With 5-6 of the Top 100 prospects across major outlets and another group on the rise, the Chicago White Sox have quietly built one of baseball’s deepest and most promising farm systems heading into 2026.
The Chicago White Sox don’t get nearly enough credit for the farm system they have built under general manager Chris Getz.
Top prospects Colson Montgomery, Edgar Quero, and Kyle Teel all reached the major leagues and graduated from prospect status during the 2025 season. And yet, despite those graduations, the White Sox have continued to replenish the organization through the draft and trades, keeping a steady pipeline of talent on the way.
If this iteration of the rebuild is going to work, the White Sox will need another wave of rookies to contribute at the big-league level. As the organization looks ahead to 2026, the future appears increasingly promising.
Prospect outlets such as Baseball America and MLB Pipeline recently released their updated Top 100 prospect lists, and both rankings reflect favorably on the direction of the White Sox system.
On MLB Pipeline’s list, Chicago placed five prospects inside the Top 100. Outfielder Braden Montgomery remains the organization’s top-ranked prospect at No. 36, followed by left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz at No. 49, shortstop Caleb Bonemer at No. 61, left-hander Hagen Smith at No. 72, and shortstop Billy Carlson — the White Sox’s first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft — at No. 73.
Bonemer is the biggest riser of the group. During the 2025 season, the 19-year-old played his way into Top 100 territory by posting 30 doubles, 12 home runs, 29 stolen bases, and an .874 OPS in his first taste of professional baseball.
Bonemer finished the season with a promotion to Winston-Salem, where he is likely to begin 2026 with a chance to climb even higher. White Sox fans have every reason to be bullish. MLB Pipeline continues to elevate him, and Baseball America has long been even more optimistic about his ceiling.
Bonemer checks in at No. 27 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list, with evaluators speculating that another strong developmental year could push him into Top 10 prospect status by this time next season.
According to Baseball America, Noah Schultz is currently the top prospect in the White Sox system at No. 26, followed closely by Bonemer at No. 27. Braden Montgomery comes in lower at No. 73, while Hagen Smith (No. 91) and Billy Carlson (No. 92) barely make the cut.
However, Baseball America also includes a sixth White Sox prospect: right-handed pitcher Tanner McDougal, who slots in at No. 100.
McDougal was added to the White Sox 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. After years of inconsistency, he appeared to put everything together in 2025, posting a 3.26 ERA with 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings over 28 starts. There is a strong chance he reaches the South Side at some point during the 2026 season.
In total, six Top 100 prospects tied the White Sox for the most of any organization. And even beyond that group, several names are worth monitoring as potential Top 100 candidates in the near future.
Sam Antonacci, Christina Oppor, and Jaden Fauske all stand out as players who could make significant jumps in 2026.
Antonacci ranked No. 11 in the organization at the end of 2025 according to MLB Pipeline, but Baseball America labeled him the “best hitter” in the White Sox farm system.
Oppor boasts the best changeup in the organization, pairing it with a 60-grade fastball. He recorded a 3.08 ERA over 22 starts last season while striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings.
Fauske, Chicago’s second-round pick in 2025, finished the season as the No. 6 prospect in the organization per MLB Pipeline. He narrowly missed Top 100 status, but a strong start to his first full professional season could send him rocketing up prospect boards.
All of this points to a White Sox organization that appears to be in good hands. The front office continues to do a strong job replenishing the system with exciting, high-upside talent.
That task should only become easier with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on the horizon — a selection that could immediately produce another Top 10 prospect in baseball.
Prospect rankings, of course, do not guarantee success, and White Sox fans know that better than anyone. But they do signal organizational depth and a long-term outlook that few teams can match. And for the White Sox, that future is beginning to look much brighter.