2025 was a year of progress for many young pitchers in the White Sox farm system. Players like Tanner McDougal and Christian Oppor began the season toward the back of the White Sox top 30 and emerged as potential building blocks with big performances in 2025. The White Sox have another pitching prospect in a similar position entering 2026, and promising signs from him in 2025 could indicate his breakout season is imminent.
The White Sox selected RHP Mathias LaCombe, a native of France, in the 12th round of the 2023 draft after a stellar season at Cochise Community College in Arizona. The team paid him a fifth round signing bonus to get him to sign, but injuries derailed his 2023 and 2024 seasons. LaCombe made his professional debut in 2025, beginning the season in the Arizona Complex League before a promotion to Low-A Kannapolis to finish the season. Overall, LaCombe threw 53.1 innings in 2025 with a 3.04 ERA and a .188 opponent batting average. He struggled a bit with his control after the promotion, but opponents still hit just .197 against him despite a slightly higher 4.08 ERA. 14 of LaCombe’s 19 appearances were starts, and he figures to get another opportunity to start in 2026. LaCombe features a three-pitch mix, with a running fastball that touches 97, a sweeper, and a changeup. He currently slots in as MLB Pipeline's 22nd-ranked White Sox prospect.
Bienvenue, Mathias LaCombe 🇫🇷
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 26, 2025
The @WhiteSox French phenom makes his @Kcannonballers debut, spinning three no-hit frames: pic.twitter.com/GldaOuYk7T
LaCombe could be a fast rising arm for the White Sox in 2026
LaCombe will be 23 years-old to begin the 2026 season thanks to his delayed start, so he’s a bit older than McDougal and Oppor were at the start of 2025. He’ll need to be tested at the upper levels of the minor leagues, but he showed promising signs in his first pro season. A full healthy season would go a long way toward raising LaCombe’s innings count, and early success could allow him to rise quickly through the system. Despite a relatively small sample size in Low-A, I think challenging LaCombe and starting him with High-A Winston-Salem makes sense. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that LaCombe could reach Double-A by the end of 2026, putting him on the radar for a big league call up in 2027.
Since the hire of Brian Bannister and the start of the Chris Getz era, the White Sox have sought to become a development juggernaut and have had some early examples of success. With pitchers like McDougal and Oppor firmly adding themselves to the radar in 2025, the team will look for someone else to step up in 2026. Keep an eye on the French right-hander LaCombe when the season gets underway. He could be in line for a big breakout.