The White Sox may already have one of the more intriguing waves of young bats in the game, but the next one is coming fast. Miguel Vargas, Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters have helped headline a lineup that led the American League in runs scored, and each could be in the mix for Silver Slugger honors at his position this season. Even so, the system still has more offense cooking, and one recent draft pick looks like a future award candidate if everything clicks.
That player is Cole Prosek, the high school infielder Chicago grabbed after making a trade the night before the draft that sent Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert to the Pirates for an extra compensation pick. That deal gave the White Sox three selections inside the top 41, and after taking Roch Cholowsky and Landon Thome, some expected the third pick to be a pitcher. Chicago went in another direction and took Prosek, a move that makes sense once you look at his bat.
Prosek, 19, put together a monster senior season at an elite Mississippi program. He batted .595 with 18 home runs and a 1.899 OPS in 41 games.
He also worked on the mound, finishing with a 3.16 ERA in 57.2 innings and reaching 93. There was even some catcher work in his senior year, though it doesn’t sound like the White Sox intend to pursue that path.
Because speed is not part of the package, third base or second base looks like his likely home, and that defensive projection is the biggest question hanging over his profile.
At the plate, though, the tools are obvious. MLB Pipeline gives Prosek a 60-grade hit tool and a 50-grade power tool, while Baseball America is even more optimistic about the power.
He’s a left-handed hitter with advanced bat-to-ball skills, and the next step is clear: add strength and get exposed to higher-level pitching in 2027. The expectation is that he’ll start next season at Low-A Kannapolis, and while he’s still a few years away from Chicago, the organization clearly loved the bat enough to lock him in.
His future Silver Slugger case may come down to where he lands on the diamond. If Prosek settles in at third, the climb gets steep, with Miguel Vargas already there for the White Sox and plenty of premium talent around the league at the position.
Second base offers a cleaner path. A middle infielder capable of hitting 20-25 homers can absolutely force his way into the Silver Slugger discussion, and that’s the sort of upside Prosek brings.
There’s plenty of uncertainty around the 2027 major league season, but minor leaguers not on the 40-man roster are expected to keep moving on schedule even with the big league lockout. That includes Prosek, Cholowsky, Thome and the rest of the White Sox’ 2026 draft class, all of whom should be worth tracking closely in 2027 and beyond.
In Other News...
White Sox Face A Tough Sam Antonacci Decision This Offseason
Sam Antonaccis first taste of the majors gave the White Sox something to think about heading into the winter. The rookie debuted in 2026 as a leadoff option, but his bat never fully settled in against lefties and his work in the outfield left enough questions for the front office to revisit how he fits long term. Chris Getz has already signaled that Chicago could look to upgrade the outfield this offseason, which only adds to the pressure on a decision involving a player who still has some appeal.
Joel Sherman recently added another wrinkle by mentioning Antonacci as a possible trade fit with the Yankees, with the White Sox potentially looking to bring back pitching in a deal. It is the kind of offseason talk that usually follows a young player with upside and uncertainty in equal measure, and Chicago will have to weigh whether it is better off keeping him in the picture or using that value to address a more obvious need. For now, the question is less about whether Antonacci has a place in the organization and more about what kind of return would make moving him worthwhile. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Still Have One Big Rotation Problem For 2027
Chicagos rotation picture for 2027 already looks familiar in one frustrating way: there may be talent in the mix, but there still is not enough certainty. The White Sox spent much of 2026 sorting through a staff that was hit by injuries and uneven performances, with Davis Martin and Luis Castillo among the pitchers whose seasons did not give the club a clean foundation to build on. Sean Burke and Anthony Kay are part of the current conversation, but neither has fully solved the larger question of who can anchor the group over a full season.
The next layer is the prospect pipeline, where Noah Schultz, Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith are all part of the long-term plan and could factor into the rotation conversation sooner rather than later. Even with that wave of young arms on the way, the White Sox are still likely to need help from outside the organization, which is why trade and free-agent possibilities remain part of the discussion. The organization has options, but it also has one of those winter planning problems that rarely goes away on its own. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Pipeline Still Looks Loaded After Baseball Americas New List
Baseball Americas latest look at the games top graduated prospects for 2026 offered another reminder that the White Sox system still carries real weight, even as the organization keeps pushing its wave of young talent forward. The list is built around each players upside and projected role, and it gives a broader snapshot of how much high-end talent has filtered through the White Sox pipeline in recent years.
The club is represented multiple times on the rankings, a sign that the rebuild has not emptied out the upper levels the way some feared it might. For a team still trying to turn prospect buzz into sustained big league production, having several names surface on a national list like this is the kind of external validation that keeps the farm system in the conversation, even with more of the story still to come. [Read more 🡒]