Joseph Contreras, the 17-year-old son of White Sox World Series champion José Contreras, turned heads in the World Baseball Classic by getting Aaron Judge to ground into a double play.
Over the last year or so, a number of Chicago White Sox legends have been back in the news because of the next generation.
Now 21 years removed from the 2005 World Series championship team, it only makes sense that players from that historic roster — or from the years shortly after — now have children beginning to make a name for themselves in baseball.
Austin Pierzynski, the son of former White Sox All-Star catcher A.J. Pierzynski, is a freshman at University of Alabama at Birmingham. Like his dad, Austin is a backstop, and eight games into his freshman season at UAB, he already has two home runs and several defensive highlights.
Owen Konerko, the son of White Sox legend Paul Konerko — who is in the organization’s Hall of Fame — recently announced his commitment to University of Michigan. Konerko is considered a top-200 high school prospect in the 2027 class, but he still has two full seasons to climb the rankings before he becomes draft-eligible. Scouts are already taking notice of his serious raw power and bat speed.
Frank Thomas’ son, Frank Thomas III — known by many of his teammates as “Little Hurt” — is also part of the 2027 prep class. Thomas is a top-100 player in that class and has already committed to Auburn University, following in his father’s footsteps.
Landon Thome, the son of MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome and a current special assistant to the general manager for the White Sox, is ranked No. 42 on MLB Pipeline’s list of top prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft. The 18-year-old shortstop attends Nazareth Academy, where he was teammates with Jaden Fauske, the White Sox’s second-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. There’s already buzz about Thome possibly landing with the White Sox himself.
And yet, somehow, none of these White Sox sons are the most prominent storyline right now.
During pool play of the World Baseball Classic this week, all eyes have been on Joseph Contreras, the son of former White Sox right-handed pitcher and World Series champion José Contreras.
Contreras sits just behind Thome on draft boards. He’s currently ranked No. 47 in the 2026 MLB Draft class and is still only 17 years old, with a commitment to Vanderbilt University. Contreras has seen a rapid rise in velocity over the past year, peaking at 98 mph with his fastball during the summer of 2025.
He was sitting at 97 mph on Friday when he took the mound for Brazil national baseball team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic against United States national baseball team’s star-studded lineup.
That’s right — a 17-year-old took the mound in the World Baseball Classic, facing some of the best players in all of Major League Baseball. Contreras is by far the youngest player in the 2026 WBC, and if you didn’t know who he was before Friday night, you certainly should now.
With the bases loaded, one out in the bottom of the second inning, three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge stepped into the box. Contreras fired a 94-mph sinker in on the hands, shattered Judge’s bat, and got him to roll over into an inning-ending double play.
How does a 17-year-old get the best of Aaron Judge like that?
José Contreras was in Houston to watch his son pitch, and he told Jon Morosi after the game that “his heart was racing and he was praying.” What an opportunity — and what a moment — for the Contreras family.
Moving forward, you can bet there will be an incredible level of intrigue around the 17-year-old who was touching 97 mph and just beat one of the best hitters on the planet. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Contreras shoot up draft boards in the coming months.
When he pitched for the White Sox, José Contreras had a reputation for rising to the moment. During the club’s 2005 championship run, he made four postseason starts and delivered four quality outings. He went at least seven innings in all four appearances, including a complete game in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Los Angeles Angels that clinched the pennant for Chicago.
It seems Joseph may have inherited his father’s flair for the big moment.