White Sox Prospect Vote Update: Juan Carela Climbs Back Into the Spotlight as No. 29, While Nico Hoerner Style Jumps From Veterans Fuel the Ballot
Juan Carela did not need much time to remind White Sox fans why his name continues to carry weight in prospect circles.
From the moment this round opened, the momentum felt inevitable.
After coming out of the box in the previous round dead even with eventual winner Lucas Gordon, Carela’s advancement almost seemed preordained.
The rehabbing right hander took 13 of 46 votes (28%), locking down the No. 29 slot in the South Side Sox Top Prospect Vote and officially punching his ticket into the next stage of the process.
For a pitcher who missed an entire season, that kind of support says something important about reputation, projection, and patience.
Even after losing all of 2025 to Tommy John surgery, Carela maintained solid respect in the voting pool, falling only two spots from last season’s No. 27.
That detail matters, because prospect voting often punishes inactivity, even when the absence is injury related rather than performance related.
In Carela’s case, the opposite happened.
His standing barely moved, which suggests voters still see the same ingredients that made him a respected arm before the surgery: starter traits, development runway, and a path that still feels realistic if health cooperates.
Why No. 29 Matters: A Look Back at Past White Sox Prospect Vote Results
No. 29 in this series has historically produced a wide range of outcomes, from intriguing long shots to names that faded quickly once the system turned over.
Past No. 29 prospects in the SSS Top Prospect Vote include:
2025 Shane Smith (19%)
2024 Mason Adams (26%)
2021 Yolbert Sánchez (31%)
2020 Bryce Bush (28%)
2019 Spencer Adams (38%)
2018 Luis Curbelo (52%)
The historical takeaway is simple.
This spot does not guarantee stardom, but it often identifies a player with enough momentum to remain relevant, especially if the player is trending into a more defined role.
Carela’s position in that context feels meaningful, because pitcher development is rarely linear, and “lost seasons” can sometimes function as delayed turning points rather than derailments.
Pitchers Continue to Dominate the Board
Carela’s advancement also reinforces one of the clearest themes of the 2026 voting cycle: pitching depth continues to shape how fans see the system.
With Carela moving through, he becomes the sixth right handed starting pitcher and the 16th pitcher overall to advance so far.
That total is currently stacked against 13 position players, a split that highlights how heavily the White Sox pipeline is being evaluated through the lens of arms, velocity, and development upside.
In a rebuilding environment, that profile makes sense.
Teams that climb out of down cycles tend to do it with waves of pitching, either as future rotation stability or as trade capital.
The Hidden Story of This Round: Veteran Surges and New Names
While Carela won the round, the most interesting subplot was the surge from two “old head” candidates on the ballot.
Reudis Diaz and Landon Hodge both jumped from a tie for eighth place into a tie for second, a move that signals how quickly voter attention can shift when a narrative becomes clearer.
Meanwhile, newcomer Jairo Iriarte made a noticeable first impression, earning three votes and finishing tied for sixth.
Another name entering the conversation is right handed starter Yobal Rodriguez, who began drawing attention this round and represents the kind of young, projectable pitching profile that often gains steam once fans see a clean stat line.
Where the White Sox Prospect Vote Stands for 2026
The South Side Sox list has already produced a detailed top portion, including major vote shares that illustrate how wide the gaps are between tiers.
The early rounds were headlined by Braden Montgomery, who opened at 59%.
The board then featured strong showings from Hagen Smith, Caleb Bonemer, Noah Schultz, and Sam Antonacci, all of whom separated themselves as clear system priorities in the eyes of the voters.
That top group sets the tone, because it creates a baseline for what “impact” looks like in this voting process: premium tools, high ceilings, and clearer paths to big league relevance.
Prospect Spotlight: Alexander Albertus and the Talent Frustration Problem
Alexander Albertus remains one of the most difficult prospects in the system to evaluate.
Not because the tools are unclear, but because availability has been the defining part of his story.
Albertus, a 21 year old third baseman, played just eight games in 2025 at the Arizona Complex League.
In that short time, he posted .333/.520/.444, stole three bases in three attempts, drew six walks, struck out only three times, and recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
On paper, it reads like a promising micro sample.
In reality, it reads like another chapter in the same problem: he simply has not been on the field.
He was assigned to Kannapolis, then got injured, then made it eight games into ACL rehab, and then landed on the IL 60 again.
At a certain point, the question shifts from “what can he be” to “how much time can development afford to lose.”
Prospect Spotlight: Marcelo Alcala Is the Kind of Athlete You Dream On
Marcelo Alcala is the type of prospect who keeps systems interesting.
He is still raw, still learning, and still imperfect, but he has the kind of power speed combination the White Sox system does not produce often enough.
In 42 games at the ACL, the 20 year old center fielder hit seven home runs, drove in 19 runs, and posted a .233/.325/.479 slash line.
He also stole 14 bases in 15 attempts (93.3%), which is the type of efficiency that translates into real in game value if the on base skills take a step forward.
The concerns are real: strikeouts, discipline, and defense metrics that need tightening.
But the upside is equally real, because the raw ingredients are the ones teams struggle to acquire cheaply.
If the Cubs have taught the league anything lately, it is that athleticism plus reps plus modern development can turn “raw” into “dangerous” surprisingly fast.
Prospect Spotlight: Reudis Diaz Is the Quiet Name That Could Become Loud
If you are unfamiliar with Reudis Diaz, you are not alone.
He is extremely young, still in rookie ball territory, and not yet a household name in the fan base.
But his 2025 numbers will make evaluators pause: 2.28 ERA in 27 2/3 innings, with a 1.084 WHIP and 18 strikeouts against eight walks.
Even more interesting is the plan.
Diaz is expected to return to starting in 2026, likely opening in Arizona and pushing toward Low A by the second half.
For a pitcher that young, the key is not dominating rookie ball.
It is showing enough feel and physical projection that the organization believes innings growth is safe.
His voting surge suggests fans are starting to see that path.
Prospect Spotlight: Jairo Iriarte Represents a Crossroads
Jairo Iriarte might be the most polarizing name in this group, because the 2025 season was a mess.
He posted a 7.13 ERA across 48 innings with a 1.917 WHIP, striking out 50 but walking 37, a ratio that essentially describes a pitcher who lost the plate.
He went from possible South Side rotation depth to a development project.
That is not an exaggeration.
For a player who reached the majors briefly in 2024, 2025 was the type of season that forces a franchise to decide whether the player still belongs in the “plan” or becomes organizational depth.
If the White Sox believe in the Bannister pitching lab effect, Iriarte is exactly the type of arm they will attempt to rebuild.
But it will require command progress, not just stuff.
Prospect Spotlight: Yobal Rodriguez Is a True Wild Card With Real Starter Traits
Yobal Rodriguez is only 18, and that alone makes the stat line impressive.
In the DSL, he posted a 2.97 ERA across 30 1/3 innings, striking out 33 and walking 13 with a 1.022 WHIP.
He also did it as a primary starter, which is relatively rare in that environment.
Projection is difficult out of the DSL, especially for pitchers.
But the combination of age, role, and early performance gives him the kind of baseline that earns follow lists.
Why Carela’s Vote Win Matters for the White Sox Development Timeline
Returning to Juan Carela, the most important part of his advancement is what it implies about the next phase.
The system is searching for starting pitching that can either become rotation stability or convert into trade value.
Carela, if healthy, is one of the cleaner fits for that profile.
Tommy John recovery is no longer a career sentence, but it remains a fork in the road.
The pitchers who return successfully often do so because they regain command first, then rebuild workload, then rediscover their identity on the mound.
Carela’s support in the voting suggests fans are ready to be patient through that process.
Because if he returns and looks like himself, the White Sox may have found another arm who matters.
And in a rebuild, “another arm who matters” is never a small thing.
