It is the ninth year of Top Prospect voting at South Side Sox!
First, let us review past years:
- Here is how 2018 wrangled out — all 42 picks. Also, here is an archive of every article in the 2018 series.
- Here is how 2019 came together, all 50 picks, and the archive as well.
- Now 2020, with the archive.
- Here is the 2021 wrap-up of just 35 picks due to flagging participation, along with the full archive.
- Here is the 2022 link to the 27-pick wrap, along with the full archive.
- Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
- In 2024 Abraham Núñez was our 34th pick to end the series, and here is the wrap-up post and full archive of each profile.
- And last year, we did 31 picks, ending with Eric Adler. Here is the wrap and full stream, of every article.
To make sure we give the SSS readership a strong vote in our South Side Sox Top 100, we’re going to run five or 10 polls before kicking off our Top 100 Prospect countdown. Ideally, we get 50 votes in, and then somewhere around the end of January the Prospect Vote and Top 100 will meet. From there, we will stop the polling and run through the Top 50, finishing during Spring Training.
As of now our countdown will start with Zach DeLoach at No. 100, but that name changed once already as this was being written. As is custom, the Prospect Vote will turn over to the next round as soon as the top vote-getter seems to have an insurmountable lead — but we’ll take no longer than a week to vote even in the closest battles.
Unlike most years, our staff ballots feature a variety of players as our No. 1 prospect. Who will you choose, in this wide-open race?
Four players from last year’s Top 10 Prospects have lost their prospect status due to MLB service (Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel, Colson Montgomery, Grant Taylor). Both as a consequence of these graduations AND poor performance from formerly plum prospects, just two players on last year’s initial ballot appear in this year’s as well.
Eight of the 10 players on this first 2026 ballot played in the White Sox system in 2025, with the exception of two 2025 draft choices.
This year, three players (Drew Dalquist, Jared Kelley and DJ Gladney) mark in their seventh year in our Top 100, which is pretty amazing. On the other hand, in each case the players have seen their prospect status sink, or at best, stall.
All right, let’s have some fun. And get voting!
It was pretty much another runaway this round, as poll newcomer Sam Antonacci ran away with No. 5 status, with 43 of 104 votes (41%):
This is Antonacci’s ballot debut, as he becomes the first second baseman to advance.
This decade’s other No. 5s
2025 Colson Montgomery (29%)
2024 Nick Nastrini (27%)
2023 José Rodríguez (38%)
2022 Colson Montgomery (41%)
2021 Jared Kelley (47%)
2020 Dane Dunning (48%)
Continuing a trend for the third straight ballot, newcomer Reudis Diaz finished in a ninth-place tie (or a last-place tie, depending no how you want to look at it) on his ballot debut, earning zero votes. On the other hand, Jaden Fauske broke out of last place and picked up his first vote since polling started.
New to the ballot this round is reliever Peyton Pallette.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2026
- Braden Mongomery — 59% (Smith 17%, Bonemer 9%, Schultz 7%, Antonacci 3%, Adams/Carlson/McDougal 2%, Fauske/Oppor 0%)
- Hagen Smith — 40% (Bonemer 28%, Schultz 18%, McDougal 5%, Antonacci 4%, Carlson 3%, Bergolla/Oppor 1%, Adams/Fauske 0%)
- Caleb Bonemer — 47% (Schultz 34%, Antonacci 10%, Carlson/McDougal 4%, Bergolla 2%, Adams/Fauske/Oppor/Perez 0%)
- Noah Schultz — 49% (Antonacci 25%, Carlson 11%, McDougal 7%, Adams/Bergolla/Oppor 2%, Perez 1%, Fauske/Lodise 0%)
- Sam Antonacci — 41% (Carlson 25%, McDougal 20%, Bergolla/Perez 4%, Oppor 3%, Adams 2%, Fauske 1%, Diaz/Lodise 0%)
Mason Adams
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 26
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 29
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 8
2024 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -3.0 years
Overall 2024 stats (AA/AAA) 7-5 ▪️ 23 games (22 starts, one finish) ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 120 1⁄3 IP ▪️ 2.92 ERA ▪️ 110 K ▪️ 28 BB ▪️ 1.146 WHIP ▪️3.0 WAR
This 13th-rounder was rising in the system despite being counted out at every turn — until an arm injury during a Cactus League game last spring saw Adams tumble into Tommy John surgery. Obviously there are questions surrounding his recovery, but it may be easier to rely on a bounce-back from an overachiever like Adams than most hurlers.
William Bergolla
Shortstop
Age 21
2025 high level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -3.7 years
Overall 2025 stats 125 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 36 RBI ▪️ .286/.342/.333 ▪️ 40-of-51 (78.4%) SB ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 26 K ▪️ .981 FLD%▪️ 4.4 WAR
The epitome of a “Chris Getz player,” Bergolla offsets his Punch-and-Judy bat with deft baserunning, a killer glove and incredible plate discipline. Well young for his level, this legacy player (dad, also William Bergolla) has cut through the White Sox system like butter since his acquisition at the 2024 trade deadline (from Philly, for Tanner Banks).
Billy Carlson
Shortstop
Age 19
2025 high level Corona, Calif. (Prep)
Scouting grades (40-80 scale) Hit 45 ▪️ Power 50 ▪️ Run 55 ▪️ Arm 70 ▪️ Field 70 ▪️ Overall 55
The White Sox just can’t stay away from shortstops, which is the smartest draft strategy they have taken in many years. This latest blue-chipper is a defensive whiz (maybe not Ozzie Smith or even Ozzie Guillén, but the best that could be found in the 2025 draft) with a lot of room to grow into his bat.
Reudis Diaz
Right-handed relief pitcher
Age 20
2025 high level ACL (Rookie)
Age relative to high level -2.1 years
Overall 2025 stats 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 finishes) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR
Who? You’re forgiven for being unfamiliar with an extremely young arm who hasn’t yet gotten out of rookie ball, but our No. 77 prospect a year ago (then a starter, repeating the DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment Stateside. He’ll return to starting in 2026, likely getting his feet wet in Arizona and getting a promotion to Low-A in the second half of the season.
Jaden Fauske
Outfielder
Age 18
2025 high level Nazareth Academy (Ill.) (Prep)
Scouting grades (40-80 scale) Hit 55 ▪️ Power 50 ▪️ Run 55 ▪️ Arm 50 ▪️ Field 50 ▪️ Overall 50
Another thing the White Sox just can’t stay away from are products of their Area Codes team. Following in Bonemer’s (and George Wolkow, as well as pitchers Noah Schultz and Blake Larson) footsteps is the Jim Thome-approved Fauske, who was a catcher-outfielder but now seems set on giving it a bigger run in the field than behind the plate. It will be interesting to see whether the White Sox give Fauske any catching reps (he grades out well as a catcher); for what it is worth, he was announced at the draft as an outfielder-only.
Kyle Lodise
Shortstop
Age 22
2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -1.0 years
Overall 2025 stats 28 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 10 RBI ▪️ .185/.319/.370 ▪️ 7-of-8 (87.5%) SB ▪️ 15 BB ▪️ 21 K ▪️ .954 FLD%▪️ 0.4 WAR
Last summer’s third-rounder got right to work after the draft, reporting to High-A and adding another third to what was already the longest (55 games) season of his career. While that slash is rough, at least nearly a fourth (four of 17) of the shortstop’s hits left the yard. Perhaps against easier competition (or, maybe not), Lodise ran out a .329/.429/.667 slash in his last college season for Georgia Tech, with similar power, baserunning and bat discipline numbers.
Tanner McDougal
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
Age 22
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R
2025 high level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -2.7 years
Overall 2024 stats (High-A/AA) 3-5 ▪️ 28 starts ▪️ 113 1⁄3 IP ▪️ 3.26 ERA ▪️ 136 K ▪️ 49 BB ▪️ 1.332 WHIP ▪️2.0 WAR
It was an extraordinary comeback season for McDougal, who has fought through all sorts of adversity in the White Sox system, from the trivial (a 20-game losing streak) to serious (TJS). At long last, the 2021 fifth-rounder was everything the White Sox hoped he could be, and now sits as the consensus top righty in the system.
Peyton Pallette
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
Age 24
2023 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 11
2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 18
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R
2025 high level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -3.3 years
Overall 2025 stats (AA/AAA) 2-3 ▪️ 11 SV ▪️ 52 games (27 finishes) ▪️ 64 1/3 IP ▪️ 4.06 ERA ▪️ 86 K ▪️ 28 BB ▪️ 1.119 WHIP ▪️ 1.1 WAR
Pallette has spent two or three seasons now as the likely “next closer up” among White Sox farmhands, and his heavy time spent in Charlotte last summer might mean the big club is ready to see him break north with them next spring. While the former starter hasn’t quite mastered Charlotte, what pitcher truly can in such a robust hitting environment. There’s no product of the system ready to advance to the bigs more than Pallette.
Jeral Perez
Shortstop
Age 21
2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 11
2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A)
Age relative to high level -2.0 years
Overall 2025 stats 125 games ▪️ 22 HR ▪️ 70 RBI ▪️ .244/.315/.448 ▪️ 10-of-13 (76.9%) SB ▪️ 44 BB ▪️ 112 K ▪️ .906 FLD%▪️ 1.3 WAR
On the plus side, Perez nearly doubled his homers and proved to have surprising thumb for a smallish middle infielder. However, he misses a lot of balls both at the plate and in the field. A challenge for the still very young bopper is finding a way to distinguish himself with stiff competition right around his age and level, including three MIs on this ballot: William Bergolla, Caleb Bonemer and Billy Carlson.
