White Sox have dark horse AL Rookie of the Year candidate (and it's not Murakami)

The White Sox stronger-than-expected start has been fueled by the excellent performance from their young hitters in 2026. Japanese star Munetaka Murakami has made a lot of teams look silly with his impressive power performance through the first few weeks of the season, and he’s garnering attention in the AL Rookie of the Year race. Until now, his primary competition seemed to be from other players in the AL Central, but over the past few weeks, a new challenger has emerged, and it’s coming from his own teammate. 

Sam Antonacci first appeared on the radar in 2025 after the White Sox selected him in the 5th round in 2024. He rose quickly through the system, posting an OPS of .842 across three levels in his debut season. There wasn’t a ton of power production for Antonacci, but he demonstrated an ability to get on base at a high clip and made solid contact to all fields. Team Italy’s Cinderella run in the World Baseball Classic put Antonacci in the national spotlight this spring and an excellent start in Charlotte earned him an early big league call up. 

Sam Antonacci's strong start has been a sparkplug for the White Sox lineup

Since his big league debut on April 15th, Sam Antonacci has made a huge impact on the White Sox. He started his big league career 1-for-15, but is hitting .333 in 28 games since. Despite playing infield in college and in the minor leagues, the White Sox moved Antonacci to left field to get him in the lineup, and it’s been his primary role since joining the club. He’s graded a bit below average defensively in the outfield so far, but he’s held his own learning a new position, and his bat has been an important piece for the White Sox. Despite modest power numbers in the minor leagues, Antonacci showed during the spring that the power is in there, and that may be the last thing he needs to lock down a role on the team for the long term.

Looking under the hood, Antonacci leads baseball with a .338 xBA, and he’s among the elite players in the league at not chasing pitches and avoiding strikeouts. He’s an aggressive, skilled baserunner who sometimes gets himself into trouble on the bases by being too aggressive, but he brings an energy to the roster that’s unmatched. 

Munetaka Murakami’s power surge is obviously going to draw attention, but Sam Antonacci should not be overlooked in the AL Rookie of the Year race. With players like Kevin McGonigle and Chase DeLauter off to strong starts along with Murakami, it’s going to be tough to sway enough voters to actually win the award, but if Antonacci continues his early surge, more and more people are going to know his name. 

He’s been a strong addition to the White Sox roster and has certainly put himself into the conversation for a long-term role on the team.

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