The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects, which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile, ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
With only a few weeks left in the Minor League seasons, we’re checking in on where each of the top 10 prospects in the Chicago White Sox system is expected to end the year and what their outlook can be for the 2026 season.
Top 10 Prospects
Notable Prospect Performances:
- After a slow start out of the gate when he was promoted to Double-A at the end of July, Braden Montgomery has been showing off why he earned the promotion to the next level once the calendar flipped to August. The White Sox have had Montgomery on the fast track, making Double-A Birmingham his third team in his first pro season. Even with the slow start in Double-A, Montgomery has quickly developed into one of the best hitters in the Barons’ lineup, hitting .286/.380/.446 with one home run, 11 RBI, and two stolen bases over 31 games since August 1. While the batting average and on-base percentage are meeting expectations for Montgomery, he still has yet to have a strikeout rate below 20% at any level of the Minors. His current strikeout rate of 25.1% at Double-A is a bit alarming, and while it has been a great first season for him, the White Sox will want to slow things down for Montgomery in able to cut his strikeout rate down if they want him to be able to make his MLB debut in 2026.
- If there’s one word to describe Hagen Smith’s 2025 season, it’s consistency. The White Sox’s first-round pick from the 2024 MLB Draft has spent all season at Double-A Birmingham and missed a month and a half of time due to left elbow soreness. Things weren’t so great for Smith over his first month back from the IL, as he allowed 12 hits, 12 walks, and 12 earned runs, equaling a 5.59 ERA in 19.1 innings over six starts. His last six starts have been much better, though, as his ERA is at 3.71, allowing only 11 earned runs in 26.2 innings. Smith will finish his season at Double-A, and if he can get one or two more strong starts to finish the year. He may be able to earn himself the opportunity to start the season at Triple-A next year.
Notable Prospect News and Promotions:
- Just when it looked like Noah Schultz was on the mend, he went back on the IL with more right knee discomfort. Schultz’s right knee has been plaguing Schultz all season, and it came up again just after he missed another month and a half of time from early July to late August. Schultz made two starts with Triple-A Charlotte before landing back on the 7-day IL. He allowed two runs over five innings between his two starts, struck out five, and walked only one. It’s a frustrating setback for the White Sox’s top prospect, who could have debuted with the team this year, if not for the injury. Now White Sox fans will have to wait until 2026 to see their top prospect in the Majors.
- After spending most of the season as one of the best bats in Low-A Kannapolis’ lineup, Caleb Bonemer earned a promotion to High-A Winston-Salem to get a few extra weeks of play and show off his development at the next level. Bonemer was promoted on August 26 and has played 11 games so far with Winston-Salem. He’s off to a good start with the Dash, hitting .278/.409/.611 with two homers, six RBI, and a couple of stolen bases over 44 plate appearances. Bonemer is still a couple of years away from his MLB debut, but his performance in High-A to end this year is an encouraging sign for what’s to come in his future.
