1 White Sox drop, 1 debut among MLB Pipeline's new Top 100 Prospects will raise eyebrows

With the MLB Draft and the MLB trade deadline fully in the books, the prospect movement has halted for the time being, and most major outlets have released their re-ranking of the top 100 including the new draftees. MLB Pipeline is no exception, and they released their updated list earlier this week. For White Sox fans, it was a bit of a mixed bag thanks to one debut and one unexpected drop. 

As expected, first overall pick Roch Cholowsky immediately became the top prospect in the White Sox organization, and he debuted 11th overall in baseball. Ironically, second overall pick Grady Emerson comes in at number ten, just above Cholowsky. This isn’t a huge surprise: MLB Pipeline actually had Emerson ranked ahead of Cholowsky in their final draft prospect rankings, so it makes sense that he’s ahead of Cholowsky now. It hasn’t been the greatest start for Cholowsky at the pro level. The 21-year-old is hitting .167 with a .639 OPS in seven games at the High-A level. Nobody’s going to change their perception of a prospect because of their first seven professional games, however, and Cholowsky continues to be one of the highest upside prospects in all of baseball. 

Caleb Bonemer's 30-homer season has him....dropping?

The most head-scratching White Sox placement on the list, however, has to go to Caleb Bonemer. Now the White Sox second-ranked prospect, Bonemer had moved all the way up to 16th on the previous MLB Pipeline list, but now ranks 30th. In 107 games in 2025, Bonemer hit .281 with 12 home runs and an OPS of .874. He’s played nearly the same number of games this season at 105, and he’s hitting .252 with 30 home runs and a .943 OPS. He's the first White Sox prospect to hit 30 home runs in a minor league season since Luis Robert in 2019. While Bonemer’s batting average has slightly dipped, he’s seen a big increase in his power output, and his on-base percentage is comparable. Bonemer has taken a big step forward in a lot of areas, so him falling 14 spots on the prospect list doesn’t make a ton of sense. 

Outside of his slight drops in average and OBP, there are a couple of other factors that might explain the drop. New draftees joining the list in front of Bonemer could impact his spot, but only three 2026 draftees actually place ahead of him, meaning he dropped 11 additional spots outside of that. It’s also possible that Bonemer’s move to third base has impacted his stock. Shortstops, catchers, and center fielders are often boosted on prospect rankings due to the fact that they play premium positions. Bonemer’s move to third base could naturally take away a little bit of his value. It’s still a move that doesn’t feel appropriate as Bonemer continues to rake in the minor leagues. 

With the graduations of Noah Schultz and Braden Montgomery and the control troubles for Hagen Smith, the White Sox have just one other entry in the top 100: shortstop Billy Carlson. Prep prospects Cole Prosek, Landon Thome, and Jaden Fauske are among the players who could move into the top 100 over the next couple years. 

It’s reasonable to expect a step back in the farm system when a team begins to push their chips in to win at the big league level, and the White Sox have begun that process. Don’t be mistaken however: the White Sox still have plenty of talent left in the farm.

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