It wasn’t a fun weekend for White Sox baseball. The White Sox, who hoped to get off to a hot start after several years of brutal opening stretches, were handily outplayed in a three-game sweep at the hands of the Brewers. The White Sox pitching staff allowed 29 runs in three games, capped off by an eighth inning bullpen meltdown Sunday that took the White Sox from a 7-2 lead to their third straight defeat. Strong performances from Munetaka Murakami were overshadowed by several poor team efforts, but if there’s any silver lining that White Sox fans can take away from this weekend, it’s the excellent performance from several top prospects in Charlotte’s opening weekend.
Multiple White Sox top prospects stood out in Charlotte's weekend sweep
The Knights opened their season Friday night with 2024 5th overall pick Hagen Smith getting the start. Smith hasn’t yet stretched out to a full start, but the lefty was able to go three innings, allowing one run on a solo home run. He surrendered just two hits and one walk, striking out four. His start was followed by Noah Schultz’s season debut, which was even more impressive. Schultz went four innings and didn’t allow a hit. He walked one hitter and struck out five. Overall, Friday’s season-opener was a very successful start for both Schultz and Smith, who hope to make their big league debuts in 2026.
On offense, the Knights put on a show, lighting up Durham Bulls pitching for 19 runs on 18 hits. Infield prospect Sam Antonacci launched his first homer after hitting just five last season, and White Sox spring standout William Bergolla Jr. opened with a four-hit game. Both players carried their success over into Saturday, where the Knights won a much lower-scoring affair by a 2-1 score. Antonacci homered for the second straight day to begin the season, posting 40% of his 2025 total in just four games, and Bergolla notched three hits.
Perhaps the most overlooked of the White Sox top pitching prospects, Tanner McDougal got the start on Saturday and looked dominant over four innings. He allowed one run on two hits, but did walk four. The strikeout stuff was working, however, as McDougal fanned eight hitters and touched 100 MPH with his fastball multiple times. He’ll need to reign in the control moving forward, but McDougal seems to have picked up right where he left off in 2025.
Tanner McDougal came out firing in his Triple-A @KnightsBaseball debut 🔥
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 29, 2026
The @WhiteSox No. 6 prospect struck out eight across four strong frames and hit 99+ mph 14 times, maxing out at 100.2: pic.twitter.com/GyeMY5SRUH
The Knights finished off the weekend sweep on Sunday with Antonacci and Bergolla each reaching base three times. Former first round pick Jacob Gonzalez, in what may be his final stand with the White Sox organization, hit two home runs on Sunday to continue his strong start to the season. Duncan Davitt was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and struck out seven in his first start of the year for the Knights. Davitt is a name to watch for his big league debut in 2026 as well. ‘
While the major league team didn’t offer much to celebrate, it was a great weekend down in Charlotte, and it gives White Sox fans a silver lining amidst a frustrating start. The White Sox have several good young players waiting in the wings, and it won’t be long before they’re making headlines on the south side too