The White Sox arenāt ready to win big at the major-league level.
Chicago White Sox pitcher Hagen Smith during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Not yet.
But something is happening beneath the surface ā something that feels louder the deeper you look.
While Chicagoās MLB roster still carries questions and growing pains, the organizationās prospect pipeline is starting to draw real attention across the sport.
And now, the rankings are confirming it.
Multiple major scouting outlets have released updated Top 100 prospect lists heading into the 2026 season, and the White Sox are showing up everywhere. Some lists include three Chicago prospects. Others go deeper.
Baseball America went the furthest ā listing six White Sox prospects, more than any other team.
Thatās not just āoptimism.ā
Thatās a signal.
Because rebuilds donāt truly start turning until the league begins to agree you have something real coming.
The Names Keep Repeating ā and Thatās the Point
Chicago White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Across MLB.com, The Athletic, ESPN, and Baseball America, the same prospects keep surfacing. Different ranks, different philosophies, different biasesā¦ but the same core.
Braden Montgomery is the most consistent headline.
Caleb Bonemer keeps climbing.
Noah Schultz remains one of the most fascinating arms in the system.
Hagen Smith brings strikeout power and volatility.
Billy Carlson is already being treated like a future cornerstone.
And Tanner McDougal is creeping into the conversation as a legitimate pitching riser.
Even the rankings themselves feel like a story.
White Sox prospect Noah Schultz (22) pitches during the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
MLB.com lists five White Sox prospects: Montgomery (36), Schultz (49), Bonemer (61), Smith (72), and Carlson (73).
The Athletic also includes four, but shifts the order, ranking Montgomery even higher at 30 and Schultz surprisingly low at 95.
ESPN is the coldest ā only three players, leaving Montgomery off entirely while placing Bonemer at 34 and Schultz at 96.
Baseball America leans hard into Chicagoās depth, placing Schultz at 26, Bonemer at 27, Montgomery at 73, Smith at 91, Carlson at 92, and McDougal at 100.
Itās not uniform ā but itās consistent enough to matter.
The White Sox arenāt just āgetting mentioned.ā
Theyāre being counted on.
Caleb Bonemer Is Quietly Becoming the Blueprint
Bonemer might be the most dangerous type of prospect: the one who doesnāt need hype because the numbers speak first.
At just 20 years old, the right-handed hitter tore through Single-A Kannapolis with an .859 OPS in 432 plate appearances, showing a mature blend of patience and impact.
He drew 68 walks, stole 27 bases, and hit 26 doubles with 10 home runs ā the profile of a player who can affect the game in multiple ways.
Then he went to High-A Winston-Salem and somehow looked even better in a small sample, posting a 1.020 OPS.
Heās not just producing.
Heās trending.
Braden Montgomery Is Forcing the Conversation
Montgomeryās stat line reads like a player whoās already outgrown the level heās in.
After strong production across Single-A, High-A, and Double-A, he finished with the kind of exclamation mark that prospect evaluators love: a monster Arizona Fall League run. Over 55 plate appearances, he posted a 1.161 OPS while hitting .366 with a .527 on-base percentage.
Thatās not āfluky hot streakā territory.
Thatās a player showing he belongs in bigger rooms.
And thatās why fans get frustrated when certain outlets leave him off lists ā because the performance makes it hard to justify ignoring him.
Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith: The Future That Still Has Sharp Edges
Schultz remains one of the most intriguing arms in baseball, but his 2025 season also showed the fragility of pitching development.
In Double-A, he held a 3.34 ERA across 56.2 innings ā solid, but with clear control issues (36 walks). In Triple-A, things unraveled fast: a 9.37 ERA and a 1.95 WHIP in a short stretch.
The raw talent is still there, but the margin is shrinking. His ranking varies wildly depending on whether evaluators believe the Triple-A results are a warning signā¦ or a temporary stumble.
Hagen Smith, meanwhile, looks like a different kind of beast. In Double-A, he struck out 108 batters in 75.2 innings. Thatās dominance. But the 56 walks show the same underlying tension: electric stuff, unstable control.
Then he went to the Arizona Fall League and looked like a weapon again ā 2.57 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21 strikeouts in 14 innings.
The ceiling is obvious.
So is the risk.
Billy Carlson and Tanner McDougal: The Next Wave Arriving Early
Carlson is only 19, a first-round pick in 2025, and already being ranked by multiple outlets. Thatās rare. Even in his high school sample, the production jumps off the page: .365 average, .517 OBP, 6 home runs in 31 games.
McDougal is the more under-the-radar name, but heās earning attention the hard way: innings, consistency, and results. Across High-A and Double-A, he posted ERAs around 3.2ā3.3 while striking out 136 batters over 113.1 innings.
Not flashy.
Just real.
The Big Picture: Chicago Isnāt Winning Yetā¦ but the League Sees Whatās Coming
The White Sox still have to prove it at the MLB level. Prospect lists donāt win games. Rankings donāt guarantee development. And nothing is promised.
But this many names appearing across this many lists says one thing clearly:
Chicagoās future is no longer theoretical.
Itās being ranked.
Itās being tracked.
And itās getting closer.
Now the only question is the one that haunts every rebuild right before it turns:
Will the White Sox turn these prospects into a coreā¦
or into another āalmostā?
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