The Chicago White Sox started the season with a highly regarded prospect system, and it is showing with all the young players that the team has been calling up for MLB debuts.
11 different players have made big league debuts for the White Sox this season. The team is already getting amazing contributions from rookies Chase Meidroth, Edgar Quero, Kyle Teel, and Grant Taylor. Now, another top-five prospect is getting a chance to see if he can join those four as core players the team can move forward with.
Top 100 prospect Colson Montgomery is the latest prospect to be promoted. He was emotional upon hearing the news, considering the ups and downs he has had in the minors.
an emotional moment for Colson Montgomery 🥹 pic.twitter.com/TKhUAAWwVb
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 4, 2025
Montgomery is only hitting .215 at Triple-A Charlotte, but that low average is largely due to a poor start. He was so bad that he was pulled from game action and sent to the team's Spring Training facility to work on his swing.
The adjustments have paid off. Montgomery has been on a heater lately. He went 11-for-22 with two home runs in last week's series against the Triple-A Toledo Mudhens. He then had a walk-off hit on Wednesday to win the game for the Knights.
That recent hot streak was enough for the White Sox front office to bring him up. The team needs power and Colson provides that from the left side of the plate, as evidenced by his 11 home runs and .435 slugging percentage.
Now that Colson Montgomery has made it to The Show, you might be wondering which White Sox prospects could be next. Who is worth closely monitoring?
Here are my suggestions for prospects in the White Sox minor league system, from Triple-A Charlotte to Low-A Kannapolis, to pay attention to.
Triple-A Charlotte
Noah Schultz, LHP
Noah Schultz is the team's top prospect and the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old, 6-foot-10 southpaw was recently promoted to the Knights despite an up-and-down season at Double-A Birmingham.
Schultz has been roughed up in all three of his starts since taking the step up in class. He has an 11.91 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched. Charlotte's ballpark is very hitter-friendly, which is why GM Chris Getz has said the team will look more at how Schultz is commanding the ball.
The walks and strikeouts are everything with Schultz. Right now, it is concerning with eight (8) walks and 13 strikeouts. Schultz may just need more time to adjust to gripping the actual big league baseballs used at Triple-A.
I'm waiting until August before I start to worry if Schultz is still struggling with his command.
RP Wikelman González, RP Jairo Iriarte, and RP Peyton Pallette
Wikelman González already got a cup of coffee with the big league team. He showed his stuff has some promise in the bullpen, but he needs to work on commanding the ball better.
These are three pitchers that have the potential to be cheap, effective bullpen arms. All three can throw with velocity, too.
Last decade's rebuild faltered because a lot of the limited financial resources got tied up in the bullpen. One way to make sure this rebuild works is to build the pen from within. Then whatever limited money ownership allows Getz to spend can be used to address premium positions of need.
Double-A Birmingham
Hagen Smith, LHP
Hagen Smith was last year's first-round pick. Smith is considered the third-best left-handed pitching prospect in the sport by MLB Pipeline. Smith just returned to the mound in Birmingham after experiencing some elbow soreness. He has a 2.70 ERA this season.
The elbow issues were nothing major, but the White Sox did send Smith to the Spring Training facility in Arizona to work on some biomechanics and rest his aching arm.
Smith looked strong in his first start back last week with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings (he is on a pitch count), but he got knocked around on July 4. The hope is that Smith and Schultz can develop into ace lefties who anchor Chicago's starting rotation on the next competitive team.
Tanner McDougal, RHP
Some fans are frustrated that the organization chose to move Grant Taylor to the bullpen. The belief is that the club is developing him to his floor as a closer, rather than his ceiling as a starter. However, the front office fears Taylor's arm and mechanics will not be able to handle a starter's workload.
Tanner McDougal's arm, on the other hand, might be able to hold up. McDougal can throw almost as hard as Taylor. He is finally piecing everything together this season and recently earned a promotion to Double-A.
Hopefully the White Sox develop him to his ceiling as a solid middle of the rotation starting pitcher that his scouting report projects he can be.
Jacob Gonzalez, 2B/SS
Jacob Gonzalez, Chicago's 2023 first-round pick was trending toward bust status from the very beginning of his professional career. He hit .207 with a .589 OPS at Low-A Kannapolis in 2023.
Gonzalez had a rough stint at Double-A last season with a .225 average and a .605 OPS.
Thankfully, he made the switch to the torpedo bat and is back on track toward being a viable prospect. Gonzalez's OPS is over .700 after making the switch. He might be nothing more than a 1.5-2 fWAR player in the big leagues, but the White Sox need those raised-floor players as much as they need superstars.
Gonzalez is now on track to have a Major League impact, which is a positive development from where we were a few months ago.
William Bergolla, 2B/SS
The White Sox picked up William Bergolla from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Tanner Banks deal. He is not a power hitter and only has one home run in his minor league career, but he does find ways to get on base with a career .362 on-base percentage. That is the exact profile the White Sox like out of hitters who do not provide much pop.
While I think Bergolla will be nothing more than a replacement-level player in MLB, the Sox lineup needs some solid players and depth to compliment the stars that the rebuild hopefully produces.
The White Sox have been trying to replace Ray Durham at second base for ages. Bergolla, like Jacob Gonzalez, provides another opportunity to finally find a long-term option at second.
Pitchers Shane Murphy and Zack Franklin
White Sox pitching director Brian Bannister is very high on Shane Murphy. The lefty has been impressive in 12 appearances for the Birmingham Barons. He is sporting a 1.44 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and 0.80 WHIP.
That, my friends, is a dude. There's a lot for Bannister to like.
Murphy is another pitcher the Sox hopefully develop to his ceiling. At the very least, he is another viable potential cheap bullpen arm, but Murphy certainly seems to be on track to be a starting pitcher.
Zack Franklin has an ERA under 2.00 and five saves on the season in Double-A. He is on my radar as a potential bullpen arm.
High-A Winston-Salem
Braden Montgomery, OF
This is the guy who will hopefully man right field for a decade and become a face of the franchise. Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel were the main pieces the White Sox got back, along with Chase Meidroth and the aforementioned Wikelman González, in the Garrett Crochet trade.
I believe Montgomery has a chance to be a superstar once he reaches Chicago.
Montgomery got off to a scorching start when he was promoted to Winston-Salem. He has cooled off a bit, but he still has an OPS over .775. This is the one position player the White Sox have right now that has a great chance of being a five-tool, perennial All-Star if he reaches his ceiling.
Jeral Perez, 2B/SS
Jeral Perez can hit for power. He has 14 home runs and a slugging percentage near .450. That makes up for his low batting average and on-base percentage.
He has been in a slump lately, with a .158 average over the past 10 games.
There is still a lot of promise for Perez in the White Sox system. Second base is wide open and any middle infielder who hits for power has a chance to stick in the big leagues. Perez is still only 20 years old and has plenty of time to refine his game.
Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B
Last year's fifth-round draft pick, Sam Antonacci is living up to his 55 hit-tool grade. He has an OPS near .875.
This is another promising infield prospect who could someday earn the starting job at second base.
Samuel Zavala, OF
Samuel Zavala was one of the three prospects the White Sox got back from San Diego in the Dylan Cease trade last year.
Zavala spent some time among the team's Top 30 prospects last season. A terrible 2024 season, where he hit .187, sent him tumbling out of those rankings.
Zavala has shown improvement this season with a replacement-level average and an OPS over .700. He is a high-risk, high-reward prospect. If he continues to show redemption at the plate, he might have the opportunity to be a core piece in the outfield.
Like Perez, Zavala is only 20 year old and has plenty of time to improve the weaker areas of his game.
Christian Oppor, LHP
The White Sox have a track record of drafting and developing great left-handed pitchers. Chris Sale, Carlos Rodon, and Garett Crochet are just a few examples.
While Christian Oppor was not a first-round pick, the 2023 fifth-round selection has the stuff to be an outstanding starting pitcher in the big leagues someday.
He has three pitches graded above average. His fastball is graded at 60, with his slider and changeup having a 55 grade on the 20-80 scale. Oppor breezed through Low-A ball. He posted a 2.42 ERA in five starts for the Cannon Ballers.
Oppor had a shaky start once he was promoted to High-A, but he is starting to settle in. He had 10 strikeouts in his most recent start. He is still a very raw, 20-year-old arm.
Low-A Kannapolis
Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B
If Colson Montgomery does not work out at shortstop, the White Sox still have Caleb Bonemer in the pipeline to be a potential All-Star at that position. Scouts outside the organization believe he might have to move to third as he adds strength, but Bonemer's bat would play at either position.
He was last year's second-round pick by the White Sox and is considered a Top 100 prospect by JustBaseball and Baseball America. Bonemer's potential feels limitless. He has an OPS around .800 in Kannapolis, and he is just 19 years old.
Bonemer's development still has ways to go. But if he reaches his ceiling, the White Sox might have a superstar.
George Wolkow, OF
George Wolkow had first-round talent if he had been in the 2024 draft. Wolkow reclassified for the 2023 class and the Sox were able to "steal" a first-round talent in the sixth round.
Wolkow has incredible size and potential. "King George" crushed 13 home runs last season between the Arizona Complex League and the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. He is closing in on double-digit home runs again this season with 16 stolen bases.
Wolkow must learn some plate discipline. He had 158 strikeouts between rookie ball and Low-A. He is well on pace toward matching that this season, but the tools are loud and his ceiling his high. He won't turn 20 until January.
Grant Umberger, LHP
Grant Umberger is another left-handed pitching prospect to keep tabs on. He has an impressive 2.19 ERA this year for the Cannon Ballers.
Umberger has 70 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP. That is impressive for an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech.
23 years old in Low-A is a bit underwhelming, but it would be a huge win for the White Sox scouting and development staff if Umberger continues up the minor league levels and pitches in the big leagues someday.