With the MLB Draft and the trade deadline both wrapped up, MLB Pipeline has put out its refreshed Top 100 Prospects list, and the White Sox came away with a little of everything: a pair of new names near the top, and one ranking that looks hard to explain.
The biggest headline for Chicago is Roch Cholowsky, who instantly slots in as the organization’s top prospect after going first overall. He checks in 11th on the overall list.
Right behind him is second overall pick Grady Emerson at No. 10, which isn’t much of a shock since MLB Pipeline already had Emerson ahead of Cholowsky in its final draft rankings. Cholowsky’s pro debut has been a slow start, at least on paper, with the 21-year-old hitting .167 with a .639 OPS in seven games at High-A.
That said, seven games is no kind of verdict, and his ceiling still keeps him among the most intriguing prospects in the sport.
The move that stands out far more is Caleb Bonemer’s. He’s now the White Sox’s No. 2 prospect, but MLB Pipeline dropped him from 16th to 30th overall.
That’s a steep fall for a player who has done just about everything you’d want a prospect to do this season. In 107 games in 2025, Bonemer hit .281 with 12 home runs and an .874 OPS.
This year, he’s at 105 games, batting .252 with 30 home runs and a .943 OPS. He’s also the first White Sox prospect to reach 30 homers in a minor league season since Luis Robert in 2019.
Bonemer’s batting average has dipped a bit, but the power jump is real, and his on-base production is still right there. He’s made real progress, which is why the drop feels so strange.
There are a few possible explanations. The arrival of new draftees ahead of him could have nudged him down, though only three 2026 draftees are ranked above him, so that doesn’t account for all of the slide.
His move to third base could also be part of it. Premium defensive positions tend to carry more weight in prospect rankings, and shortstops, catchers, and center fielders usually get the bump.
Third base doesn’t carry quite the same shine.
Even so, Bonemer’s production keeps making the ranking look out of step with the performance.
Beyond Cholowsky, Emerson, and Bonemer, the White Sox’s only other player in the Top 100 is shortstop Billy Carlson. Noah Schultz and Braden Montgomery have graduated, and Hagen Smith’s control issues have also thinned the list. Prep prospects Cole Prosek, Landon Thome, and Jaden Fauske are among the names that could push their way into the Top 100 in the next couple of years.
A drop-off was always going to be part of the deal once the White Sox started pushing chips in at the big-league level. That said, the system still has plenty left in it.
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Cholowskys standing also puts him in some pretty impressive company, ahead of names like Max Clark and Vahn Lackey in the initial list. The only 2026 draftee ranked in the top 10 is Tampa Bays Grady Emerson, who began at the rookie level, which helps underline just how aggressively the White Sox are challenging Cholowsky early. For a franchise still looking for young cornerstones, the first read on its top pick is about as promising as it gets, even if the bigger picture will take time to fully come into focus. [Read more 🡒]