergolla is going to be a player who helps the White Sox win games—and that’s ultimately what matters most.
The organization has already shown belief in his development, signaling a more aggressive timeline by assigning Bergolla to Triple-A Charlotte to begin the 2026 season. He’s now on the doorstep of the big leagues and will be a fascinating player for White Sox fans to watch as the season unfolds.